D2 Front Prop Shaft!!!!

[WildOne]

I've been hearing a noise recently that i can only describe as sounding like crickets, as in the type you hear in the garden:( Today it started getting worse, i would only hear it when accelerating so i was thinking perhaps the serpentine belt needed tensioning.
So when i got home after a good productive days work (been rather busy repairing damaged doors from the recent breezy days:eek:) i set about investigating the hide out of the offending crickets.
I discovered a front cardan joint that is starting to look rather ordinary with definate wear marks and damaged seals. Not a great find for a friday arvo!!
I've been quoted the following, any advice or recommendations would be more than welcome;

4 Wheel Drive Spares, Blackburn South $990.00 (non greasable uni's)
Range Rove, Mitcham $795 replacement(non greasable) or $375 to recondition mine (with greasable uni's)
Les Richmond, Thomastown $675 (non greasable)

Looks like i will go to range rove to get mine rebuilt, and other suggestions or advice is more than welcome. This is my work vehicle and i need to get it back in action ASAP

Cheers Phill

[Scouse]

As you have a TD5, I would suggest that the 'cricket' noise is not going to be your prop shaft, especially as it's noisy under acceleration.

I think you have the dreaded warped exhaust manifold. Check the studs/nuts - you might find a broken one.

[WildOne]

As you have a TD5, I would suggest that the 'cricket' noise is not going to be your prop shaft, especially as it's noisy under acceleration.

I think you have the dreaded warped exhaust manifold. Check the studs/nuts - you might find a broken one.

I was thinking it could be that also, there was a similar thread recently about this (MickG i think?).
I just pulled my front prop shaft out and the DC Joint is most definately shagged:eek:
Has anyone else had their shaft rebuilt by Range Rove?
I'll check my exhaust manifold tomorrow after work, i can't take too much bad news in one friday evening!
I have to drive the disco to work tomorrow so i'll soon tell if the noise is gone with the front shaft out.

[wardy1]

I'm with Scouse. Having had 2 Cardans go, they don't make a noise at all..maybe a little vibration if you're lucky:twisted:.

The noise you describe is exactly the same as mine with the warped manifold which is being done next week:)

[wardy1]

I should add here that the guys at Range Rov are excellent!
They recently rebuilt my transmission and although there were problems(not their fault as it worked out), they never backed away from getting it right even at their own expense.

[LandyAndy]

Mine was chirping on and off basically only under load.Then started chirping non-stop.1 of the unis in the double were red hot the other not.NO NOTICABLE VIBRATIONS!!!!
Andrew

[WildOne]

Mine was chirping on and off basically only under load.Then started chirping non-stop.1 of the unis in the double were red hot the other not.NO NOTICABLE VIBRATIONS!!!!
Andrew

Sounds exactly like what mine is doing, as i mentioned, i just pulled the shaft out and the uni closest to the transfer(in the DC) has had it. I can count myself lucky as there were NO vibrations at all, just the bloody crickets.

[Ferret]

Well, this was my experience from several weeks ago.

Third party parts suppliers around Perth- $750 new, not sure if uni's were greasable or not.

One supplier had off the self reconditioned units for $350, again not sure if greasable or not.

My local drive shaft repairer rebuilt mine for ~$280 with greasable units.

Part No.s if your interested in going down the DIY route are listed below and if you want some detailed instructions on how to go about it look here but disregard the part No.s given in this guide, they are American I think, any way they do not seem to correspond to part No.s for Australian suppliers.

D2 Drive Shaft Rebuild (http://www.box.net/shared/jbgsi67tnx)
:

Toyo universal joint - K5L4R
Ball Joint Repair Kit - Hardy Spicer SCV-82A

You should be aware the ball joint repair kit listed above does not have the correct size oil seal for the ball joint housing in the D2 drive shaft. It is too small and you will have to salvage the one from your old joint so make sure you don't damage it on removal. Hardy Spicer could not supply an oil seal of the same dimensions removed from the original ball joint.

I got the impression from talking to the guy selling the so called reconditioned shafts that this was the case with his units also. He said - "you can't buy the ball joints" which I later took to mean after sourcing one - you can't get an exact replacement part and therefore the ball joints in the reconditioned units were not really 'reconditioned'.

My advice - go the reconditioned unit unless you like fiddling about with DIY but ask some questions about whether the ball joint has in fact actually been replaced.

[Discopug]

Well bugger me !
I just logged on to post a thread about the front drive shaft and its happened to some one else as well.
I know how you feel Phill , I too drive my D2 as a work vehicle and had three towns and as many jobs on Friday, noticed a bit of a squeel after the first town ( 100ks ) then by the next town it had turned to a bit of a rattle, only on acceleration, and fortunately I had to go via my house so I checked out the uni's on the front, and the one at the double end was stuffed.
I have had no warning of this going so I feel I was lucky to catch it before it took out my gear box and came through the floor to tickle my feet.
Fortunately the central diff lock can be manually engaged so I could take out the front drive shaft and continue on my way.
I have done another 300ks since but I have to be very gentle changing gear because there is a lot of back lash ? when changing or decelerating. ( don't want to stuff the back one as well )
Any way I have been quoted $ 770 for a new one and not recomended to recondition the old one.
Bit disapointed only 168,000ks and replacing the uni joint. Thought it would go longer than that.

[LandyAndy]

I picked mine when it started chirping intermitently whilst off-roading,even got underneath and levered the unis,still seemed reasonable.
Soon as the chirp "squeeled" 39ks from leaving camp on the way home I new what to expect!!! 10mins later and I was mobile again.Didnt wait for it to get worse.No vibration at all,but I bet if I kept driving things would have gone pear shaped sooner tham later!!
Andrew

[timdo1]

Maybe you have already solved the problem but......

I just had mine front shaft replaced a little Sam's in Wellington St Collingwood with a new one for $750. They tell me that you cant rebuild them because the pin in one of the uni's gets bent and it will all happen again.

Anyway good luck with the problem.:)

[Kalbee118]

I had the crickets this time last year. Stealer had just completed a 200K service!
so I thought the propshafts would have been checked BUT NO, the DC joint had almost destroyed one set of unis, but not vibration just creckets. I had mine rebuilt and balanced at Hardy Spicer in Dry Creek SA. They installe dgreaseable heavy duty unis and the balance for $275.00............I might add it helped the price somewaht as my son is known to them.:cool:

[mrapocalypse]

MR Auto in Redcliff rebuilt mine with greasable unis as a preventative. They don't seem to make a fuss about this stuff, they can just get it fixed and I live happily ever after. It's a service item now. Give them a call.... Good boys up there....0732846688

That would be my advice, if you have a D2, get you front shaft rebuilt now.