Thread: rear driveshaft fell off

Originally Posted by stevo

travelling down to wollongong on saturday going down hill at about 120kmh when bang and huge vibration followed by the rear part of the drive shaft coming off and rolling down the road had to go about 300 metres down the road to a safe spot to pull over.

rubber joint had failed could not find that the drive shaft is bent so it is a throw away removed the front half of the drive shaft locked the cdl and away I went for those with out a cdl by pulling the handbrake on tight will allow you to drive off I tried this to see if it would work (just take it easy) there was no real sign of a problem except for a slight vibration between 80 to 95kmh.

I was going to remove the drive shaft that day to track down a noise which turns out to be coming from the rear diff now I know that a few people have replaced the rubber doughnut with a uni joint what parts do I get a drive shaft made up and use the drive flange off a front diff to replace the rear may have to replace the output flange as well as the park brake drum has a wobble in it no other damage apart from a dent in the exhaust and one in the hydraulic tank for the winch.

I have a complete tail shaft (rotoflex) for a D2, it's the original off mine when i had it replaced with the D1 shaft after fitting the Maxidrive.

Make me an offer if you don't go with the D1 replacement.

Baz.

Originally Posted by stevo

for those with out a cdl by pulling the handbrake on tight will allow you to drive off I tried this to see if it would work (just take it easy)

I wouldn't recommend this. With the rear output stationary and the front rotating it will not take very long at all to destroy your centre diff.

I wouldn't do it for long but it may get you to a safer spot like a rest area or a town would keep the speed down to 60kmh as well there are alot of "highways" where it is not safe to park on the side of the road due to the heavy traffic had to travel 1.5k's once on a flat trye it was at night on a hilly winding road with trucks going past every couple of minutes and no room to pull right of the road.

Redback may take you up on that offer will wait a couple of days before making up my mind which way to go so I take it a dI shaft fits along with the diff yoke.

This has long been a pet "horror thought" of mine.... front of the rear driveshaft decouples.... digs into the road... breaks off at the rear and comes up through the floor taking out a rear passenger in a single up-thrust....


bbrrrrrr............

Stevo - My local auto elec managed to destroy my centre diff by lifting the rear wheels and then running it up through the gears (chasing an electrical gremlin). Personally I would never do what you suggest unless it is life and death, or only a few metres (50 at most). I have gone through the hassle of replacing a transfer case which was broken by someone else, I don't want to do it again!

Originally Posted by stevo

Redback may take you up on that offer will wait a couple of days before making up my mind which way to go so I take it a dI shaft fits along with the diff yoke.

There is a spacer (don't know it's name)that has to be changed in the diff to make it fit, when they change it over from the rotoflex 3 bolt fitting to the 4 bolt uni fitting, where the 4 bolt plate goes into the front of the diff the spacer is replaced with a longer one, around $450 from memory.

Ace is doing his as well the late model D1 has the same rotoflex coupling as the D2.

You feeling 'Lucky'?
Probably not , but having your double cardan bust at that speed could have bee oHHHHH so painful! I was 'lucky' when mine whent at only 40kmh

I have a good rear shaft for a D2 sitting in my office at work if you want it (free).

It doesn't have the Jurid coupling though as a bloke in Lithgow has pinched that already.