front driveshaft?
front driveshaft?
anyone know if you take the front driveshaft out..is it gonna dump fluid everywhere? got the o2 sensor done and now im trying to get this stupid vibration to go away. i read somewhere that the front shaft is prone to causing a vibration if bent..i got an alingment, tires balanced and rotated, even swapped all four wheels and i got nothing.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Does it only happen in AUTO/4WD? If in 2wd, the vibration goes away, you have the same problem as me. A binding front driveshaft. $500 to replace =|
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
nope, it does it in 2wd as well.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Might be the rear driveshaft =| Hard to diagnose, do you feel it in the steering wheel?
Re: front driveshaft? (vliou)
yep i feel it in the steering wheel and the gas pedal. when its at its worst, i can also feel it in the brake pedal when i hit the brakes coming off the highway. it varies though, sometimes its barley noticable, sometimes its obvious.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Whoa, over my head...maybe someone else can help? Check for binding in the rear driveshaft?
Re: front driveshaft? (vliou)
*bump*
anyone have input on this? i might just pull it out and hope it doesnt start leaking crap on the road. this vibration is getting old and worse, gotta get it fixed soon and noone seems to be able to accurately diagnose it. had the car in 4 times at 3 different shops and they all swear they have it fixed and give me the car back, only to have the vibration still there as soon as i start driving.
anyone have input on this? i might just pull it out and hope it doesnt start leaking crap on the road. this vibration is getting old and worse, gotta get it fixed soon and noone seems to be able to accurately diagnose it. had the car in 4 times at 3 different shops and they all swear they have it fixed and give me the car back, only to have the vibration still there as soon as i start driving.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Yah I got some experience in this. Same kinda story. no answer to my question on driveshaft, so I found out myself.
The front driveshaft does come off and does not leak oil on my 2002. It has flanges on both sides and no sliding.
Your driveshaft may be fine and it could be u-joints. It might be out of balance also? $60 to get balanced around here for each shaft. I might have to do that also.
*Most important thing!!!! Mark your shaft postions all the way thru, real clearly, like punch marks, filing lines, etc. The factory does this with white and blue paint but it can wear off. Do this before taking anything off!
The bolts are kind fun to take off. I couldn't get my socket to fit, so I used end wreches. 2 x 14mm wrenches. You need strong ones. I broke TWO of these taking the bolts off. Gym work maybe...
Anyway, you have 4 bolts front and rear of shaft. My driveshaft came off and I don't have AWD, so I could drive it without.
You will torque the heck out of the front driveshaft if you don't counter the force of loosening the nut. So I put one wrench on a bolt in the front, and one wrench on a bolt in the rear. The whole shaft is short. 2 universal joint.I ended up using a hammer later to give shock to the bolt and that worked too.
You can do 3 bolts on each side, then have to move the car forward 2 feet to get the other.
Then you got to compress the shaft, buy pulling it to the transfer case, and down in the front, to get it off the flange. If this doesn't work, take off the grease fitting to let grease out.
Tighten the heck out of the bolts when you mount again, then drive for a bit, and go at them again. I think it is like 85 lbs torque. Check this.
I had vibration issues, tried much, and narrowed it down to Front Differentail carrier bushings, which I did myself or you can buy Nissan part with arm and bushings installed at $80 each and there is an onilne nissan parts place out of FL that ships these. It is a Nissan dealer I believe.
Little hard to get to bolts, but not hard from there. Just put support under differential to keep it same height. Do one at a time, you have to lower the diff slightly to get the arms out. No major but takes a little time.
If you look at yours, the differential is supported by these 12 inch hangers. They have bushings on each end. The differential hangs real loose on these and I strongly suspect the vibration is the center of these bushing not being anything close to center under load. Mine were way to one side. Which means less shock absorbsion and...vibration.
I would get universal bushings from suspension.com because the guy is cool and not an *** like many. You need to get measurements, which I plan to give him, to work out the exact bushing. I will be doing this when my patch method wears off. It has helped much, but not totally.
But my u-joint in the front driveshaft was tight on one axis also. I have 92K on these. So I took them out and pressed in new ones with grease fittings. They only cost $15 to 20 for these. This is a little harder than some u-joints though. Harbor Freight makes a knock off of a $350 tool that is identical for minimal use. It cost around $40.
When you pull your driveshaft, check u-joints. Mine had a tiny slack and also tight on one, one plane. Ok I am done
The front driveshaft does come off and does not leak oil on my 2002. It has flanges on both sides and no sliding.
Your driveshaft may be fine and it could be u-joints. It might be out of balance also? $60 to get balanced around here for each shaft. I might have to do that also.
*Most important thing!!!! Mark your shaft postions all the way thru, real clearly, like punch marks, filing lines, etc. The factory does this with white and blue paint but it can wear off. Do this before taking anything off!
The bolts are kind fun to take off. I couldn't get my socket to fit, so I used end wreches. 2 x 14mm wrenches. You need strong ones. I broke TWO of these taking the bolts off. Gym work maybe...
Anyway, you have 4 bolts front and rear of shaft. My driveshaft came off and I don't have AWD, so I could drive it without.
You will torque the heck out of the front driveshaft if you don't counter the force of loosening the nut. So I put one wrench on a bolt in the front, and one wrench on a bolt in the rear. The whole shaft is short. 2 universal joint.I ended up using a hammer later to give shock to the bolt and that worked too.
You can do 3 bolts on each side, then have to move the car forward 2 feet to get the other.
Then you got to compress the shaft, buy pulling it to the transfer case, and down in the front, to get it off the flange. If this doesn't work, take off the grease fitting to let grease out.
Tighten the heck out of the bolts when you mount again, then drive for a bit, and go at them again. I think it is like 85 lbs torque. Check this.
I had vibration issues, tried much, and narrowed it down to Front Differentail carrier bushings, which I did myself or you can buy Nissan part with arm and bushings installed at $80 each and there is an onilne nissan parts place out of FL that ships these. It is a Nissan dealer I believe.
Little hard to get to bolts, but not hard from there. Just put support under differential to keep it same height. Do one at a time, you have to lower the diff slightly to get the arms out. No major but takes a little time.
If you look at yours, the differential is supported by these 12 inch hangers. They have bushings on each end. The differential hangs real loose on these and I strongly suspect the vibration is the center of these bushing not being anything close to center under load. Mine were way to one side. Which means less shock absorbsion and...vibration.
I would get universal bushings from suspension.com because the guy is cool and not an *** like many. You need to get measurements, which I plan to give him, to work out the exact bushing. I will be doing this when my patch method wears off. It has helped much, but not totally.
But my u-joint in the front driveshaft was tight on one axis also. I have 92K on these. So I took them out and pressed in new ones with grease fittings. They only cost $15 to 20 for these. This is a little harder than some u-joints though. Harbor Freight makes a knock off of a $350 tool that is identical for minimal use. It cost around $40.
When you pull your driveshaft, check u-joints. Mine had a tiny slack and also tight on one, one plane. Ok I am done
Re: front driveshaft? (Issac)
nice post, thanks for the good info. i will definitely look at the carrier bushings when im under there. i did notice, like you mentioned, that the u-joints look a bit different as far as removal, i plan to install new ones when i have the driveshaft out. lotta bushing issues with pathfinders, it would be nice to just have all the major ones done at once.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Hey I just did my driveshaft with u joints and it was better but still funny. I paid the $55 to have it checked and balanced today. The guy was cool and gave me a lesson on it all and he was proud of how good he was-which he was. I always like guys who take it real serious, because that benefits me.
So the driveshaft was bent in a major way. It almost looked like it, but it is hard by eye to tell. He put it on the machine and it was messed up for sure.
So the guy says that here is where they tell you that you got to get a new driveshaft. Instead he gets out his torch, makes a small heat dot the size of a quarter on the high spot, and lets it cool. Huge difference. A little more heat and straighter than factory.
he said something was up with it from new because the factory put all kinds of weights on it. that were original. Cool old timer.
Now they just throw stuff away. So it was dead straight, he balanced and I saw the whole process. Interesting. He was banging away with the u-joints and I realized how they have to be released of load and getting caps to seat and all. I was all delicate and this guy takes out a small hammer and is whacking it. But he was the real deal.
So point being, much of my problems were the bent driveshaft too. With the bushing and the shaft, butter I hope. Tomorrow I know.
Also if you let the wobble go for long, it trashes the others. He said if you can feel it, it is big.
Modified by Issac at 8:37 PM 3/18/2008
So the driveshaft was bent in a major way. It almost looked like it, but it is hard by eye to tell. He put it on the machine and it was messed up for sure.
So the guy says that here is where they tell you that you got to get a new driveshaft. Instead he gets out his torch, makes a small heat dot the size of a quarter on the high spot, and lets it cool. Huge difference. A little more heat and straighter than factory.
he said something was up with it from new because the factory put all kinds of weights on it. that were original. Cool old timer.
Now they just throw stuff away. So it was dead straight, he balanced and I saw the whole process. Interesting. He was banging away with the u-joints and I realized how they have to be released of load and getting caps to seat and all. I was all delicate and this guy takes out a small hammer and is whacking it. But he was the real deal.
So point being, much of my problems were the bent driveshaft too. With the bushing and the shaft, butter I hope. Tomorrow I know.
Also if you let the wobble go for long, it trashes the others. He said if you can feel it, it is big.
Modified by Issac at 8:37 PM 3/18/2008
Re: front driveshaft? (Issac)
oh and you can hammer the internal clips out of u-joints with screwdriver and hammer cause you don't use them.
putting new joints in has new clips and I like Neapco grease fitting ones as the good pick. $16 each x 2 front and 2 different rear.
You got to get the cups in extra deep to get the clips seated (important), then hammer the curve off the shaft to release the cup. Whack Whack the dude went and it made all the difference from mine. No tightness at all he said you want.
Careful with the new clips. Use fingers and then tap to make sure seated.
The rear u -joints were worse. But not awful. I have seen some of that.
But the problem I just found is it appears the rear might be out of balance too. The reason i say is the transfer case bushing on the end where the driveshaft slips into had slop, much.
It is a small simple bushing and easy to replace I understand, but the question is why? Gheesh. I think the kid who had this before me did some **** in it for his 4 months.
Modified by Issac at 8:43 PM 3/18/2008
putting new joints in has new clips and I like Neapco grease fitting ones as the good pick. $16 each x 2 front and 2 different rear.
You got to get the cups in extra deep to get the clips seated (important), then hammer the curve off the shaft to release the cup. Whack Whack the dude went and it made all the difference from mine. No tightness at all he said you want.
Careful with the new clips. Use fingers and then tap to make sure seated.
The rear u -joints were worse. But not awful. I have seen some of that.
But the problem I just found is it appears the rear might be out of balance too. The reason i say is the transfer case bushing on the end where the driveshaft slips into had slop, much.
It is a small simple bushing and easy to replace I understand, but the question is why? Gheesh. I think the kid who had this before me did some **** in it for his 4 months.
Modified by Issac at 8:43 PM 3/18/2008
Re: front driveshaft? (Issac)
man i didnt know that you could bend the driveshaft back, thats crazy. thanks again for the good info, itll definitely help fixing this problem. i love the pathy and hate to give it up, i would much rather get it fixed and enjoy it than fight it and end up selling it.
Re: front driveshaft? (timmack)
Same with me. not bent though, shrunk I guess.But I had issues with the Neapco universal joints. Maybe pass on that one. Internal clips appear too thin and some play.Factory on this one seems the way to go. But man I am happy about the straight. Seems like it is becoming a money pit for this guy. But I am done finally. Man.That vibration drove me nuts, it was it or me...
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TheMandrew
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2017 6:52 pm
- Car: 1998 nissan pathfinder
Re: front driveshaft?
I know this is abit of an old thread but I'm having some troubles getting the bolts off the front driveshaft. Any tips? Or just more brute strength
Re: front driveshaft?
I 100% agree with you I had a litteral pain getting them off too. I ended up busting open my pinky finger when the wrench slipped, required stitches and fingernail almost fell off.... . So be careful. Make sure you have the transfer case in 2wd or 4wd as you don't want it in neutral or it will just spin. At the end of the day the following is what finally allowed them to break loose for me.
-Purchased extra long open ended wrenches from harbour freight (have been wonderful for other jobs). Sucks you can't used a closed wrench as there isn't room. You could use your standard open ended wrench and cheater bars to get extra leverage. BUT don't let the wrenches slip and pay attention if it starts moving if you are rounding off the head or the nut is coming loose.
To ensure the nut actually comes off versus rounding off the head:
- sprayed with lots of penetration oil and let it sit
-I also heated it up with a torch multiple times
Remember.... Make sure you don't let the wrench slip on the nut or it will be a larger pain to get it off.
I had my driveshaft rebuilt with new u joints and they cut the ends off and rewelded it back up as it was out of round and then balanced it up again. I personally don't believe the truck is bending them just they weren't made to a high quality from the factory in the beginning. Also the longer you let the vibration continue the more damage that will occur with other components. I also believe these driveshafts have a natural frequency that in in sync at 50mph as that is when the problem is the worst.
-Purchased extra long open ended wrenches from harbour freight (have been wonderful for other jobs). Sucks you can't used a closed wrench as there isn't room. You could use your standard open ended wrench and cheater bars to get extra leverage. BUT don't let the wrenches slip and pay attention if it starts moving if you are rounding off the head or the nut is coming loose.
To ensure the nut actually comes off versus rounding off the head:
- sprayed with lots of penetration oil and let it sit
-I also heated it up with a torch multiple times
Remember.... Make sure you don't let the wrench slip on the nut or it will be a larger pain to get it off.
I had my driveshaft rebuilt with new u joints and they cut the ends off and rewelded it back up as it was out of round and then balanced it up again. I personally don't believe the truck is bending them just they weren't made to a high quality from the factory in the beginning. Also the longer you let the vibration continue the more damage that will occur with other components. I also believe these driveshafts have a natural frequency that in in sync at 50mph as that is when the problem is the worst.
Re: front driveshaft?
Vibration esp at 55 mph.
Checked u joints, both front needed replacing. Afterwards took it for a spin and vibration much worse.
Raised vehicle up on a lift, ran it in 4WD mode and could see driveshaft was wobbling at the center.
New joints no sought exacerbated the vibration because the slop in the u joints
was no longer present.
ie: one vibration canceling out the other
but still allowing for some vibration to occur.
Checked u joints, both front needed replacing. Afterwards took it for a spin and vibration much worse.
Raised vehicle up on a lift, ran it in 4WD mode and could see driveshaft was wobbling at the center.
New joints no sought exacerbated the vibration because the slop in the u joints
was no longer present.
ie: one vibration canceling out the other
but still allowing for some vibration to occur.
Re: front driveshaft?
Hey guys, bringing this back again. When you were in there did you take a look at the pinion bearing? Can’t seem to find out if I need a press to get a new one in or if its just a bolt.
Any help would be awesome.
Peter
Any help would be awesome.
Peter
Re: front driveshaft?
I personally didn't touch the pinion bearing. I tried yanking on it and didn't have any slop in mine nor was it leaking, only had slop in the front driveshaft. Have you looked in the Service Manual available on this website? If you end up doing it, remember to post on the forum for all of us to see. Good luck!
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Hawairish
- Posts: 463
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 1:43 pm
- Car: 2004 Nissan Pathfinder SE 4WD
- Location: Surprise, AZ
Re: front driveshaft?
You'll need a press to remove/install the inner bearing on the pinion shaft.