I recently graduated from school in California and received an offer to begin my PhD at the University of Michigan. To make the cross-country move, I decided I needed a proper highway cruiser, so I bought a 2005 Lexus LS430.

Of course, a twenty-year-old Lexus needed some work before I trusted it with a cross-country trip. I decided to refresh several rear suspension components. The LS430 has a multi-link rear suspension, which means there are several arms, bushings, and ball joints packed into a tight space. I had worked on cars before, so I trusted my hands, my tools, and maybe a little too much of my own confidence.

While separating one of the rear ball joints, I decided that a hammer would be good enough. Instead of using the proper ball-joint separator, I gave it a solid hit. Unfortunately, the hammer landed where it should not have: near the CV axle boot area. It left a small dent, but at the time I convinced myself it was not a big deal. I finished replacing the suspension parts and drove the car to a shop for an alignment. That's when reality disagreed with me. When the car was lifted, I saw grease everywhere. The inside of the wheel, the suspension, and the underside of the car were covered with CV grease that had been thrown out from the damaged area. My “small dent” had turned into a very real problem.

At that point, I had to admit the mistake. I went to RockAuto and ordered the correct ball-joint removal tool and a brand-new CV axle. Luckily, RockAuto had everything I needed. After replacing the axle and using the proper tool, the job finally went the way it should have gone the first time.

The LS430 then carried me all the way from California to Michigan without any problems. That trip taught me two things: the LS430 is an excellent cross-country cruiser, and confidence is not a substitute for the correct tool.

George in Michigan

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A steady drone or intermittent clunk when the accelerator pedal is pressed/released may indicate the drive shaft center support bearing needs to be replaced. Two-piece drive shafts typically have this bearing/bracket near the junction of the two pieces. Two-piece (or more) drive shafts became very common when most of the pickup trucks sold got long (extended cab, crew cab...). Replacing a failing drive shaft center support bearing as soon as possible will help reduce damage to upstream and downstream parts.

The typical drive shaft center support bearing is a bearing surrounded by rubber and a metal bracket. It is often the rubber that fails first. When the rubber disintegrates, the bearing and drive shaft can vibrate and make noise.

Inspecting your vehicle's drive shaft and then looking at the "Drivetrain" category in the RockAuto.com catalog is a good way to start planning a strategy for replacing the drive shaft center support bearing. A new center support bearing is often inexpensive. On some older cars and trucks it is even possible to just replace the rubber ring that surrounds the bearing. The real expense is the labor cost for taking off the drive shaft and then removing/installing the pressed-on bearing.

Drive Shaft with Center Support Bearing & Other Common Support Bearings

If the drive shaft has a lot of miles on it or is very rusty then it might be most economical in the long run to buy a completely new drive shaft with fresh everything: support bearing, u-joints, slip yoke and more. This also can be the best option for a DIYer with limited tools or under-vehicle access. Relatively quickly bolting on a completely new drive shaft can cost less than paying a professional to replace parts piecemeal.

The drive shaft typically unbolts from the rear differential and slides away from the transmission. Put index marks on the drive shaft and differential housing so it can be reassembled as it was. This increases the odds that the drive shaft stays balanced with less vibration. The splined end of the drive shaft is typically keyed so it can only fit together one way.

With the old drive shaft off, it is possible to more closely inspect the u-joints and other components for excessive play/wear/corrosion and determine what sort of press/puller to use to get the center support bearing off. The difficulty in removing the support bearing is typically proportional to the size of the drive shaft and vehicle. For example, the bearing on a wee Ford Ranger pickup will be easier to remove than the bearing on a big F-250.

A bearing puller-separator must be long enough to cover the distance from the butt of the drive shaft to the bearing. The new drive shaft center support bearing can be pressed on with a press that has enough space to accommodate a long drive shaft piece, or it may be possible to carefully tap the bearing into place with a length of pipe with the same diameter as the bearing's outer race. A chilled drive shaft piece (shrunken), a warm bearing (expanded) and a little grease might help make assembly easier. Another part it may help to have on hand is new clamps for any dust bellows/boots.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

Part of my RockAuto magnet collection, gathered over the last 17 years.

Eric in New Zealand

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