driveshaft weight came off....crap!

[racsan]

in the process of doing my rear u-joints, no press or tool, just a bfh & socket. knocked off the balance weight. can i weld it back on or do i need another shaft? obvoiusly the weld will change the weight, it looks like the weight was originally resistance welded to the shaft, all i hav access to is a arc welder. still aint got the u-joints out either! 19 y/o truck, theyve been in there for awhile!

 

[Ormachek]

I say tack em back on, take her for a drive and see how it feels. Try to keep your tack small. You aren't going to make it any worse than you already have so you might as well try.

 

[kunar]

at this point, it might be worth taking it somewhere to have it done. any driveline shop should be able to do the ujoints and rebalance it for a decent price...

or like ormachek said, tack it back on and see how it feels, you might be okay

 

[snoranger]

You can always try the old timers way of balancing a driveshaft. I would take it and have it done by my driveshaft builder, but if you need to have it up and running for work on monday, this will get you by.


DRIVESHAFT BALANCING

Fig. 9: Marking the driveshaft

Fig. 10: Installing the hose clamps on the driveshaft

Fig. 11: Rotating the clamps

Driveline vibration or shudder, felt mainly on acceleration, coasting or under engine braking, can be caused, among other things, by improper driveshaft installation or imbalance.

If the condition follows driveshaft replacement or installation after disconnection, try disconnecting the driveshaft at the axle and rotating it 180°. Then, reconnect it. If that doesn't work, try the following procedure:

1. Raise and support the truck on jackstands so that all wheels are off the ground and free to rotate. The truck must be as level as possible.

2. Remove the wheels. Install the lug nuts to retain the brake drums or rotors.

3. Start the engine, place the transmission in gear and increase engine speed to the point at which the vibration is most severe. Record this speedometer speed as a reference point.

4. Shift into Neutral and shut off the engine.

5. Check all driveshaft attachment fasteners, U-joint bearing caps, U-joint cap retaining rings or cap locating lugs. Tighten any loose fasteners, replace any missing, damaged or shaved retaining rings or lugs. If worn U-joints are suspected, replace them. If everything is normal, or if any corrections made do not solve the problem, continue.

6. Start the engine, place the transmission in gear and increase engine speed to an indicated road speed of 40-50 mph (64-80 km/h). Maintain this speed with some sort of accelerator control, such as a weight on the pedal, or have an assistant hold the pedal.




CAUTION
The following procedure can be dangerous! Be careful when approaching the spinning driveline parts!

7. Carefully raise a piece of chalk until it just barely touches the driveshaft at the front, middle and rear. At either end, try touching the shaft about an inch or so from the yokes. Don't touch any existing driveshaft balancing weights. The chalk marks will indicate the heavy points of the driveshaft. Shut off the engine.



It helps greatly to steady your hand on some sort of support.

8. Check the driveshaft end of the shaft first. If the chalk mark is continuous around the shaft proceed to the opposite end, then the middle. If the chalk mark is not continuous, install 2 screw-type hose clamps on the shaft so that their heads are 180° from the center of the chalk mark.

9. Start the engine and run it to the speed recorded previously. If the vibration persists, stop the engine and move the screw portions of the clamps 45° from each other. Try the run test again.




WARNING
Check the engine temperature!

10. If the vibration persists, move the screw portions of the clamps apart in small increments until the vibration disappears. If this doesn't cure the problem, proceed to the other end, then the middle, performing the operation all over again. If the problem persists, investigate other driveline components.

 

[racsan]

new u-joints (all three) and the weight tack-welded back on. doesnt seem to be any different than before, think its good to go.

 

[SimplyTheBess]

my driveshaft weight has been off for.... 7 years I think now. F it.

 

[straycat]

Darn. I have never had that problem before. The worst problem with a drive shaft was when I lost a drive shaft once on my 68 'Cuda street racing some years back. Hit about 110 mph and the drive shaft came off and I had forgot to put my drive shaft saftey loop on before we left to go to the beach that night. My 'Cuda did a rear end leap about 3 feet in the air when that drive shaft dangled down from the rear end and hit the street and caught a rut in the ground!! I thought I was gonna crash and total my beautiful pearl black 'Cuda.....my angel was with me. Darn!!! What a rush. My buddies thought me and the car were a gonner when thay saw the rear end leap up at speed. Learned a lesson that night...just had to buy a new drive shaft and some more boxer shorts......lol