I have a 2002 ss with 100000 miles that has a vibration mostly between 50 and 60 mph. I jacked it up and took the rear wheels and ran it in 6th gear and it shakes the whole car so I'm guessing it's the driveshaft. I also took a sharpie marker and marked it while spinning the driveshaft and it seems out of round. The the universals look original but I took the shaft out and and the t doesnt look centered. Could that be an issue? Also there's no dents in the shaft. It has me stumped.

 

If the 't' or journal cross is not spaced evenly inside the yoke, could be the thrust washer is worn completely out. With 100k on the clock, I would replace anyways. While the driveshaft is out, maybe a trip to a driveline specialist in your area to check balance for extra peace of mind?

 

Where is there a thrust washer?

 

Inside the bearing cups.

 

 

OK I'll just replace the crosses and if that doesn't work I'll bring it to a drive line shop. Thanks for all the help!

 

Unless you are used to replacing universal joints, take it to a driveshaft shop and have them do it and rebalence the driveshaft at the same time. Universals can be a real stubborn at times. A press makes it easier but you can still pound them out with large sockets or collets. If you have an aluminum driveshaft, you can do a fair amount of damage to the ends of the shaft if your not careful.

Driveshaft work is not expensive. Last one I had to service had to go in becuase it was out of balence and it had a dent in it causing the issue. While it was there i just had them put the joints in and the whole job was only 150.00. That was a steel driveshaft.

 

The 4th Gen factory u-joints can be extremely difficult to remove, because they are locked in by injecting molten nylon into an internal groove. The nylon has to be melted out before they can be pressed out. You can hammer for hours and they won't move, until the nylon is removed.

 

OK guys, I replaced the universal cross but there's no change in the vibration so I had it checked for balance and they said it's fine. Could there be something in the rear end causing the vibration?

 

Does the shaft still seem "out of round"?