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240 Driveline Problems

Sinbad the Sailor

Sinbad the Sailor

Master Destructor
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Location
San Jose, CA
For about the last week I have been having a problem that is getting steadily worse. When accelerating I get vibration around 40 and then again around 65 and if I go faster than 65 it gets really bad. I don't think that it is the tires because there is almost a knocking sound that goes with it. So I am wondering what this could be? Before I would get an almost unnoticeable shudder every few seconds. And when first starting there would be a clunk (I think that might be the torque rods) I am going to California on Saturday and I HAVE to have this fixed before then.

Where should I start?
 
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The rubber surround you can do in the driveway. The bearing itself though requires a press.

Also make sure you have a spring in the surround, on the bottom. It's commonly lost and allows a little more movement and added stress on the rubber.
 
check the U Joints
I had the same problem and while the ujoints looked good when I had the car jacked up and could watch the shaft spin I saw no wobble
so i pulled the drive shaft and found the rear U joint was seized
smooth now
 
Yup I have a similar problem, except mine happens at low speeds, and when I accelerate it goes away. I know my center bearing surround is torn up, so i'm sure thats the cause.
 
I checked the drive shaft today and I think I found my problem. There is about an inch of play in the rubber shaft bearing support. It is torn to ****. I checked the u joints for play and didn't really see any so I am just hoping that the support deteriorated from all the oil my car is leaking as it is covered in it.

So I will try to replace that tomorrow and see if that helps. I just unbolt the flange from the rear diff and then the pieces should slide apart right? Any tips or tricks?

Can I lube the bearing while I have that apart or is that not possible? I have two bearings (I didn't know what size) in the mail but I have no press. Can I get a piece of pipe that is the same size as the bearing grease the bearing up and just tap it on?
 
I just had to do the same work.The center bearing will pull off with a puller that u can borrow from auto zone. And a new bearing can be pushed in place with a flat nose drift ,the trick is to tap and move 90* degres , tap and move 90*and so on.Till you hit home. It really dosent matter if u move ur punch clock wise or counter clock wise, unless ur late for work , I would go clockwise, u just may be able to speed time ~~ :)
 
Sinbad the Sailor said:
Any tips or tricks?
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I believe there will be a big nut holding the bearing on to the driveshaft. In my experience, once that is off it is unlikely that you will need a press. I remember some that I could just pull off by hand. If you are resourceful, you should be able to get it off, but of course there is no guarantee.

While the driveshaft is out, move the u-joints to check for seizing or rough movement. When you instal the rear shaft, make sure the yoke on the splined stub is alligned with the yoke on the front of the front shaft- NOT the one on the flange bolted to the trans.
 
you have to take off the middle support brackter and the rear part of the driveshaft where it meets the diff, then swapping it is easy. use a manual if you dont have one buy one
 
I'm going to mark all the parts before I take them apart so I can put them back together correctly.

I've got the Bentley Bible and a copy of the green book that I am going to print.

I think I will try to find some pipe to knock the bearing on with if it needs to be replaced. A drift makes me nervous.
 
driveshaft bearing

Harry Tuttle said:
I believe there will be a big nut holding the bearing on to the driveshaft. In my experience, once that is off it is unlikely that you will need a press. I remember some that I could just pull off by hand. If you are resourceful, you should be able to get it off, but of course there is no guarantee.

While the driveshaft is out, move the u-joints to check for seizing or rough movement. When you instal the rear shaft, make sure the yoke on the splined stub is alligned with the yoke on the front of the front shaft- NOT the one on the flange bolted to the trans.
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No, that's on the older models Harry. The 240 series from 1975 and newer uses a pressed on driveshaft bearing. A good tip for installing the rubber support is to lube it with some silicone spray. That way it will slip over the bearing. Be sure the bearing is in the slot of the rubber support all the way around. Lube the driveshaft splines with high temp moly grease and be gentle to the dust cover. They tear easily. Be sure to put the dust cover for the splines back over the end of the driveshaft.
 
Sinbad the Sailor said:
I'm going to mark all the parts before I take them apart so I can put them back together correctly.

I've got the Bentley Bible and a copy of the green book that I am going to print.

I think I will try to find some pipe to knock the bearing on with if it needs to be replaced. A drift makes me nervous.
Click to expand...

be sure to mark the driveshaft
 
I'm taking it to a shop tomorrow. They said that for sure they can fix it. Everyone else wanted to just throw a reman driveline on there, for $300-$500. These guys are even going to use the parts that I already ordered. I tried to do it myself but the driveline bolts are on there way tight and I cant get then off with my 16" breaker bar laying under the car.
 
You have to hold your nuts or they will turn when you try to get the bolts off , try a box end and get it against the body so it wont turn when u grunt on the bar to bust them loose :)
 
The shop just called me and told me that the center support is still good??? and that it was a bad u joint. $135 later I should be able to drive to CA with some peace of mind.
 
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