sloppy driveshaft

[moonstation2000]

i installed a new exhaust this weekend and while i was under the car i noticed that the driveshaft has a lot of forward/backward play. also the rubber mount things that surround the driveshaft in two places look worn out. i think this may be the source of the rocking that made me think that the engine mounts were bad (they weren't).
can anyone confirm/deny this?

 

[DSM90AWD]

The elastomer "guts" of the driveshaft carrier bearings wear out over time which will provide less support/dampening of the lateral play in the driveshaft. This is usually accompanied by a "thump" sound on accelleration/decelleration as the drive shaft is bottoming out in the CB mounts.

There are many threads that discuss this and the fixes are either replacement (~$50 each) or pumping the CB assembly full of silicone to replace the lost elastomer material.

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

Worn u-joints or an improperly balanced driveshaft will greatly reduce the CB life, so make sure you check this while you're at it. On the three DSM driveshafts I've inspected, all had a worn rear u-joint.

 

[moonstation2000]

thanks for the help. that looks like a real easy fix. although the down time sucks, i guess i'll do it on the weekend. how hard is the u-joint replacement?

 

[DSM90AWD]

thanks for the help. that looks like a real easy fix. although the down time sucks, i guess i'll do it on the weekend. how hard is the u-joint replacement?

I went by the VFAQ and took me ~45mins for each joint. You will get a several sets of varying diameter circlips that you need to trial and errror to see which fits best. This is where most of my time was spent

BTW.. if you order the "Yoke Rebuild Kit" (aka the Yoke Recall Kit) you get a brand new DS yoke with u-joint already installed for $35 ($20 less than just the u-joint ..go figure). Josh at JNZ turned me onto this bargain .

I'd just order two sets and do both the yoke and rear diff flange. Both were bad on mine and my yoke had never been replaced under the recall.