Drive Shaft's Rear U-Joint Installed Incorrectly?

[Carneyman]

I see... he's talking about having the filler opening facing rearward rather than forward so that the force on the hole is compressing it rather than trying to open it and cause a possible failure... I guess in extreme use, that could be an issue?

Actually, I think he means changing which yolk is on the drive shave and which is connected to the diff. In compression holes are under a lot less stress than in tension, so by rotating it, the driveshaft will be pushing on the hole instead of pulling on it.

I gather that. I guess my post didn't come out as sarcastic as I intended. The idea of compressing the hole instead of trying to rip it apart makes sense in a strange way.

We really need a sarcasm font on here...

 

[Cowboy Cadillac]

I agree. Stress around that hole is extremely high compared to the rest of the joint. It probably won't fail (from normal use) in either orientation, but it would be a lot less likely to fail if you did rotate it.

Leo's "normal use" is a little more brutal than some parts are designed for

 

[Carneyman]

I agree. Stress around that hole is extremely high compared to the rest of the joint. It probably won't fail (from normal use) in either orientation, but it would be a lot less likely to fail if you did rotate it.

Leo's "normal use" is a little more brutal than some parts are designed for

I'm beginning to realize that...

 

[66nova]

Good info there. I don't guess I have ever thought about it.

 

[Dixie Fix]

never realized that, but now that i think about it... every drive shaft that ive had made and installed was put in like that. (what the link says)

good info.

 

[OldCracker29]

Good info there. I don't guess I have ever thought about it.

 

[drperry]

I agree. Stress around that hole is extremely high compared to the rest of the joint. It probably won't fail (from normal use) in either orientation, but it would be a lot less likely to fail if you did rotate it.

Leo's "normal use" is a little more brutal than some parts are designed for

I'm beginning to realize that...

Does that mean, next time we're out in the snow or mud, I'm going to LEO my truck?

 

[Z71 Kris]

 

[OG-TERROR]

OK just came back from the shop and the service rep says that the DS came in one piece from Tom Woods all they had to do is install with the 4 bolts at the pumpkin. The mechanic wasn't there at the time so the service rep will show this thread and this link http://www.machineservice.com/technical.htm to the mechanic so he evaluates the situation and verify that it is indeed installed incorrectly. I'll keep you guys posted as soon as I get an answer.

 

[Stumpuller6.5]

I`ve replaced thousands of u-joints and the only rule i used was zerk towards the shaft, i have never had any fracture failures...

but science is science