Had my driveshaft rebuilt today...

[Dante04SRT]

I've been battling a driveshaft vibration since we bought our '05 F350 about 9,000 miles ago.

The vibration started out only noticeable around 65-80mph; You could feel it slightly and it made a droning sound.

I originally thought it might need u-joints; I pulled the shaft (2pc; 3 ujoints and a carrier bearing) and replaced all 3 ujoints with the Brute Force ones from my local auto parts place. I did not that ALL 3 original Spicer Ujoints were in fine shape and didn't show any signs of wear after 142,000 miles.

After reinstalling everything the vibration was HORRIBLE! At 45-50mph, it was BAD, and 60+ was worse than before...

I called a driveshaft shop and got some pricing to rebalance my driveline. In talking to the owner, he asked which U-joints I installed; After I told him which ones he immediately described them (colors) and said they were garbage. He made it clear that he didn't say that because he was trying to sell me anything, but because the seals inside of them leaked badly and the life expectancy out of them was SHORT. His advice to cure the vibration was to put the stock Ujoints back in and balance the shaft.

I dropped the shaft off last night and he called me today when I got around to working on it. In addition to new ujoints and a balance, he recommended replacing the rear shaft section to get rid of the clunky weight/balance ring on the pinion end. He mentioned he'd seen a few of them break free on the shaft!

So; After picking the driveshaft back up today, I've got all 3 new Spicer ujoints, a new rear shaft section, and fresh balance of both the front and rear sections (of the rear driveshaft). The vibration is virtually gone - I still notice a tiny bit at around 65-70mph, but it is so minute that it may very well be something else.

Just thought I'd share; apparently the stock driveshaft leaves something to be desired.

FYI - The shop that did the repairs was Ferguson Driveshaft in Morristown, TN. This is the 2nd time I've dealt with them and they are great. The shop is a bit out of the way, but if you're in the Knoxville, TN (or anywhere in East TN for that matter), I strongly recommend them!

[submarine-stroker]

The rear section of my driveshaft broke off yesterday at about 70 mph. I guess the u-joint on the back end of it was bad and the yoke that connects it to the rear diff broke too(one of the u-joint straps broke off). So I now need a new driveshaft. Did the shop say where they got yours at or give you any info on wear to find one? And how much did this run you? I'm in southeast GA so your shop in TN is a bit far of a drive but it'd at least give me an idea.

[Dante04SRT]

Originally Posted by submarine-stroker

Did the shop say where they got yours at or give you any info on wear to find one? And how much did this run you? I'm in southeast GA so your shop in TN is a bit far of a drive but it'd at least give me an idea.

Where they got the driveshaft? They rebuilt it in house. As for the parts themselves, they used all spicer stuff. They can get it if you need to order it. In my case, the flange yoke (that mates to the transfer case) was broken and I got that part at the Ford dealer for ~$85.

I'll have to look up my receipt on the driveshaft work but if memory serves, it was around $300 to have the rear section replaced, all new ujoints installed and then rebalance everything.

[submarine-stroker]

Yeah I'm going to give a diesel specialty shop a call tomorrow to see if they're open and what they can do.

[98SurplusExpy]

I had mine re-tubed at a FleetPride heavy truck repair facility ... go to FleetPride: Homepage and see if there is a branch near by.

[submarine-stroker]

Dropped mine off at Driveshaft Specialists in Jacksonville, FL today. It'll be about $500 for them to make one but it'll have serviceable u-joints and won't have the bulky vibration dampener Ford puts on them. The Ford shop wanted $1100 for a new one and the junkyard I called said they had one for $150. I said sweet I'll just get that and put new u-joints in it and be good to go, but when I made the 45 minute drive there they found out that it had been sold and just not taken out of the inventory. So I should have a new balanced driveshaft tomorrow evening sometime. Why is it the parts that are the easiest to replace are the hardest to find? Ridiculous.