universal joints

[Thomcro]

My inlaw 1782 with just under 500 hours now has a driveshaft rattle. I changed the balls out in the rear joint, but it did nothing. The darn thing is annoying to the point I hate to crank it. The hub to splined shaft is tight. If I push a stick in there to load the coupling it gets quiet.

So what is everyone else using for cv or universal joints since the factory parts are not available?

[Sam Mac]

I assume that you did grease it. I've had a couple that were loose and by removing the O-Ring that goes between the halves it helped tighten it up a little. The diesels are just noisy anyway.

[garydee]

When restoring my two 1641's and my 1864, I completely disassembled, cleaned and inspected the balls and housings for wear. Shiny spots on the cast parts would indicate wear. Also the plating was worn on some of the balls, so I decided to replace them.

Bought the replacement balls through partstree.com, which worked well. I also bought a larger quantity of balls from a vendor on ebay for cheap. The balls looked identical and were exactly the same size.

Try removing the entire driveshaft, disassemble and clean it. Then, assemble the joints with the O ring but without lubrication (boots off) and note any excessive play or rattle. If everything is ok, reassemble the driveshaft using synthetic grease recommended for CV joints. Seal the boots on the shafts with 2 zip ties on each end and grease after installing. Boots should swell, but not too much.

Sounds like a lot of work but it may solve your problem.

One other thought...if your front CV joint is too tight/inflexible it could make the rear joint rattle, especially if it is loose or worn. Maybe the balls on the rear joint are the wrong size?

If all else fails I would replace the rear CV joint with something in better condition, with less wear.