My only issue is to make the serviceable bushing you would need to fully disassemble the TT anyway. So why not just replace the part and put back together?
I don't understand what you mean. Please elaborate.
The whole point of the Torque Tube splice, is to gain easy access to the bushings and the oil seal.
Otherwise you have to go through the extra work of pulling the axle shafts, remove the entire torque
tube from the rear axle housing, remove the differential case from the carrier housing, then
remove the pinion gear and propeller shaft from the torque tube housing.
After all that, you finally have access to the bushings and oil seal.
With a splice in the torque tube you just unbolt the splice and slide the end of the
torque tube off the propeller shaft. You now have access to the bushings and oil seal. Less work.
If you have a torque tube that already has a Okie bushing assembly installed, and it needs to be replaced.
The assemblies are tight and they are hard to get out of the torque tube.
Sometimes the only way to remove the Okie bushing assembly is to make a special tool or
do the extra work and remove the torque tube from the axle housing.
When installing a Okie bushing assembly, the old rear bushing and oil seal remains in the torque tube.
Which makes the propeller shaft potentially run hotter.
It is much better to remove all the worn out parts.
Once you replace the bushing, you will not need to remove it again.
Do you mean the bushings don't need to be replaced that often?
I think most of the time the main reason for servicing the toque tube is not that the bushings failed, it is because the oil seal failed.
The reason for the repair is because, the gear lube in the tranny is disappearing and is ending up in the rear axle.
Also it provides another place to have leaks.
I thought about that and my conclusion was, if there was a leak at the torque tube splice that would indicate that the oil seal is leaking.
There should not be any lubricant beyond the oil seal.
