D2 front driveshaft rebuild question

[Rob]

Hello all

My 2001 D2 has the original front driveshaft. I'm planning to rebuild it as it has the original Cardon-type joints without grease fittings (read high-risk to fail with nasty results). Anyone experienced with this rebuild? Is it cheaper to just get a new unit from Rovers North or Great basin?

Any advice or leads would be appreciated.

Cheers, Rob

[davran]

Rob,

I've had good results with Frank at Frank's european cars in Victoria (250-389-0207 - 2512 Government St, Victoria). I've called him and he said that if the drive shaft isn't worn too badly, they rebuid them for around 400 (all three u-joints). It's it's beyond repair, they find a decent used one to rebuild and fix it instead, which totals around 1000.

[red90]

$400 will get you a brand new, much better than stock Tom Woods driveshaft. http://lucky8llc.com/Products.aspx?ProductID=7594
or GBR, close to the same price: http://gbrutah.com/cs_drivetrain_driveshaft.html

Otherwise, buy 3 u-joints and swap them out.

[Rob]

GBR offers a nice looking replacement unit, I just worry about balance (I've read that some people have had problems with shafts that need rebalancing) and the logistics of returning to a distant supplier rather than someone local.

Thanks for the insight and suggestions.

Cheers, Rob

[sdillen]

Yesterday I returned to the dark side of British car ownership after a 15+ year vacation from the scent of gear oil leaking onto the garage floor. I've really missed that aroma!

Anyway, the front driveshaft on my '99 Disco 2 is one of the first things I want to address. On about page 20 of the tech section, I believe Dave posted that he simply bought the three joints and swapped them as normal. I haven't crawled under and pulled the shaft yet (and with no CDL linkage, I'll be immobile once I do pull that shaft), but am I misunderstanding the difficulty of this maintenance? Are these joints staked in like those on my 7series BMW such that I can't simply remove circlips and press the joints out and replace like I've done every six months or so on all of my previous 4x4s? I'll be looking into this over the weekend....right now I'm only 24 hours into enjoying my new toy.

I have had great success with Tom Woods components in my last vehicle and, if there's any question about strength/integrity of the stock D2 shaft (with stock suspension and tires), I'll simply order the replacement and move along.

[ANDYD]

Hey Steve, welcome back to the wonderful world of Land Rovers!

Yes, fairly straight forward, just pop the C clips and then with a good vice and big hammer you'll have them out in no time.

I,ve tried a couple of different brands, not a whole lot of difference. Just go with a name you know or like. Typically you will find them to be smaller and about double the price of a domestic U joint.

Good luck, hope to see you out in the mountains this summer,

Cheers,
Andy

[Rob]

I looked at rebuilding the front shaft on my D2 but decided the centering bearing in the double joint was more than I wanted to tackle. I sent it to Driveline Services in Burnaby, they were able to rebuild and balance it for a decent price and the work looks good. I'd recommend that route as an option.

Cheers, Rob

[sdillen]

Today was my first taste of wrenching on my D2. I swapped the three ujoints in my front driveshaft over a 2 hour period this afternoon. Most of that time was spent putting the shaft together and then deciding I didn't like where the grease fittings were....so I took it back apart and did it again.

The joints I picked up are Moog 344s which come with a nice long zerk fitting that does not interfere with joint operation. My first thought when opening the package was that these are really small ujoints! Pricey too. They were about $40.00 each.

An advantage of the vast number of oil leaks my truck has is that all bolts and the joint caps have been soaking in oil for the last 10+ years. Everything comes apart very easily. I was able to press the caps out using my bence vise -- I didn't have to move boxes to find my way over to my press. Any other ujoint I've replaced (North American iron) have been completely frozen in the yokes...and most frequently I blow the cap apart pressing the joint out of the yoke, so this was a very pleasant surprise.

There was no cross reference for the centering ball, so I ordered a Precision 617 based on a interweb rumour....which turned out to be incorrect part. All of my joints still had grease in them and the centering ball bearings looked good, so I packed the ball with fresh grease and reused it. Pulling the ball race from the shaft would have been a bit of a challenge...I think a pilot bearing removal tool would do the trick without too much destruction.

Having spent $120 in joints, plus knowing that the centering ball will typically be another $50+, if I knew yesterday what I know now, I'd have ordered a replacement shaft. As I'm not concerned about being "manufacturer accurate", I'd have ordered a Tom Woods (or similar) driveshaft using standard (Jeep) 1310 joints. Using the 1310s would allow me to walk into any parts store and grab a new u-joint if required. I think any replacement shaft in the $300-$400 price range is likely worth it....especially if the original shaft is still serviceable as a trail/emergency spare. I have to keep in mind that without CDL (for now), a destroyed universal in either driveshaft results in a parked truck.

[DaveB]

Hi Steve,

Although I don't recall exact mileage, I've had to do my front driveshaft four times since I purchased the truck. That sounds bad, however it has 375,000 km on it now.

The first time, the experience was very similar to yours -- it just seemed too easy.

The second time, about a year later, I had a squeak, and discovered that the u joints were still good, but one of the yokes had stretched a bit. I figured perhaps I had put too much pressure out in my vise rather than having it properly lined up in a press. So this time I took it in to a place in Kelowna. This cost me $450, but I mollified myself with the fact that it had been professionally done by a proper 4x4 shop.

Unfortunately this only lasted about 7 months before squeaking again. It was a bad joint this time and they wouldn't cover it on warranty.

Finally, about 2 years ago, I was chatting with a local machine shop and I discovered they do all the driveshafts for transport trucks. I had them redo the front joint, using a spicer version of the 344, and it has been problem free since. Joints cost me about the same, and labour was $45.

If I had to do it again, I too think I'd go for a custom shaft, however I'd likely stick with the 344 as virtually all Land Rovers use that u-joint, all the way back to early series trucks, so if your on the trail with Rovers you're bound to find someone with one in their kit.

I don't anticipate doing mine again, but you never know...!

I'm surprised your 99 has oil leaks. Other than a specific transfer case seal, mine hasn't really had too many problems that way.

Also, you should take 5 minutes next time you're under the truck to figure out how to turn the diff lock on and off. It only takes a quarter turn with a 10 mm wrench, and while not convenient, could get you home.

Good to see you've come back over to the enlightened side again.

Cheers, Dave

[red90]

I have to keep in mind that without CDL (for now), a destroyed universal in either driveshaft results in a parked truck.

A 1999 Disco should have a CDL, just not the linkage. You can engage it with a wrench manually.

[red90]

...however I'd likely stick with the 344 as virtually all Land Rovers use that u-joint, all the way back to early series trucks, so if your on the trail with Rovers you're bound to find someone with one in their kit.

My understanding is Rover used the 1310 from the 2A or so through into the first year(s) of the 90/110/130 making them fairly common as well.