Is the driveshaft with a double cardan joint, unrepairable?

Wondering because I’ve been struggling with it myself and finally decided to go to the mechanic. I’ve been to 3 different mechanics already and they all say that the whole thing needs to be replaced

 

Tell you what, I bought a whole new driveshaft.
Apparently there is a magical process to follow where you can accomplish the rebuild, but I had already pressed everything halfway out and said f**k it and bought a full replacement that does indeed have a rebuildable joint. And grease-able ujoints.

edit: you are not the first or the last one to go through this, that’s forsure.

 

Oh man. My wallet

 

Hehe, yaaaa. I’ve got two tacos and one (383k miles) I just did fuel injectors and now suspension and the other (190k)needs a new fuel pump.

the way i look at it is, maintenance and repairs are still cheaper than a new car payment, especially if you are capable/willing to do the work yourself

edit: at least that’s what I tell myself, I haven’t actually done the math

 

It is rebuildable.

 

I’m going to give it another go before I decide to drop $600+ on a new driveshaft

 

Here is where I got mine new shaft from with spicer joints,


Complete NEW Drive Shaft Ready to Install
12 Months Unlimited Mileage Warranty
Free Shipping for Driveshaft
Benefits: MADE in the USA. Replaceable U-Joints installed. OEM Fitment product

https://www.wholesaleimportparts.com/Toyota_Tacoma_Driveshaft_1997.php

 

Yeah my wife thinks I'm nuts for fixing mine but here's the thing - All vehicles need maintenance and repairs after the warranty period, it's not like its just the cost of the new or low mileage vehicle. Also, I have very mild mods compared to most here (tires, wheels, suspension, shell, hitch and a few odds and ends) but tack on another $5-7k for that.

 

If you live in Socal theres a drive shaft shop in Arcadia that rebuilds double cardan

 

are you taking it to a driveshaft specialty shop or a regular mechanic?

 

I think this is probably better for me vs taking to a shop assuming its OEM quality, price actually seems low as I believe Toyota is asking about a $1000 for this. They don't even need the core so wonder where they are getting the parts, surely not making the Toyota specific parts.

I'm getting intermittent vibes which I feel mostly on the stick shift and seat at high speed, not in the steering wheel at all so I think it's time. Also last time I had driveshaft off I did not detect play in the U joints but when I move them it seems like they resisted movement outside their normal range - probably indicates wear? Don't really want to hassle with changing the U joints myself as I can't have too much down time.

In your opinion are these OEM quality? I like the fact that they are balanced, of course most drive shaft shops say they do this but a manufacturer probably has top of the line equipment.

I assume it comes with the rear yoke/slip joint? Mine has a big weight on it so I assume its part of the balancing.

Thanks

 

You can rebuild without issue. It’s the same as a regular joint but contains an extra u joint and a ball and socket type design you need to replace. It’s a little tricker than a regular single joint just take your time. If you are forcing a part together it’s probably wrong.

 

I was looking at aftermarket options near me, and came across this one. Looks to be the same length as the one I need, except without the double cardan joint.

Might be a dumb question, but is this okay to use?

 

Here’s mines

 

I got my replacement driveshaft from them and my experience has been mixed. Take it with a grain of salt but this is just my personal experience and I'm sure the overwhelming experience have been great.

I replaced my OE driveshaft with one from this company and installed it last year around April and put about 6k miles on it. The U-joints in the double cardan is starting to squeak which indicates that there is not enough grease or that it's going out. Since they are non-greaseable u-joints, I have to replace them. I did call the company and they were helpful but I can't afford to not have a driveable vehicle for two weeks or however long it would take for me to send it back and get a replacement, I'm just going to replace the U-joint myself which I can do in a few hours. I can't tell what brand of carrier bearing or U joints they are using since there are no inscription on anything. I hope it's spicer but I have no way to verify.

Also I wanted to note that I do not believe this company makes their own driveshafts. I say this because I had to send back my first driveshaft due to the cap for the pressure release in the slip yoke was not staked well and popped off in transit. I had to send it back and the second shaft that came was a bit different in design and from a different state. The second driveshaft had a piece of paper in the box and I found out that they are a driveshaft shop in southern California. I'm not sure if the employee made a mistake or not leaving it in but the hardware that it came with were different too.

If I were to do it over again, I would have rebuilt the OE one since it actually looks stronger because the diameter of the shaft was substantially bigger. In addition, the new shaft doesn't line up perfectly straight after I installed it versus the OE one. The truck still functions fine though so there is that. Too bad I gave my OE driveshaft away. Take my review for whatever it is worth.

 

You may have some vibration issues if you don't get the driveshaft angles correct. This is especially possible if you have a lift. The double cardan is supposed to help with this. I think O'rielly has a good return policy so it won't hurt to try but I would just rebuild the OE one if possible.

 

Thanks a lot, I have been very lucky with my truck, bought new, lifted 2.5" immediately and no vibes ever but with 250k its not surprising. I greased DS almost every oil change but nothing lasts forever. I'll probably run by a driveshaft specialist and at least get a quote for rebuild. I usually do every repair myself but the U-joints seem to be a bit of a hassle w/o a real press.

 

A good drive shaft shop can make it like new and even has a good source for parts.

 

My local shop wanted $2k to build me a new driveshaft

He should bring it to a driveline shop instead of a mechanic.

 

I’ve have zero issues with mine and have around 70,000 miles.

are you SURE your double cardan joint is sealed?

mine has a low profile zerk that needs a special fitting to grease it and you won’t know it had a zerk unless you
we’re looking for this flush mounted zerk.