Driveshaft exploded today

Well, technically not the entire driveshaft, just the frontmost part of the rear driveshaft. The flange yoke and u joint decided to crap out going 70 on the interstate...on a cross country trip from Utah to Florida...currently broken down in the middle of no where Kansas. Dreams do come true.

Heard a loud BANG, swerved as the rear axle lost all power, and came to an emergency stop. Got out of the car and, lo and behold, the rear drive shaft was hanging about a foot off the trans in the air. At that moment I knew, yep I'm f*ed.

Managed to push the car to the nearest exit. I've called all the auto parts shops, junk yards, and Toyota dealers in a 3 hour radius andnobody carries the flange yoke. As others have mentioned, Toyota can special order the entire driveshaft for a mere $1028.

The crazy thing is that the entire driveshaft, including these parts, was replaced 2 years ago at the Toyota dealer under the driveshaft "warranty enhancement" program...a fancy name for a recall that they'll fix.

I decided to order the flange and u joint online and have it overnighted. Does anybody know if other vehicles use the same 1330 flange and u joint (tundra, 4runner, FJ, etc)? Any suggestions??? Any help is appreciated, thanks!
(last pic borrowed from @htx6002)

 

Well I hate to be that guy but it’s obvious that the joints were never greased with any regularity. There is rust on the cross we’re needle bearings ride it was bound to fail. At least that’s what pic looks like .

 

Unbolt the rear drive shaft in it's entirety. Then activate 4wd and drive around in front wheel drive. You won't harm anything, just don't be doing burn outs and shit. This is a very common thing for people who destroy their rear drive shaft while off road. Then you don't need to feel rushed and can take your time fixing it. Any proper drive shaft shop will be able to fix it.

 

Remove the rear driveshaft and drive in 4wd. I’ve done this and driven at 70mph for many miles!

 

@EatSleepTacos beat me to it.

 

^^^^^^^^^ he’s much more helpful than I .
Can this be driven at highway speeds on front shaft only?

 

I am curious what size tires you are running with your 6" Rough Country.

EDIT: Why does it have rust on the newly broken surfaces? I sense some tom-foolery going on here...

 

My goodness....was that ever greased?

 

Thanks EatSleepTacos. I unbolted the rear driveshaft and tried to engage the front in 4High but the dumb electric transfer case is not doing its job. Staying in 2wd with the 4wd light flashing on the dash and not engaging. Any advice?

 

@EatSleepTacos

 

Thanks for all the comments guys.
Regarding the rust/grease, yeah perhaps Toyota only changed the shaft and left the old flange and u joint. There are 2 kinds of u joints, greasable and non greasable. I believe this was the non greasable variety. No excuse though, still should have been swapped out. I thought I was being mindful and had my mechanic inspect the driveline before the road trip and got a thumbs up.....ahhhh another reason to do all your own mechanical work.

 

35"....and yeah I sense that too.... Would have never known it was rusty from the outside (the inner metal is covered by the u joints)

Edit: also +2 inch from bilstein 5100 in front and +2 inch from wheelers offroad add a leaf in back...the extra clearance helped fit the tires without rubbing

 

Did the yoke get wet immediately after it broke?

 

Yep!

Normally you’d want to engage it while moving (engages easier) but you don’t exactly have that option. Time to get crafty. Maybe push the truck as you engage it or something lol

 

Haha yeah. I was able to get it up to 15-20mph pushing downhill and no luck. I guess it's worth trying again haha

 

Nope must've been rusty in there beforehand :/ also don't live in northeast or salted roads etc

 

@Hobbs actually come to think of it, I tossed the yoke in the bed and it rained overnight.....likely cause of the rust!

 

I find mine never engages first try I’ll shift from park to neutral or whatever it takes to let it sync while switching from 2 to 4 hi . I also have same difficulty getting it out of 4wd especially 4lo it’s sucks compared to a shift lever.

 

Yeah same here. manual lever>>>>>>electric. Especially when you need it. I had a buddy get stuck in mud in 2wd and couldn't engage the 4wd to get unstuck. It's almost like if you don't engage it beforehand, you could be screwed direly

 

That makes sense to me. I see rust "pooled" in the saddle and rust on all broken surfaces.