Driveline Overhaul

February 9, 2013

Whether you travel in a car, SUV, pick-up camper or expedition motorhome, it’s easy to overlook one of the smallest parts of the drivetrain. When you think about it, all of the power in our big engines is channeled through the transmission and back to the rear wheels (and front wheels if you have four-wheel-drive) through a bunch of little bearings, any one of which you can slip underneath your thumbnail. Those little bearings are located inside a fairly complicated system of driveshafts, CV joints and U-joints, all running on a thin layer of grease. If any one of these little components fails, you will know it right away because you will be on the side of the road. Periodically, and especially before a long adventure, we take our driveshafts to Drive Line Service of West Sacramento where they meticulously inspect, rebuild and balance everything with quality Spicer parts.

These little needle bearings are what connect your engine to the tires on the ground.

The new Spicer sealed U-joints are stronger and better sealed against moisture and grit.

Our old stub-shaft was lathed off and a new one was pressed and welded on the driveline.

After careful alignment, a new stub-shaft was welded in place.

The CV joint, (constant velocity) is a critical component of modern driveline systems.

The CV joint still has a zerk fitting and must be occasionally serviced.

A needle adapter to our grease gun is used to lube the fitting inside the CV joint.

The carrier bearing is bolted to the frame and supports the driveshaft and the CV joint.

A high-speed precision Axi-Line balancing machine developed by Driveline Service of Sacramento is used to precisely align and balance all components.

A high-speed precision Axi-Line balancing machine developed by Drive Line Service of West Sacramento is used to precisely align and balance all components.