Prerunner driveshaft trans side cover?

So while I was under my truck today and looking around. While I was there I was looking at the driveshaft because I'm about to have it serviced.

I realize that there are no visible bolts on the transmission side, there's just some kind of a metal shroud that goes around right behind the u-joint. Just from looking at it I do not see any way of taking it off..

I haven't seen this before in photos, is this just a prerunner thing? How is it removed so you can access the bolts?

 

Driveshaft slides into that with splines on the inside, then bolts to the rear axle.

 

I didn't take a picture earlier but I found one from another thread that has it visible.

It's that light grey metal on the left.

 

Just to check, is the photo I posted what you're talking about?

 

Yea mine has that same thing. Mine has a 1 price driveshaft and yours probably has a 2 piece so it think it would have a carrier bearing or something bolted in the middle. But there no bolts behind that peice.

 

Wait...so the carrier bearing is holding the other side into the transmission spline? That sounds really effy...haha

 

The driveline is not going anywhere,the length keeps it in place,same as thousands of other cars and trucks.

 

Yup the driveshaft just slides into the transmission. No bolts physically hold it to the tranny

 

The rear bolts hold it in

 

That is crazy. So what would happen if the center carrier bearing broke?

 

If the carrier bearing took a shit there is still a steel ring that holds it to the truck. If you chewed through the carrier bearing and the steel ring and ignored the vibrations from a bad carrier you deserve to lose a driveshaft

 

It keeps cost down, a 2 peice shaft is expensive and heavier. Plus they have issues when they bind, (4runners suffer from this)

Prop shafts with slip yokes have been around for well over 50 years and the only issue is they wear out the seal slightly faster.

It's only a big issue for 4x4's that off road, hence why most trucks use bolt yokes to prevent the prop shaft from coming out.

 

Well I thought it was weird since I've seen the underside of another Tacoma and it looked just like the drear axle side, just a u joint and a flange.

Interesting... The more you know I guess.

So this steel ring, should I replace it when I have the other stuff done?

 

2WD slip shaft

4WD bolt shaft

The steel dust guard just taps off.

 

Ahhhhhh, okay that makes more sense. So 2WD sounds a bit easier to work on, or...maybe?