1996 v6 Driveshaft is Out of Order!

Ok so here is what I'm dealing with...



The girlfriend was driving the explorer and the U-Joint snapped on her. She only went a couple of feet before she slowed to a stop. She wasn't going over 20 mph.


This is not a picture of my driveshaft, it is someone elses.

This is the part I am looking for:



What in the world is it called? A flange? a U-Joint Saddle?

I cant find it anywhere.


Second problem is this, the U-joint snapped and the shaft spun a couple times I'm sure. How do I mark where it was supposed to be located? Do I just use my best judgement? I think I know what side of the shaft connects to which side on the flange, but since the driveshaft was spinning am I going to have problems trying to spin it back? And do I need to spin it back as many times as it spun forward?

I'm still trying to get the freaking bolts off of that "Flange". I have to go buy a 12 pt metric socket set tomorrow. Any tips on getting those suckers off? Is it best to use an impact? Heat? Wrench? Socket?

I DO NOT want to strip these bolts out or break the heads off. I need your help with tips!

I dont want to spend an arm and a leg on this project but while I'm working on the driveshaft I'm going to change the front U-joint while I'm at it. Will post pics with the process!!!


Any suggestions?!

I believe that is called a companion flange...hit a junkyard. I wouldn't sweat the location or rotation...just bolt it up.

them bolts can be real tight,, i use a 12 point socket and a big ratchet to get mine off,,

corkey said:

them bolts can be real tight,, i use a 12 point socket and a big ratchet to get mine off,,

Click to expand...

Do you use some sort of penetrating oil or heat?

some times if i am at home , i will heat them a bit with a propane torch,,

but it's not really needed,, they are hardened bolts, heating them too much ruins their strength,

If the u-joint broke, the piece you're looking for should still be attached to the vehicle, no? Hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like the front driveshaft? Look at the back of the front diff for that piece.

If it's NOT there, the bolts must have worked themselves loose and fallen out...

Would a 1/2 inch 12 mm socket do? Or do I need to find something 3/4 inch?

Ped5stang priced a whole drive shaft to you for 50 bux, I would go that route. Be sure to ask for bolts also--

Should be easy to get those bolts off without the drive shaft in the way.

drdoom said:

I believe that is called a companion flange...hit a junkyard. I wouldn't sweat the location or rotation...just bolt it up.

Click to expand...

Right. Theoretically drive shafts are balanced independently of the vehicle. But sometimes it is indexed if there is a vibration. Pretty rare on modern vehicles I think though...

Here are some more pics for ya.

Not sure if you can see it, but the flange is gouged on the top... You can barely see it, I can try to get another pic if you want. But thats why i need a replacement flange.

@turdle the only reason I was steering away from the whole drive shaft route is to avoid having to get the driveshaft balanced and to avoid shipping. Wouldnt I just need the flange and new U-Joints?

The part you have pointed out is ok, however the drive shaft and u joint are broken.

Like I said in my previous post-if 50.00 is a shipped price for a drive shaft I would jump on it.

Holy crap! You're right! I did not even notice that the inner part of the U joint hole on the driveshaft was carved out. This is going to tack on a bit more $$

What a bummer! But yeah I'll have to contact him about the whole driveshaft now.

I'll show u what I was talking about on the flange though.

Well, on the bright side the bolts are still good.

That is true. I will keep you updated on how the process goes. Waiting for tomorrow to contact a couple businesses to get price quotes. I might just let Pedstang ship me the driveshaft to avoid a hassle with pulling one myself from the junkyard.

Pull n Pay gets $20 for a driveshaft. U joints are $15 each if you need them. Very unlikely you need to have it balanced. Damn sure will run smoother than the one you had in there.

Well I ran into a problem.

I was trying some different things to break the bolts loose and so I raised the rear tires on the truck and pulled the E-Brake. I went to take off the bolts on the Companion flange and the rear driver side tire started spinning. I checked to make sure the E brake was on and it was, the passenger side tire stayed locked in place but the driver side spun freely. I think I have multiple problems now.

That will happen sometimes. Your e-brake probably needs adjusted a bit.

Well I found out that my E-brake lever was siezed up and.......





So I can see why it wasnt working. I bought all the parts and am fixing that lever at the moment.

the shaft 12 points are 12mm... I usually put some heat on them, then hit them with the impact.


Si