Driveshaft carrier bearing?

[InjenTalon96]

hey guys,


recently ive noticed on the highway a slight vibration that would come and go depending on how much throttle ide give it. so i start to look around at what it could be, i know my wheel bearing in the front are making slight noise, but they still have some life in them. anyway i noticed where the carrier bearing is, more toward the middle of the car, the rubber piece which surrounds the driveshaft are all torn up, and dry rotted. could that be a problem or no?

 

[Dream On]

Possibly could be causing what you're hearing.

http://www.geocities.com/qwik93awd/Vfaq/rearendthumpfix.htm

http://www.plymouthlaser.com/shaft.htm

 

[GeosTalon]

Mine are all torn up, and the previous owner had done the thump fix. It's time to replace the parts. They cost about $95 a piece, you need two of them. I'll let you know how tough it is as I'm going to be replacing mine today, perhaps I can do a how-to (there is already one, but I wouldn't mind doing another).

 

[DSM90AWD]

recently ive noticed on the highway a slight vibration that would come and go depending on how much throttle ide give it. so i start to look around at what it could be, i know my wheel bearing in the front are making slight noise, but they still have some life in them

Wheel bearings are either good or bad, there is no in-betweens

anyway i noticed where the carrier bearing is, more toward the middle of the car, the rubber piece which surrounds the driveshaft are all torn up, and dry rotted. could that be a problem or no?

Before you replace the CV boots you may also want to check the driveshaft u-joints. I guarantee the rear one is bad, and the front one is also bad (if the yoke was not replaced under recall that is). Bad u-joints cause enormous amounts of vibration in the driveshaft, of which the carrier bearings try to dampen (note the "thump fix" will prevent the CBs from dampenign vibrations so car will rumble like crazy if u-joint is bad). If you simply replace the CBs, they will wear out very quick (ask me how much it cost me time/$ to find this out for myself )

 

[GeosTalon]

You wouldn't happen to know the part number of the non-Mitsu u-joint, or the year of Montero that the u-joints are identical to, would you? I don't want to have to spend $95 per u-joint from Satan for a $20 part.

 

[babell2]

I work at Advance Auto. They don't list them in the online parts catalog but I have seen them in the Neapco u-joint book listed for the Eagle Talon. I don't know if they are different between the 1G and 2Gs

 

[GeosTalon]

Can you check on the following parts?

Neapco part # 1-1557
Spicer part # 5-1503X

I need to know the measurements of those u-joints, if possible.

 

[babell2]

I'll print your request and look them up at work today. I won't be able to respond until tonight when I close the store. There is no internet access at the store.

 

[GeosTalon]

I've got the u-joint specs, they match what is needed for a 1G driveshaft. I've purchased three u-joints and will install them today.

 

[DSM90AWD]

I found out from Josh at JNZTuning that the $35 yoke recall kit includes a factory u-joint. I bought three, one for the Yoke the other two I just pirated the u-joint from.

Just the u-joint is nearly 2x as much which is pretty crazy of Mitsu to do

Anyone need an extra yoke

 

[sleepyvr4]

the carrier bearings are are $50 from rockville mitsubishi. The youk kits are $30. I replaced my bearings and all of the noise went away. Check the joints for play, replace accordingly. Do it right the 1st time.

 

[GeosTalon]

I found out from Josh at JNZTuning that the $35 yoke recall kit includes a factory u-joint. I bought three, one for the Yoke the other two I just pirated the u-joint from.

Just the u-joint is nearly 2x as much which is pretty crazy of Mitsu to do

Anyone need an extra yoke

I would get the recall kit, but the dealer takes a week to get anything for my car. Took a week just for the carrier bearings. I needed the u-joints today so I can finish the car tonight, and I got them. Look pretty good too, I'll get pics.

 

[DSM90AWD]

I would get the recall kit, but the dealer takes a week to get anything for my car. Took a week just for the carrier bearings. I needed the u-joints today so I can finish the car tonight, and I got them. Look pretty good too, I'll get pics.

Let us know the P/N, specs and price of the u-joints so future searchers can use the info

 

[babell2]

Just back from work Neapco 1-1557 $10.48 plus tax at Advance in Georgia. And actually in stock!
Spicer 5-1503x not available but crosses to Beck Arnley 102-0148

 

[GeosTalon]

That Neapco joint will work. I'll try to get some pics up in the short term. I didn't get to the driveshaft last night as I fought with a lower control arm bolt on the drivers side. Had to cut it with a Sawzall and now I can't find a new bolt.

Where can we add this info about the u-joints? I've got PDQ u-joints from Autozone for about $10 something a piece. Had to visit two stores as most only keep two on-hand.

 

[DSM90AWD]

Where can we add this info about the u-joints?

Just add to this thread, but if you have the time, post up a tech article on replacing D/S u-joints. Would be suprised how many green "chicklets" you'll get once people read it and find they can save $$$$ on this relatively easy install

 

[GeosTalon]

Okay, the PDQ 1-1557 from Autozone worked out great. I replaced both carrier bearings as they were totally shot. I also found the mid u-joint was wasted, probably because the carrier bearings were shot. I only replaced the rear and mid u-joint as the trans yoke u-joint was fine.

BUY A GOOD CIRCLIP TOOL. I had a Harbor Freight tool, broke in 2 minutes. Spend $25 at Sears and buy the dual circlip tool pack. Use the .070 tips.

You will need to following items for this job:

14 mm deep socket and an extension bar 3 to 6" (for carrier bearing mounts under the car)
12 mm deep socket and 12 mm open end wrench (for removing the rear yoke bolts and the exhaust bolts)
Good circlip tool (try Sears)
Something to mark the rear yoke and the Lobro joint. You need to keep the shaft in balance as much as possible.
6 mm Allen wrench and a 12 mm box end wrench (for disassembly of the Lobro joint)
A two or three arm gear puller (for removal of the old carrier bearings; they come off in two pieces; rubber then metal sleeve - see pic below)
A 6" or larger c-clamp or hydraulic press (12 ton model from Harbor Freight is about $125; really a good investment)


Advice about this job (this isn't much of a how-to):

1. Jack the car high up and support it properly. Use jackstands or ramps unless you are willing to die.

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2. Unbolt the exhaust after you've unbolted the driveshaft. It'll hold up the driveshaft and allow you to let it down in a controlled manner. Do it from the rear to the front. If you have a friend, ask them to help you. Doing this job by yourself doubles the time it takes because it's a big awkward clunky tube.

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3. Spray the circlips with WD40 or the like, give it a couple of minutes to soak. Use a punch and hammer and tap to loosen them up, as it makes removal a breeze. Place the punch in the circlip and hammer in the direction of the arrow at a 30-45 degree angle.

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4. It should not take THAT much force to remove the u-joint caps. If you are using a press and having a hard time, stop and check for obstructions. You'll bend the yoke if you apply too much force. You can use the c-clamp method, which involves a large clamp and a large (1+") socket and a smaller (5/8" worked well) socket. You put the small socket on the side you are pushing on, and the larger socket goes on the opposite side.

5. When installing new carrier bearings, you need to install them the proper way. I noticed that my bearings had TO imprinted in the rubber. That faces the rear of the car/driveshaft.

6. Make sure you put the spacers for the carrier bearings where they came off. It's important for alignment.

Old bearing

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Put the car together and took a 45 minute trip, no issues. Total cost was $220 for the two u-joints from Autozone and the carrier bearings from Satan. You can take the u-joint part number from Spicer (5-1503X) and any auto parts place should be able to cross reference. These are the u-joints for a 1G. I don't know anyone with a 2G that I could measure and find the part for.

I really hope this helps someone out.

 

[i1nk83]

Can anyone give me the part # for the carrier bearing, seeing as i cant seem to find it in caps. And how much did they run you? Mine need to be replaced asap, but i obviously dont want to order the wrong parts.

 

[GeosTalon]

Not a problem...

MB505495 Center Bearing

You need two of them. I paid $91.06 each.

 

[GVR4592]

Bringing this back because I don't want to start a new thread. I just replaced the carrier bearings, U-joints(all of them), upper and lower carrier bearing insulators, yoke, and T-case output seal. I got about 15 miles and the rear bearing is toast, the front I can't really tell yet.
I hear a very loud clicking, and the howling noise I had before, is back.

I'm kind of amazed, I've never fixed something then had it fail like that. I followed the VFAQ and the FSM to the letter, everyting was torqued properly, I checked the rear differential pinion bearing for excessive play, I thought that's where most of the noise was coming from, but it was fine. I used grease everywhere the FSM indicated, I checked c-clip side clearance on the U-joints as indicated by the FSM, which seemed like a big waste of time. I installed the spacers in the locations they came from, I did everything by the book because I did not want to have to do it twice.

So what could've gone wrong here? I need to figure this out so it doesn't happen again when I change the bearings out this weekend.

 

[DSM90AWD]

Is the rear CB's bearing itself bad or has the dampening material inside worn away prematurely?

If the latter, did you make sure the rear u-joint rotated 360* freely without binding? When my rear CB failed quickly that was the culprit, then again it was the original u-joint though if installed incorrectly would have the same result: an imbalance of the shaft.

Did you also make sure when you disassembled the driveshaft that the orientation of parts was retained?

Also did you check the lobro joint boot for tears? The boot tears easily and will do so if the driveshaft is allowed to flex at that joints limit (should always be supported). Once torn, the joint will fail very quickly and cause a horrible howling sound

 

[GVR4592]

Is the rear CB's bearing itself bad or has the dampening material inside worn away prematurely?

If the latter, did you make sure the rear u-joint rotated 360* freely without binding? When my rear CB failed quickly that was the culprit, then again it was the original u-joint though if installed incorrectly would have the same result: an imbalance of the shaft.

Did you also make sure when you disassembled the driveshaft that the orientation of parts was retained?

Also did you check the lobro joint boot for tears? The boot tears easily and will do so if the driveshaft is allowed to flex at that joints limit (should always be supported). Once torn, the joint will fail very quickly and cause a horrible howling sound

I haven't got too far into yet, but the driveshaft has a lot more play in the rear bearing than it does in the front. The clicking I hear sounds metal on metal, so I'm assuming it's the bearing and not the rubber. How would I verify this without tearing the carrier bearing off again?

I checked both yokes for binding before I put the shaft back on the car. I scribed lines everywhere on the shaft, it all went together just like it came apart.
I did not check the boot on the Lobro joint. I'll do that right now. Is it possible to replace the joint?

 

[GVR4592]

Alright I went ahead and pulled the driveshaft again. I found the source of the clicking. The dust shield on the output of the T-case somehow got bent and was contacting the yoke. I'm a dumbass, I should've caught that.

The Lobro boot does have a small crack in it. I'm 100% positive that it wasn't there before because there is a small amount of grease coming out of the crack, and I had cleaned all of the oil and grease from the shaft before I painted it and re-installed it. So it looks like I need a new boot at the least. What sort of play should I be looking for in the Lobro, it seems to move in and out a little to easily. I'll compare it with some others this week and see if I notice a difference.

 

[wishihadatalon]

could you post up the pics from the fsm. I would like to do this and do it right.

Also I remember seeing a post a while ago where people were snapping aftermarket (autozone/advanced) u-joints everytime they launched. They switched back to oem and no issues at all.

 

[GVR4592]

The VFAQ follows the FSM pretty well, the only exception is the torque specs and how to measure the c-clip clearance. There are a ton of pictures in the FSM and I'm just too lazy to post them, it would probably take an hour with all of the copying pasting, resizing, etc. If you look hard enough you can find a free download for the FSM. I've seen them around, I honestly don't remember where, but they're out there.

I've never heard that about the U-joints, but I don't doubt it. I've experienced the same thing with offroad trucks.

Some tips:

Don't mix up the carrier bearing spacers. They are different heights. You can just take them out of the old carrier bearing, one at a time, and thread the spacer/nut assembly back onto the stud it came from. You can't mix them up that way.

Don't bend the driveshaft too much, I'm pretty sure that's how I tore the boot on the Lobro joint. JNZ tuning has the necessary parts to rebuild the Lobro if it's needed. I'm going to do mine in a couple weeks just for peace of mind.

Get new upper and lower insulators, mine were cracked. It's also the perfect time to change the T-case output shaft seal, and check the rear diff backlash

Somebody mentioned getting a good set of snap-ring pliers, I broke two pairs of the Taiwan crap. I do have a set of Craftsman pliers and I think I have a few snap-on sets, but I couldnt find them.

Make sure you use grease where specified in the VFAQ.

Make sure you put mating marks everywhere, especially on the yoke flanges that you are going to remove and the Lobro flange.

And take a look at the T-case output dust shield before you install the driveshaft, I bent mine and I still don't know how.

If you have any questions just ask. I'm probably not the best person to be asking since I screwed it up, but I know what NOT to do,