Drive shaft failure!!

I remember in the late 90's. We got some new sterlings with greaseless U-joints, no fittings at all. They didn't last too long, luckily drivers or mechanics caught them before 1 threw out. It wasn't long before they all got replaced with ones with grease fittings. Then around 2005 or so we got new Volvo's. The shaft between the rears didn't have a grease fitting for the slip yoke, there was a plug in the hole. Volvo said that they were pre-lubed and did not need maintenance, if we remove the plug warranty will be voided. After 150,000 miles we stated dropping shafts. After several warranty replacements (of the same type), and several on the same trucks, Volvo started replacing them with ones that had grease fittings.

 

Enviromentalist dont like us using grease so alot of manufactures go to these greaseless points. Alot of trucks dont have the greaserts on the the front shackles anymore and bushings get pinched causing a poping noise in the frontends . They need to go find a tree to hug stay out of trucking my opinion

 

We had shimmy issues and poor tire wear on Sterlings that came with those greaseless shackle bushings. After over a year of BS, Sterling blaming Goodyear, Goodyear analyzing tires, many visits from both, they finally came out with a kit to replace the rubber bushings with bronze bushings and grease fittings, problem solved.

I care about the environment when it makes sense, I recycle, shut lights off when not in use and some other things. All these new parts that fail are built in a factories that put out emissions. As much as the new engines break down, I wonder if anyone takes that into account. All the EGR valves, EGR coolers, intake throttle valves, etc. that we change quite regularly. I wonder how much pollution the factories that make all these replacement parts put out.

 

driveshafts coming loose can end up ruining your day, even worse for anyone else that may get hit by the flying projectile

 

i grease my own truck in between services so even if the shop misses one or two zerks it still gets greased

 

Another thing to think about, Is if you ever have your truck front towed and they remove the driveshaft, Or if you have any clutch or tranny work done and they remove the driveshaft, Those metal straps that are only held on by 2 bolts each, have to be replaced. So check to make sure they are NEW before leaving the mechanic shop as many shops like to cut corners/lazy to replace them. That being said, the tow truck operator who may have reinstalled them might have done it improperly over/under torked the bolts.. This is why the Heavy tow company doesnt reinstall driveshafts (We SOMETIMES will axles), so that we arent liable when 2 weeks after the install, if the truck loses the driveshaft during the beginning of heavy traffic and 7 cars hit it taking them out (I used to work on a major highway under contract with the MTO or DOT as the US calls them) and have seen it happen... Just something to think about.

 

This is so true, as I have seen it many times during my "Towing life" (34 years now)... I have left the drivelines out of 99% of everything that I had towed from the front, and the only ones I reinstalled where when I had a new kit (straps and bolts) to put in.
Cutting corners is very common in repair shops and if some problem happens later, it always seems to be "PLACE BLAME ON THE TOWER"

I love the line item on the repair orders "REINSTALL DRIVELINE"...

As a side note, the force that drivelines have when they come out is real powerful. I picked up a Volvo tractor which made it from the Houston area to the Florida Panhandle a few years ago. If you do not believe that there is power in there, I have pictures which show a "BENT FRAME" and the "CROSS MEMBER" above the front rear broke - peeled open!!!!

 

truck driveshaft killed