Driveshaft Assemblies

Objectives
Identify the components in a truck
driveline.
Explain the procedures for inspecting,
lubricating, and replacing a universal joint.
Describe the various types of wear a
universal joint might experience.
Outline the procedure for sourcing chassis
vibration.

INTRODUCTION
Driveshafts, or propeller shafts, as they are
sometimes called, have a simple function: to
transmit drive torque from one driveline
component to another. This should be
accomplished in a smooth, vibration-free
manner. In a heavy-duty truck, that means
transmitting engine torque from the output
shaft of the transmission to a rear axle or to
an auxiliary transmission.

Power Flow

DRIVESHAFT CONSTRUCTION

Driveshaft Components

U-JOINTS

Stand pipe (a type of check valve)

Bearing Assemblies

Wing-type U-joint and yoke.

Mounting Hardware

CENTER SUPPORT BEARINGS

Rubber
Insulator

DRIVELINE GEOMETRY
Parallel-joint driveline arrangement.

DRIVELINE GEOMETRY
Broken-backtype drive shaft; angles
A and B are equal.

A driveshaft is in phase when the lugs

on the tube yoke and slip yoke line up
with each other.

(Socket Assembly)
CV Joint

Shop Talk
A U-joint, operating at an angle, causes a
cyclical speed variation in the driveshaft so
that it speeds up and slows down twice every
revolution. The non uniform output speed
produces driveline pulsations any time it is
operating at an angle. Working the same way
but in reverse is the U-joint at the rear of the
driveline that connects to the drive axle input
shaft.

Shop Talk (Cont.)

In order to avoid harmful torsional vibrations
that result from the nonuniformity, the rear Ujoint needs to cancel out the nonuniform
rotation of the forward U-joint. This can be
accomplished by having the transmission
output shaft and drive axle input shaft set at
relatively similar angles, producing equal Ujoint working angles.

Shop Talk (Cont.)

This is known as driveshaft U-joint angle
cancellation. When U-joint angles at either
end of the drive shaft are kept within at least
1 degree of each other, uncanceled,
nonuniform rotation will be minimized. Gear
clatter, gear seizures, synchronizer failures,
and torsional vibration, which are caused by
driveshaft vibration, will be eliminated.

DRIVELINE PHASING
A drive shaft will increase and decrease speed
twice per revolution.

Two universal joints in-phase will cancel out

the speed fluctuations in the drive shaft.

DRIVESHAFT INSPECTION
Check for excessive radial end play.

Points to inspect when checking a

driveshaft tube.

LUBRICATION
One of the most common causes of U-joint
and slip joint problems is the lack of proper
lubrication. Some U-joints are lubed for life;
these may have significant longevity
providing the driveshafts are not frequently
removed. When U-joints are properly
lubricated at recommended service intervals,
they will meet or exceed their projected
operating life span.

Shop Talk
Clean grease fittings thoroughly to remove
accumulated grease and abrasives before
use. Any contaminants on the zerk nozzle
can be forced through the nipple into the
bearing during lubing.

Shop Talk
On-highway operation is generally defined as
an application that operates the vehicle
running less than 10 percent of total
operating time on gravel, dirt, or unimproved
roads. Vehicles running more than 10 percent
operating time on poor road surfaces are
classified as off-highway in terms of
preventive maintenance.

LUBRICATING A U-JOINT

WARNING:
If grease is only seen to exit from three of the
four trunnion seals, the bearing is not
properly lubed and will almost certainly fail.
You must take the appropriate corrective
action when U-joints fail to take grease. If a
driveshaft separates because of a U-joint
failure, it can take out air tanks and fuel tanks
and generally cause damage that greatly
exceeds the cost of replacing a single U-joint.

LUBRICATING SLIP SPLINES

Shop Talk
When replacing a hanger bearing, make sure
you look for and do not lose track of the shim
pack that is usually located between the
bearing mount and cross-member. The shims
set the drive shaft angles and omitting them
will result in a driveline vibration.

Shop Talk
Before removing a driveshaft, mark the slip
yoke assembly and tube shaft with a paint
stick to ensure the correct phasing alignment
on reassembly. If the shaft assembly is to be
cleaned before reassembly, use a steel
scribe to indent alignment marks.

U-JOINT REPLACEMENT

CAUTION:
Never use a sledge hammer directly on a
yoke to separate a U-joint. The result will
almost certainly be a damaged driveshaft.

Shop Talk
If only one end of the driveshaft requires
service, disconnect that end, unscrew the slip
shaft seal (dust cap) from the slip yoke
assembly, and then separate the driveshaft at
the slip spline joint. When removing the entire
driveshaft, disassemble one end at a time,
laying the disconnected end on the floor
carefully.

U-JOINT FAILURE ANALYSIS

Cracks

Galling

Spalling

Brinnelling

YOKE INSPECTION

U-JOINT REASSEMBLY

Shop Talk
Using guide bolts when installing U-joint caps
can help minimize alignment problems. Two
3/8 fine thread bolts of the appropriate length
should be used.

CAUTION:
Once in use, bearing caps and their trunnions
should remain matched. Also, never take
assembly short cuts by installing only the new
bearing caps on a used trunnion because this
will usually result in a rapid failure. Regard a
U-joint cross, its four bearing assemblies, and
mounting hardware as a unit, and replace as
such.

DRIVESHAFT INSTALLATION

CAUTION:
It makes sense to remove the grease fittings
when installing a driveshaft. If they are
knocked against the yoke, they tend to shear.
You can easily reinstall them after the drive
shaft has been installed.

Dynamic Balancing

CAUTION:
Use small tack welds to attach weights.
Larger welds can create another imbalance
or, worse, distort drive shaft tubing.

Check Operating Angles

Checking Driveshaft Runout

Runout versus Ovality

Checking Yoke Runout

Checking Yoke Vertical Alignment

POWER TAKEOFF (PTO) DRIVE

SHAFTS

Summary
The components of a driveshaft assembly
include the following:
yokes
universal joints
slip spline
hanger bearing
propeller shaft(s)

Summary (cont.)
Because of U-joint action, when a drive yoke
turns at a constant rpm, the driveshaft speed
increases and decreases once per revolution.
This fluctuation in drive shaft speed requires the
U-joints to be in phase.
When the length of a single section of
driveshaft tubing exceeds 70 inches a hanger
bearing should be used.

Summary (cont.)
Driveline vibrations are caused by loose
yokes, excessive drive shaft radial runout, slip
spline joint radial play, bent driveshaft tubing,
and failing U-joints.
A U-joint puller should be used to separate a
U-joint from a yoke assembly. Avoid using
high-impact tools such as sledge hammers
because driveshaft damage can result.