drive shaft question

[Ken B.]

When i remove my drive shaft should I put a reference mark on it to match up when i reinstall it? Thanks

[Jim T.]

Re: drive shaft question

yes

[Joe L.]

Re: drive shaft question

Ken------

It's not necessary. However, it can't hurt anything and it's pretty simple to do. I always try to return parts to the same orientation that as prior to removal. In the vast majority of cases, it's not really necessary. But, it's simple to do.

[Michael H.]

Re: drive shaft question

Ken,

If you felt no driveline vibration in the car before removing the drive shaft, it's important to reassemble it in the same clock position on the pinion flange that it was in before disassembly. The drive shaft assembly and the differential pinion flange are balanced separately to within a certain tolerance, but not necessarily to zero. Both the drive shaft and pinion flange can/will have a "heavy side" and these heavy areas are to be assembled opposite each other to cancel any imbalance.

Both the drive shaft and the diff pinion flange were balanced and their "heavy sides" were marked with paint stripes at the source. On assembly of the shaft to the pinion flange, the paint stripes were to be aligned by the worker on the St Louis assy line.

[Joseph T.]

Re: drive shaft question

Damn.... you're good!

[Jim T.]

Re: drive shaft question

Michael I knew they were marked, but I have now learned the paint was on the heavy side. Great information. Thanks

[Joe L.]

Re: drive shaft question

Jim------

The driveshafts delivered to the assembly line were a complete assembly which included u-joints. They were balanced as an assembly and the marking was added at this time for PRODUCTION purposes.

The vast majority of the time, when a driveshaft is removed from a car, the u-joints are replaced. In all liklihood, when a driveshaft is removed from an older Corvette, the u-joints have probably already been replaced one or more times.

After the u-joints are replaced, the original markings or orientation of the drive shaft to the pinion flange (or, transmission output yoke) is completely irrelevent. A completely "new condition" is created by the new u-joints and any resemblence to the original condition is completely coincidental.

When new u-joints are installed in a driveshaft, the driveshaft should always be re-balanced.

[Michael H.]

Re: drive shaft question

Ken,

Slight correction. Meant to say the heavy side of one component and the light side of the other are marked with a paint stripe. (not the heavy side of both) The stripes are aligned on assy to cancel any imbalance that remains in either component.