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1997 Chevy Silverado rear u joint problems

Tiny
BEN BAUERLE
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 197,000 MILES
I am having problems keeping a rear u joint in my truck. I am lucky if they last 4 thousand miles or so. I am not sure why I do 90% highway driving I am not sure if my shaft is bent or if I just got a hold of a bad batch of u joints or what the deal is.I have had my local Chevy dealer put one in and the other I had another certified repair shop put in one I am about to install this one my self
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 11:13 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
QUAGMIRE86
  • MECHANIC
  • 98 POSTS
Without knowing your mechanical experience, forgive me if I assume wrong, but are you installing the U-joints correctly? If you are, a bent drive shaft will cause premature wear and will fail. Also, if any of the balancing weights have broken off the drive-shaft, it will be "Out of balance" and cause a failure too. Additionally, if you do any "Mudding", accumulation of mud or debris that sticks to the shaft can cause an out of balance situation. If you have any type of lift kit on your truck, it can put undue stesses on the U-joint too.
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Sunday, October 18th, 2009 AT 8:24 AM
Tiny
MERLIN2021
  • MECHANIC
  • 17,250 POSTS
Also you might want to check the tranny mount on the tailshaft, If the angle is wrong it causes premature wear, and a bad mount allows side to side movement.
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Sunday, October 18th, 2009 AT 8:40 AM

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