Centering yoke play

tworley

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I'm dealing with an obnoxious ticking/tapping sound. I pulled the driveshaft again tonight and inspected. I believe my noise is coming from the centering yoke. There is a slight catch when rotating by hand and I can see the ujoint cap lift out of the centering yoke. Also in the position where the cap lifts, I can easily push the centering yoke in and out maybe 3/16". Here you can see the cap within the yoke and with just a little bit of pressure can easily manipulate the centering yoke in and out

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Can anyone confirm that this should not be that easy to move and pull away from the joint?
 
I pulled out a spare Tom Woods shaft I have, with little miles on it. There is no noticeable play in any direction. This is consistent with the few I've rebuilt also.
 
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Thanks guys. When I rebuilt this driveshaft i didn't notice any either. This seems awfully excessive now, @jjvw thought so too.

I don't notice any damaging signs to the ujoint, but I'll replace it anyway when a new centering yoke gets here.
 
Took it apart and found a couple things. First, the spring had fallen thru the centering ball hole. I went to pull it out and it was lodged thru there pretty good. I have a greaseable version to compare, notice the hole size between the new and used?
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I also noticed the needle bearings were not sitting level. Upon a closer look I found this small metal ring on top of the needle bearings looking a little janky
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I carefully worked it out and this is what I found. I am not a betting man but I would bet that this needs to be one circular piece.
20200115_172636[1].jpg


I am almost certain that replacing the centering yoke will solve my issue. I can't take it for a spin at the moment because I am missing my tcase output yoke and seal (fixing tomorrow). I will put in my greaseable version and pick up another one later for another spare.
 
Update--sound still persists.

I dont have a picture but I did see there are some small wear marks on the centering yoke stud. I dont feel any rough or uneven surface when rubbing my finger on it, but visually there are grooves from the needle bearings. Could this be my issue? :unsure:
 
Update--sound still persists.

I dont have a picture but I did see there are some small wear marks on the centering yoke stud. I dont feel any rough or uneven surface when rubbing my finger on it, but visually there are grooves from the needle bearings. Could this be my issue? :unsure:
If there’s any fretting on the surface the needle bearings ride on, it needs replaced.
 
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How are the angles on that shaft? On my last swb TJ I had to go with a bigger (high angle) CV assembly as the yoke ears were contacting the inside of the CV assembly when rotating). Hope that makes sense. Had to go bigger on the CV assembly. I could see fresh metal marks on the inside of the CV assembly which was the ears contacting.

The clacking had me going stupid forever!
Wish I kept a picture of the contact marks on the inside. When it happened to me I called Coast in california (who made my shaft) and said this is common with SWB Jeeps and tummy tucks

cv.jpg
 
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If there’s any fretting on the surface the needle bearings ride on, it needs replaced.

Makes sense. Also makes sense that my noise came a few months after a fresh rebuild, I am sure the stud had worn down just enough.


How are the angles on that shaft? On my last swb TJ I had to go with a bigger (high angle) CV assembly as the yoke ears were contacting the inside of the CV assembly when rotating). Hope that makes sense. Had to go bigger on the CV assembly. I could see fresh metal marks on the inside of the CV assembly which was the ears contacting.

The clacking had me going stupid forever!
Wish I kept a picture of the contact marks on the inside. When it happened to me I called Coast in california (who made my shaft) and said this is common with SWB Jeeps and tummy tucks

View attachment 135563

Angles are good. I dont know the exact numbers but its been running this way for quite some time. I installed a supershort sye. The ears are not contacting the yoke. I am using 1310s as 1350 would begin to bind.

Best picture I have at the moment

20190925_180826.jpg
 
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@Daryl you're right. The fretting on the surface is what was causing the sound. Though I could not feel any grooves or imperfections on the stud, I replaced the driveshaft and I cannot replicate the noise anymore.
20200127_173253.jpg
 
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