Front drive shaft play

[MrTruck805]

Hi All,

My front drive shaft on my 89' Jimmy moves about 1" vertically when it is spinning (either when I lock my hubs or shift into 4wd). This is causing it to bump into the exhaust. I don't hear the noise when it's not functioning in 2wd.

Is excess play in the driveshaft usually attributed to worn u-joints? Mine are due to be replaced. I'm hoping nothing is wrong with the t-case yoke.

It's simple for me to pull out the drive shaft, which I'll be doing in the next couple of days... I just thought I'd post to see what the likely culprit is.

 

[Bent77]

Likely a u joint

If not check the splines on the shaft

 

[Blue85]

Grab it and move it by hand. You'll find the loose part right away.

 

[mechted]

If its actually moving that much I would bet that all 3 u-joints and the ball and socket joint are all dead. The slip splines probably arnt in great shape either, but may still be usable. Pull it out and investigate. If the slip is dead its probably going to be cheaper to look for a replacement shaft (used). If its just the joints you can rebuild everything for about $100 or so.