dent in rear drive shaft

[Dallas46]

oh boy, did i just mess up or what? I have a 1995 ford explorer 4x4 and i was changing out the rear shaft u joints. This was my first time changing out u joints and I did some research on u tube but evidentaly not enough. i placed my rear drive shaft on the floor propped up on a rock so i could hammer my ujoint out and now i have a dent in my drive shaft. Its not deep at all. its about 3 to 4 inches in length at the edge of the rear of the rear drive shaft. do i Need to get a new one now?

 

[chefduane]

Perhaps but perhaps not. I would take it to a transmission shop and have them put it on the balancer. If it runs true, then you are probably in the clear. If it is out of balance then they may be able to put a counterweight on it to true it up. (If you look at a number of drive shafts, sometimes you will see one or more little square weights stuck to the shaft.) If it is too damaged to balance properly then I would go to a salvage yard and get a replacement. But, I would have any salvage drive shaft checked for balance. I've never priced an aftermarket or OEM drive shaft but I bet its a pretty penny.

 

[Dallas46]

thanks chefduane. Im going to have to find a new transmission shop. Not very happy with asstro transmission. When they checked to see if my u joints were bad they wanted 400 bucks to replace them. I told them to just put it all back together. today I found that they did not put the drive shaft back on right cuz the marks didnt line up. uuhg. Thanks again.

 

[chefduane]

No problem. Yeah, $400 for u-joints is robbery. The most expensive heavy duty Moog u-joint on Rock Auto is only about $15 for your Ex. You might try finding a shop that will allow "carry in" parts. Some small independent shop will do this. That way, you could get your shaft balanced and if it checks out ok, you could have then put the u-joints on. Then all you have to do is go home and install it.

 

[Josh P]

I'd replace the drive shaft. I wouldn't give a drive shaft shop the opportunity to financially violate my wallet. I think it is around $40 for balancing and ABC auto wrecking in tucson has a drive shaft listed for $40. Chefduane maybe correct that it possibly could be ok, who knows....

 

[Dallas46]

Thats a good idea Josh. I may just do that today. I originally bought moog ujoints but they came with that new zerk and no one had the right grease applicator tip. I've never had some much trouble with such and easy job. lol murphy's law. Can i post pics here? if so, how?

 

[Josh P]

Thats a good idea Josh. I may just do that today. I originally bought moog ujoints but they came with that new zerk and no one had the right grease applicator tip. I've never had some much trouble with such and easy job. lol murphy's law. Can i post pics here? if so, how?

To post pictures you can link to a image hosting site like photobucket or if you have an elite account here you can post directly. What is the moog part number for the u joint?

 

[Dallas46]

To post pictures you can link to a image hosting site like photobucket or if you have an elite account here you can post directly. What is the moog part number for the u joint?

I exchanged the moog ujoints for precision u joints because the new zerks for moog. I could not find the grease tip applicator for moogs new zerks.
I finally finished the job yesterday. I tried to use my old drive shaft (the one i put a dent into) and it was horrible. So I went to ABC auto wrecking and got one there for like 40 bucks. Switched out the u joints and slapped that baby in there and now its running just fine. Even changed out my rear axle oil and gasket. Thanks for all your help guys. Ive got a number of repairs to do so you guys will see me around.

Thanks again Josh and chefduane

 

[chefduane]

Glad to hear you got things running smoothly again!!

 

[Dallas46]

ok, Im back guys. I got two issues i need to discuss. I have a 1995 ford explorer 4x4 and the gas pedal feels mushy and short. like its lost cable tension/spring and acceleration. what can i do about this. 2. I'm looking for a brush guard for it. Does anyone have one for sell or trade?

 

[Tedybear]

There will be a plastic cover over the throttle linkage and assembly at the end of the intake. (follow the throttle and cruse cables). Remove that cover and give it a good examine for broken/worn parts. If memory serves, there's a problematic area that can cause throttle to stick, or not work at all. (Sorry, can't remember which......but remove that cover and you'll see the linkage assembly. Feel free to post pictures of what you find so we can see what's going on)

S-

 

[koda2000]

Check where the gas pedal is spot welded to the firewall under the dash. The spot welds have been known to break over time due to metal fatigue. If this is your problem, drill some holes and use a couple of bolts/nuts to hold the linkage to the firewall.

Another known issue is stretch in the throttle cable. You can use a wire tie two effectively shorten the cable a bit or replace it with a new one.