The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Shattered Yoke Question, Driveshaft Problem.

First time ever I didn't drive my own truck. I let 2 gentlemen test drive it. After a while the phone rang and I went to where the truck was broke down and had it towed back home. They said the truck "wobbled" back and forth at about 40 and then it made a noise. I can start it and put it in gear and the transmission and speedometer moves so I think it is further back than the transmission. I started to take the ball off the tail of the transmission last night to see if the u-joint failed or the spline on the rear of the transmission cracked and the gears are stripped, does the new okie bushing I put in when I was rebuilding it act as a seal and hold the transmission fluid out of the tourque tube? Some fluid leaked into the pan when I pulled the ball back so it wasn't empty. Does the fact that the speedometer is moving indicate that it is in the back end of the transmission or the rear end (it has been recently rebuilt with new 3:55's.) Is this something someone else has run across or does the description indicate to anyone a know issue or give a clue to what is wrong. Maybe saving me a lot of time and disassembly. When the garage warms up a little I am going to go back out there and try to move the ball back on the tube I have to use a wire brush or sand paper because it is tight on the tube and came back out of the transmission but stopped 1 inch there because it is tight. I want to inspect the u-joint and the back of the transmission looking for a failure. Am I on the right track? Any suggestions would be welcomed. Stock 53, 3100, 216, sm420 4 on the floor, tourque tube, stock rearend but with 3:55's. Thanks John

First diagnostic step: Inspect the u-joint.

Did you install and bend/lock the u-joint bolt lock clips?

Yes thanks so much for looking at my question tclederman, I did install the u-joint bolt lock clips and they were still locked when I got under there a little while ago this afternoon. Some sand paper and a little lithium grease and the ball slid all the way back on the shaft. But, I do have an update it looks like the front input shaft shattered and hopefully it seperated before chippping any teeth from the front of the drive shaft. I'll have to drop the cross member tomorrow and take a look at it and inspect just how much damage has been done, I might be in for a lot more than an input shaft, there is a metal collar hard to see in the pictures all chewed up and I am afraid that is part of the new Okie bushing. Here are some pictures. One more question is the last picture the PTO and should the drift pin be driven in further?

Shattered Input Shaft

Once the u-joint yoke failed it may have taken out the okie bushing since the driveshaft was flopping around inside the torque tube. The gentlemen that drove your truck may have popped the clutch unless something locked in the rear end causing the yoke to snap like that. Carefully inspect all rotating parts. Jack up rear end and rotate tires while listening for any telltale noises and inspect U-joint for slop since you have to remove it to replace the yolk anyway. As for the drift pin I have a similar looking slotted plug on the pass side of my 4 spd and that pin is flush with the case although I do not know how long the pin is or it's purpose

Yes thanks, that makes sense that the drive shaft was most likely flopping around. I will check all rotating parts. Thanks for that advise.

Is this a long bed? If so, did you put gear oil in both balls where the u-joints are?

You could have heated things up to the point they expanded and locked up causing your failure.

Take some photos if you can.

Also can you push the truck in neutral? If so push it around (with a few buddies, safety first!!!) and listen for noise.

It is a short bed, the tow truck driver wasn't very good and he couldn't back the truck into the garage so it was pushed into the garage with no noise or clicking or any metal on metal noise. Thanks.

Looking at your pics (thanks, they were a great help!) I think one of three things happened.

1. The yoke was already cracked and just failed.
2. The gentlemen driving the truck dumped the clutch.
3. The brass front bushing was the wrong size.

There are actually two front bushings that can be installed in the 3:55 gear swap. When you checked the tooth pattern during the gear swap, did you use the yoke to turn the assembly? If so, was it hard to slide onto the end of the shaft and into the bushing?

When I helped a buddy rebuild his rearend, his was tight and ended up failing from heat build up. Also, did you put gear oil in the ball after installation? This is an often forgetten step, on the top rear of the transmission, there is a little plug to put a pint of gear oil in there for lubrication per the shop manual.

I paid a gear company in Hayward California that worked with The company in Casa Grande Arizona, I forget their right off the top of my head but real nice people to work with. The company Pete's Gear Shop actually installed their first 3:55's for a person out here in California and worked with them for the installation guide they tell me so upon their recomendation I took it to Pete and paid him to install it.

I did zoom in on the pictures last night and one was pretty good and it does look rusty so I think it was as you said in #1 already cracked and failed. I am going to drop the cross member so I can drop the torque tube and get a better look in there and install the new Okie bushing, I did the Okie bushing myself and I received the wrong one first and returned it and got the smaller one I needed so I am pretty sure the Okie bushing was correct. Yes there was oil in the ball, it was smoking when I got to the truck and I could smell hot gear oil. I think I am on the right track, thanks so much for your help Sweet.

Remove your old Okie bushing before you install the new one
Here is a removal tool that can be rented.
Here are the various sizes of Oakie bushings - a seal is part of this set-up.

The 3.55 installer should have pushed out the old bearing/bushing and the old seal (you hope).
Patrick's Antique Car & Trucks is who you got your parts from.

Perfect, Thanks. I bought the tool and kept it. So I got that covered. Thanks for the link Tim. Amazing how a website can put people together from 1000's of miles apart to help one another. Thanks for all your help. It is great.

Yep, Patrick's was the name I couldn't think of.

Can someone give me some advise. I am stuck and not sure what way to go now. The rear yoke of the U-joint to front of drive shaft cracked and it has spread so much that it no longer will slide back into the driveshaft to clear the back of the transmission so it will drop down so I can inspect and start repairs.

How would I move the rear end back so it will clear the back of the transmission so it will drop down? I have removed the cross member and I have direct access to it and tried to use a hardened chisel with a sledge hammer to split it completly so it would break and then I can gain access. The yoke slide about an inch but stops because of the front of the Okie bushing won't let it slide in. It misses by so little it is so frustrating.

Drop the front pins in the leaf spring hangers or loosten the U bolts that go over the rearend to move it back to drop it down? Any pros or cons doing either one? Thanks for you suggestions. John

Try jacking up the rear using the frame to see if that changes the angle of the torque tube enough. Doesn't have to be lifted high, just enough to get tires off ground. Then use something like a jack handle to lever it. Be sure to have a support under the front of the torque tube to catch it if/when it frees itself. And of course safety first and in this effort!

I already have the rear end off the ground and on jack stands the rear tires are about 2 inches off the garage floor, so lower and remove the jack stands and let the weight of the truck move it a little when I jack up the housing only? New pics posted, click on Flickr and on the right are a set of U-Joint pics.

Your jack stands should be under the frame in front of the axle, not under the axle. That allows the rear to hang lower on the springs and change the torque tube angle. If that doesn't get enough clearance, leave the jackstands under the frame, put the jack under the differential, remove both leaf springs front eyebolts and slowly lower the differential. That should allow the torque tube to move down and backwards as the angle of the rear spring shackles changes. Your goal is to increase the distance from the Ujoint housing to the rear axle. Put your prybar in the U part of the yoke, protect the U joint housing with a piece of wood and try to pry the whole torque tube and Ujoint yolk back. You are trying to get the rear end to move down and back hopefully moving the front end of the torque tube back also so it will release and drop down. Take it slow and easy...good luck!

Got it, Thanks, Will try to do it that way. Hopefully it moves an inch, darn I only need a inch for it to move backwards, very frustrating.

Took shocks off the bottom mounting, put a jack stand under the tourque tube about 4 inches below, jacked the truck up to about 6 inches off the floor put jack stands on the frame almost middle of vehicle since so much weight is in the front no danger of the vehicle tipping backwards, dropped the wheels down the whole 6 inches to the garage floor and nothing, so next is take the ubolts off of the rearend and move the rear back. grrrr... I'm not giving up until I get this rearend to move 2 inches.

The easiest way I found instead of taking everything apart, is to take two pieces of chain and a come a long. Put a piece of chain around the rear end, and a piece of chain around the rear bumper with the come a long between the two pieces of chain. Put a block of wood in front of your bumper so the chain dont scratch it, and take the spare tire out of the carrier, so you can get a straight pull. It don't take nothing to pull the rear end back a couple of inches to give you that clearance. Make sure the truck is suspended from the frame and not the axel at the rear, or you will pull it off the jack stands. Hope that helps you. Also have a hydraulic jack under the torque tube , so it don't slam to the ground after it comes off the tail shaft.

I have removed a torque-tube rear-end by following this procedure - the procedure I think you are moving towards:

- raise the rear of the truck so that the rear wheels are about 1" off the floor
- place jack-standsunder the the rear frame rails, forwards of the rear spring mounts
- place a rolling floor jack under rear end and raise to the height of the rear end
- disconnect the springs from the rear axle
- disconnect the rear shackles
- place a rolling floor jack under the torque-tube
- lower the rear end and slowly/carefully roll it backwards
- support the torque tube so that it does not drop

This is a two person undertaking.

Pull your tranny cover inside the cab.
support tube with jack and stands.

angle grinder to yoke.

much easier on your back.

then lower assembly from below.

Here is my 2 cents worth.
This is my twisted off rear yoke.
Yoke 1
Yoke 2
Yoke 3
The 3rd picture shows marks on the tube portion of the rear yoke.
I had to clamp onto the tube portion with vise grips and pound on the vise grips to remove it from the torque tube bushing.
It was wedged in tight. In my situation after removing cross member the torque tube came down far enough to access the busted off piece in the end of torque tube.

Your rear yoke split and the fork portion will not slide back far enough to clear trannny.
I would cut off fork ears with grinder. Like the other poster suggested.
Or remove the 2 bolts from the axle to leaf spring seat bushings & slide axle back. Exploded view of axle Bolt 5.404 (click on picture to make bigger)

Your propeller shaft splines may by damaged and also check to see if torque tube housing split.
Also check to see if the rear end is rotating freely.

The reason why it broke:
I think my truck was revved up and dropped into gear. My truck has a factory automatic transmission. And I also was not present when it broke.

Thanks,

PS
Do not install u-joint bolts without locking clips, my truck did not have any.

Thanks, I dropped the shocks, the pin in the front leaf springs, removed the wheels, put the truck up on jacks about half way up the frame and used a come-a-long and the tube came down. Since the piece was exploded or expanded and did move it fell right out. I do have the tool for the Okie bushing but couldn't get it to move today the round expanding ring did not slide down the tool and expand the tool to grip the Okie bushing, hurt my back will rest a few days and go out and try again. Thanks everyone for the help. I think I am on the right track now I think I am going to use a chisel to loosen the seal and Okie bushing because it is stained hot, so it must have melted to the tube. I'll look it over better in a few days but I made some head way and got the thing apart. Thanks Again.