Made another trip to MD this weekend and limped home with a driveline issue.... I replaced the center support bearing with a quality MOOG replacement and it already seems to be failing less than 1000 miles. Terrible vibration @ highway speeds. Is there some "trick" to installing these to extend service life? I did mark drive shaft and reassembled while maintaining alignment of U-joints. Anyone swap to single driveshaft to avoid this?
Center Support Bearing (Drive Shaft)
- Thread starter catbird7
- Start date
79jasper
Chickenhawk
It's unfortunate, but I don't think moog and "quality" go hand in hand anymore.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
If you know what size it is, you can pick up spicer carrier bearings off fleabay. I guess the question I have to ask is are you sure its the carrier bearing? Even a parts store cheapie I would expect to last longer than 1000 miles unless there is something else wrong. Pinion is good and tight right? drive shaft splines still have the blue stuff on them right?
79jasper
Chickenhawk
I haven't had to replace one of those in a long time. Not since my chevy, and that was almost 8 years ago.
Could probably get the Motorcraft one.
I've read bits and pieces about units with poly instead of the normal rubber. But I don't know if it'd be available.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Could probably get the Motorcraft one.
I've read bits and pieces about units with poly instead of the normal rubber. But I don't know if it'd be available.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
tbrumm
Full Access Member
Inland Empire Driveline had the center support bearings with poly instead of rubber and that is where I got mine but that was 5 years ago or so. My suggestion (which won't cost you anything except a little time and effort) would be to try repositioning the bearing where it mounts to the underside of the truck. In other words, move it a bit to one side and see if that location reduces the vibration. If not, trying sliding it a bit the other way. There are elongated holes in the mount so you can move the bearing around a bit. If that doesn't help, you can also try taking the driveshaft off the pinion, rotate it 180 degrees reinstall it. And while we are talking about the pinion, make sure the ujoint is bottomed out in the pinion cups - no gunk in there keeping the bearing cups from sitting all the way to the bottom.
Heres another stupid question... I think there is a directionality to the carrier bearing support bracket. Did you have it off when you redid the truck and if so are you sure it went back on the right direction. I seem to remember that there an angle to it. Have to look at mine tonight. I couldn't tell you which way it should go at this point.
79jasper
Chickenhawk
They are usually directional.
I was wondering if something else could be causing it also.
Just because there's vibration, doesn't necessarily point to the carrier. Could be a ujoint.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
I was wondering if something else could be causing it also.
Just because there's vibration, doesn't necessarily point to the carrier. Could be a ujoint.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Drove truck last evening to car wash (3 miles each direction) to clean dirt from weekend and didn't really notice any vibration until the return trip back home, curious if heat buildup has something to do with it??? Pulled into garage and checked driveshafts, both seem tight (no slop in u-joints), center support seems tight as well, nothing felt hot or even warm. Re-checked alignment of u-joints by laying a long straight edge from joint to joint and they are correct, not even one tooth off..... Rear is full, trans is full, transfer case is full, joints all have grease in them. To offer a better description of this issue, when I first noticed it at highway speed, I immediately thought the front hubs were locked which they were not. Then realized the vibration was only noticeable when pressing on throttle. Later I was on dirt road driving very slow (less than 5mph) and I could hear what I thought was the squeak, squeak, squeak of a dry u-joint. This noise only occurred when the engine was holding back the weight of the truck (no foot on gas pedal) going down hill. Press on gas pedal and squeak goes away. I pointed the truck north and headed for home. During the 110 mile return trip it had the same vibration symptoms at highway speed which I only noticed when pressing gas pedal. I'm stumped, and currently considering one piece driveshaft however initial indications say it may be too long (my measurement is 78") and price estimate of nearly $700.00 makes other avenues more appealing. Noticed "Timken" offers a center support??? Also wondering about the grease I used to pack the MOOG if that created the issue? I simply used grease from my grease gun which I use on everything from truck to tractor, it's valvoline grease. Also curious if the center support bearing needs to be "shimmed" or lowered. Remember this truck was born an F250 and I installed F350 rear blocks so the driveshaft has steeper angle than F250? Maybe F350 has factory shim or possibly different center support than F250? I'm rambling and now closing my piehole...
Okay. The clue here may be that it only happened when pressing the gas. I had a driveshaft done on a half ton truck that did exactly what you are describing but in reverse. It would vibrate on the highway when I would let off the gas. After much head scratching I took it back and the guy looked at it and said the driveshaft was too short. Axle wrap would shove the slip yoke in and it would stop vibrating when on the pedal when off, it would slide out and vibrate. I would look close at your slip joint and your hanger bracket. I could see a scenario where the axle wrap is causing it to be too far out of angle and the vibration shows up.
I have a vested interest here because I am build the clone of your truck. This is one of the issues I have been worried about.
I have a vested interest here because I am build the clone of your truck. This is one of the issues I have been worried about.
The angles of the tranny output shaft and the rear end pinion gear should be the same, or as close to the same as you can get them. Lets say the tranny is f 5 degrees below horizontal and the pinion gear/shaft is 5 degrees above horizontal. You will have vibrations that can be cured by wedge shimming the axle to match the tranny angle.
So in this case if that is true, would you shim the carrier bearing instead? Where would you take your angle measurements with the carrier bearing in the middle?
Apologize for the hijack here catbird but hopefully this will help us both out.
The rear lift blocks I bought were to lift a newer truck. They have an angle to them that was to correct the angle of the pinion from the increase in height. Seemed like a good idea to me at the time.
NO. You would shim between the spring and axle housing to rotate the pinion up or down. I have no knowledge about the center bearings, all of my trucks are single piece drive shafts. Sorry for the confusion.
79jasper
Chickenhawk
I've had a ujoint do exactly that.
Of course mine is a one piece though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Of course mine is a one piece though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
Similar threads
