Proper drive shaft phase (double cardan)?

These two sources are contradicting each other. Can anyone please confirm which diagram shows the correct phase to minimize interference of a double cardan, two piece shaft?

http://www.4xshaft.com/driveline101.asp
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-shaft/index2.html

In particular the following two images show two shafts that are 90 degrees out of phase and both claim to be the correct alignment. Note in the second picture the alleged correct alignment is the upper shaft with the green arrows.

 

The Woods drawing illustrates drive line angle, it is drawn incorrectly from a "phase" perspective.

From Toyota (1st gen).

 

Thanks so much. Also, is it really necessary to have the flanges that bolt together be reconnected the same way they were taken off? It seems to me that so long as the phasing in the shaft u joints is correct the flange/yoke on the diff/trans doesn't really care where it's connected.

 

Yes, not necessary, think about it this way. How would you mate up flanges on a "replacement" driveshaft, diff or transfer case? On the other hand there are very subtle things like the rust patterns from the original assembly that could affect the integrity of a reassembly to, say a billionth of a percent. In cases like this the question should really be "Why not?". It takes seconds to mark things at the get go. If one forgot, no sleep lost.

 

Really appreciate it man, very insightful.

 

Hey Dirty Pool. I read your thread for spline shaft alignment. I recent replaced my u-joint on my 2001 4runner. Marked the flange to the spline shaft but not the spline to the driveshaft. It started wobbling and then popped. I crawled under the truck and noticed the yokes aren't lined up like in the diagram you posted-the spline shaft yoke is slightly skewed when compared to the yoke on the other end of the shaft (towards the front). I was looking at your diagram and don't know whether I have a 2 piece or 3 piece. You show a drawing for a 1st gen. Is this the same principle for the 3rd gen? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

@snorkie70
Yep, u-joint "phasing" as a mechanical concept is universal, so to speak.
Off the top of my head I don't remember which type a 3rd gen 4runner has.

 

Thanks for your reply. There is a double joint by the transfer case and a single joint on the spline shaft.
I had a new joint pressed in by a shop and plan to bolt it up tomorrow. I guess I will be fine as long as the yokes line up. Thanks, again.

Sorry the image is huge.

 

Bringing this back. I need help.

Ive had my truck a month and a half and since I've gotten it, its had a vibe. The center support bearing was sagging so I replaced it.

I marked everything the way it was and put it back together and it still had the vibe around 70mph.

I found other marks someone else put and I even lined those up and that didn't work either.

I looked some stuff up and from what the diagram shows above, the whole thing was out of phase. I linked all the grease fittings in a straight line like it shows in the diagram and no luck either.

My question is, is the driveline supposed to be lined up like the red line one diagram???



Or is everything supposed to be slightly out of line? Im guessing the diagram in the green circle is showing the grease fittings are slightly out of line from each other.

Any help would be great. Id love to get this fixed without taking this apart a bunch more times.



As a side note Ive looked under other tacoma and 4runners and none of them were even close to being lined up, so Im hella confused.

 

So I went and clock everything to match the diagram in the green circle. I might be 1 tooth out somewhere but it seems a lot better. Im still getting a strong vibration but I think its coming from one of the CV axles.

I think I'm still going to put a washer or 2 in the center support bearing to see if that helps a little with the lift.