I have been discovering this is one of those maintenance areas that suffers from severe neglect. Failure of the rubber support or center drive shaft bearing can cause all types of improperly diagnosed vibration problems - some commonly change with vehicle speed. Inspect your center bearing carrier today for any tears in the rubber. The only way you can properly check the bearing is to remove the driveline far enough to spin the bearing and check for side play. If it has been more that 120,000 miles or 15 years since these have been replaced just do it before failure.
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ALWAYS replace the drive shaft center bearing when replacing the rubber mount carrier. The rubber seems to always go first. The bearing may seem ok but it is easy to stress or damage an old bearing when removing and replacing a bearing carrier. The bearing is cheap, and you don't want to be doing this job anytime again soon!
I know it may seem difficult to change the bearing without a puller or other special tools. I think that is the reason some owners just opt to replace only the carrier. Not anymore! With the special press tool and detailed photo instructions that I include in this kit, changing the bearing and carrier at the same time is a snap. We even include a new rubber grease boot at no extra charge. The tool will allow you to press the bearing into the carrier and then install it on the driveshaft without damaging the new bearing. It even functions as a tool to install the snap ring!
Kit Contents:
- New bearing
- Correct bearing carrier (rubber support)
- New spline boot
- Bearing press tool
- PDF Complete image by image detailed instructions
Symptoms of failing components:
- Drive shaft noise (clunking) during heavy acceleration
- Annoying vibration in the car at certain speeds - especially in the 35 to 50 mph range
- Chassis shudder and shake during acceleration
Inspecting driveshaft: Look under the car and pry up on the rubber around the inside of the carrier. If the rubber is cracked it is time to replace it. There is no good way to test the bearing without lowering the drive shaft far enough that you can spin the whole bearing carrier to check for bearing roughness and / or noise. The universal joint really can not be checked without removing the drive shaft and placing on a bench.
Other related jobs: Since you will have to remove the driveshaft this is a good time to replace the flex discs if they are over 15 o 18 years old. Even if the look ok the rubber could be rock hard which can also lead to vibration problems. Check your rear transmission mount. If it is sagging or full of oil change it during drive shaft work.
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How to view the PDF digital instructions:
Once you complete the purchase of this product you will be able to download the digital instructions immediately when you are logged in and on your personal account page (click on My Account). Any PDFs will show up under My PDF Manuals. You will be allowed three downloads, so please save the file on your machine for backup.
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