Some people need to take the bus instead of owning a car..

TheIronSausage

TheIronSausage

Two brain cells left.. rubbing together for warmth
A coworker complained to me about the jerks at the dealership trying to make her buy a $1000 driveshaft for her 2011 Nissan Rogue. She was told that it was "unsafe" due to a bad u joint. She was also told that the u joints couldn't be replaced and that she needed a new driveshaft. Sounds like Stealership Horseshit, right?

Wrong.

I called Advance auto, and asked.. they don't even have the u joints listed as a part, and the driveshaft would be $850 plus shipping. I found it on Rockauto for $430.. but the kicker is, she said there was "a slight vibration" and asked me if it was safe to drive to her house, fifty miles away. I told her no, and ordered the driveshaft..

i couldnt get the damned car above 15 mph on the three mile trip to my house. This is what I found.
IMG_0023.JPGIMG_0021.JPGIMG_0022.JPG

(I had removed the bolts in the first photo)

I have no idea how somebody could describe what was happening as a "slight vibration".. check out how beat up the yokes are! Normally, I'd grumble about the dealership trying to stick it to their customer. I can't believe they let her drive the thing out of there. It boggles the mind.
 
Hory Sheet!
Betcha that started making noise a year or so ago.... and was ignored.
 
id bet money on that...id also argue that if someone dug thru a napa book they could have found a u-joint that fit it..not FOR it but fit it
 
69.5CUDA said:
id bet money on that...id also argue that if someone dug thru a napa book they could have found a u-joint that fit it..not FOR it but fit it
Click to expand...

Wow that thing is toasted....can't believe it was still being used! And I agree with 69....you could find something that would work I'm sure, even if it required opening up the bore in the drive shaft yokes a tad.
 
I ran across a similar thing years ago for an RX7, the u-joints were "unservicable", meaning, nobody sells them. As I recall, there was an AMC u-joint that interchanged. :hmmm: but it's a "grab the mic or caliper and go fish" situation.
 
I'm sure it's serviceable, although I saw no clips anywhere in the caps.. It has to be serviceable, because the one I bought was a reman.. The u joints in it felt like they already had 20,000 on them, too.. Nice and floppy. On the other hand, it's a soul sucking appliance, that is terrible to drive, and has a CVT.. Booo. I don't want to spend any more time than I have to near it, in it, under it, or anywhere else. I've made a new rule for myself. I'm no longer working on anybody's daily driver (unless they daily something good). I hate modern cars. They're mostly boring, sound terrrible, have terrible sightlines, have too much road/tire noise, and somehow their suspensions all feel too crashy. Not too firm, but more like they need more bushing material in the joints. I don't even really care about the fast ones.. They have many of the same faults, and fail to make me (the driver) feel anything emotional about them. Going fast is fun, but It's got to be special too. I seem to make a version of this rant about once a month or so..

Whatever, get off my lawn.
 
I agree...recently had to get a bit of work done on the wife 2011 Caliber when I brought it in for a wheel alignment..The rear suspension was about toast, I don't have a shop to work on things yet so I just had to pay the shop to do it for me, but really not worth my time and aggravation.
 
My future ex mother in law has a Caliber.. I swear I haven't ridden in one yet that didn't sound like the rear wheel bearings were coming out of it. They all seem to have a roar back there.
 
lol ill only touch a DD "if" its older or "older design"...like the CV ive got in my shop, atleast its an ancient design, simple, save for the fact im making my own bumpers from scratch and "un" policing it, and making it pretty

ive a friend who dailys his 944
 
69.5CUDA said:
id bet money on that...id also argue that if someone dug thru a napa book they could have found a u-joint that fit it..not FOR it but fit it
Click to expand...
You'd lose your money, especially at a limited vendor like NAPA.

There is not a U-joint in any book that fits it, nor even "close" to it, just like many other driveshafts of this design. I've been down this road many, many times. Boring or honing yokes to a larger size isn't safe; in these days of CAFE requirements and ultra-stringent emissions, those shafts are design within a hair's breadth of failure to save weight. You can't even purchase the pinion flange from a dealer; it's all or nothing. As far as I'm aware, if Rockford Driveline or Northern Drivetrain can't figure it out, you're just plain fucked. I recently went through this with an '07 RAV4. There are some ATV U-joints that are close, but not close enough--the ATV joints are actually larger.

Just because a remanufacturer can get an item doesn't mean you or I can, which is hard to explain to someone who just wants to replace the alternator diodes in his '99 Silverado. There are certain captive items simply not available to the general public that are sold to licensed remanufacturers only. No, those guys will not sell you the joints on the side, no matter how well you know them (I've tried).

There are some parts that are out there, but even the best parts guy or gal can't get their hands on 'em short of buying an assembly. These U-joints are one of 'em.
 
One more reason I'll stick to driving shit I can fix on the side of the road with a pair of pliers, a knife, zip ties and ratchet straps
 
Ha! looking back at my own photo with the busted cap, I noticed that there were no clips to hold them in because they were staked in. They really tried their damnedest to fuck the mechanic on that one.. I assume there's a machine that does the staking, look at the tit (tee hee!) it's so perfectly notched and square.. I could use a doohickey like that..
 
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Yep, staked-in joints are pretty common on Japanese cars and have been for decades. Nissan/Datsun and Mazda have been big fans of them since the early '70s. Ford even used 'em on the '04-up F-150s, but replacements are available that come with a tool for removal and installation. Not surprisingly, that particular U-joint is rather dear in terms of price.
 
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