ok, this was a very (!) close call (part II / u-joint)

[CB]

remeber me asking 'bout a loose U-joint? Well today I took the drive shaft off and... 1 joint strap was already in 2 pieces


Ok, I feel lucky it the shaft didn't come off doing 75 on the highway

[tan top]

remeber me asking 'bout a loose U-joint?

 

                            yep   ..........



                  

                               Well today I took the drive shaft off and... 1 joint strap was already in 2 pieces


                                Ok, I feel lucky it the shaft didn't come off doing 75 on the highway
                                               

                    

                                       

                           you was lucky dude ... good job you decided to fix it now 

[CB]

a pic ...

[Charger1973]

Yeah that would have been a mess, glad you decided to wait!   

[is_it_EVER_done?]

That happens when the U-joints are not seated into their saddles (machined in seat areas). It also creates a vibration as the U-joint is not seated, so creates a vibration.

Clean all the parts good, and you will see a step on each side of the pinion shaft that the U-joint fits into. Make sure they fit within these "steps", otherwise they will try to sit on top and cause the driveshaft to spin off center (unbalanced), as well as not allowing the straps to sit flush (and breaking the straps).

Don't feel bad, this is real common.

[tecmopar]

Boy, was that a close one, glad you caught it, good luck.

[Ghoste]

Don't feel bad, this is real common.

An excellent point which highlights that it doesn't hurt to inspect this every once in a while as part of our preventative maintenance.

[MorePwr]

Glad you caught it before it scattered...I don't know about that being incorrectly installed. probably just fatigue.