Hey guys,
I'm new here, but as my truck is out of warranty now I'll probably be asking for help from time to time... I'll even try to give some, though I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best mechanic in the world.
Here's my problem:
I was sitting at a light when my driveshaft dropped
. I put it in neutral and was able to push the truck into a convenience store. Once I checked the problem. I'm not sure of the name, but the middle bearing where the drive shaft is held to the frame had failed. One side was fine... I"m assuming that one of the bolts vibrated loose over time and dropped out and then it was held by one bolt. This bolt worked it's way approx 1/3 of and inch out and the vibrataion caused the bolt hole to twist and bend dropping the shaft.. I was able to use the good side to rebolt the driveshaft in place and then used bailing wire to securely hold the other (just to get it home, not as a permanent fix).
I was going to order the proper bolt from Toyota, but with the bolt hole twisted, I"m not sure of it's stability. I was thinking of making a bracket to re-inforce the whole structure with oversized washers on the damaged end. Is this a good idea? or should I re-order the part or try to find a used driveshaft in a junkyard. It seems to me that a bracket would work, but since the part is a moving part, I don't want to bear down on it too hard with a bracket and cause unneeded and possibly damaging tension.
I hope that this is clear, if not I'll gladly take pictures in tomarrow morning in the daylight to help the explanation.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
The truck ran fine for the 40 miles it took to get home, but I don't plan on moving it at this point until I get a permanent fix. Fortunately it appears as if no other parts were damaged.
Thanks again,
Mark
Linear Mode
