Carrier Bearing… Alternatives and Solutions

it ain’t cheap. Funny enough, I just got an email from Merlin about these joints. This may be the only thing they have in stock

https://www.marlincrawler.com/discounted-parts/cv-joint-double-cardan-cores

 

I got a 1 piece Tom woods rear drive shaft and def the best option instead of replacing all that bearing stuff. I’ve also never hit the drive shaft off roading.

 

just curious
Why is dropping $600 on a driveshaft with less clearance and harder to align, better than paying a shop $40 to slap on a bearing?

And if they charge $40, I can only imagine it to be easy for anyone adamant on saving $40 by DIYing

 

Not sure what kind of wheeling you do but damn if I wish I didn’t hit mine. This is my second shaft. Just did a refresh on it last night with all new u joints, carrier, and flange yoke as it was cracked.

 

It’s easier to align and less wear items overall which make it last longer. The ball of the double cardan is greasable as well as all the yolk u joints. The rubber junk bearing that comes from the factory is made to fail in short order, especially with a taller lift meaning higher operating angle and bigger tires.

If you look where 90% of the driveshafts get damaged from off-roading, it’s down by the pinion. The difference of the angle at the pinion is negligible with a 1 piece driveshaft vs 2 piece, therefore I would gladly take the 10% chance of damage to the tcase end of the shaft over the greater reliability and smoothness of the double cardan.

not sure where you’re pulling this $40 figure out of, but no competent driveshaft shop or mechanic would replace that for under $150. The bearing alone is probably $40 or better.

 

quote was $40 labor on the bearing from a top driveshaft shop. Went and did it. Couldn't say no to that. DIY probably would've sweat for hours.
Paid GB price on the IEDLS, provided the part, removed the propshaft, cleaned it, and dropped it off.

He did say 2" or less lift is recommended, not more. Not sure if that's a limiting factory. Currently at more than that in the rear due to Icon RXT op3 that I need to figure out if I'm gonna find a camper shell to put on there to sag them a bit (op3 designed to be used with weight), or re-assemble the pack down to op3 config, then recheck the 6112 front's to see what clip is optimal

Hate to lose clearance but maybe it's worth it to preserve part longevity and functionality
Saw a mean Taco on 35's, F/R locked, claiming 4" lift. Not sure how. I'm assuming it as at least a 1" body lift.
Not sure if that's worth doing, to gain lift while not contorting the suspension. Because on the other side, body lift only lifts the body. Important parts underneath are still the same height

 

With hard wheeling and a lot of highway driving to and from trails/traveling I replace the carrier bearing once every 3 years or more when it begins to show wear. 70 dollars for the oem spicer and good time to service the entire shaft as well.

 

I'm at 6112s setting 4 and RXT opt3, with a 200# shell. Let me know if you need measurements.

 

He's got a 6" drop bracket lift, so the driveshaft angles are more severe than usual.

 

I guess if you bring the part to them and the driveshaft yes the $40 sounds reasonable.

i have a 1” BL and although the lift itself doesn’t increase ground clearance, it did increase my approach and departure angles because I was able to raise the bumpers up an additional inch, and I was able to stuff larger tires with less cutting so indirectly it did raise my ground clearance.

 

With lifted trucks Ive seen people change out carrier bearings, all the u

Wow thats the most beat up Driveshaft Ive ever seen! I do a lot of just 4x4 on the coast in hawaii.... not sure how it compares to where you are.

 

Ive seen people with lifted trucks go down the road replacing the Carrier Bearing etc and it doesnt fix the issue and by the time they are all finished, they have spent close to that $600 in parts and getting other mechanics to look at it.... I had a pretty bad shake off the line in my truck, and after I did the tom woods driveshaft the shake/shudder disappeared completely. IMO it seems like the acceleration is more responsive vs the 2 piece drive shaft too. I understand the less clearance, but like i said before... ive never hit my driveshaft (yet)

 

Came across this. Known about this source for some time but for the longest, it was marketed at 2WD only.

Appears now there is or will be one made for 4WD

https://www.mitchmadeinc.com/product-page/toyota-center-support-bearing



Curious to know how it works.
Maybe you will test it not me.

Still running my cheap(er) IEDLS poly bearing without issue, mounted with random sleeve tubes from a hardware store and long bolts.

 

Now that is a UNIT! At first glance it looks like it should be the best of both worlds. More forgiving than a pillow block and more durable than the IEDLS or spicer unit.
If my CB ever becomes a problem I would seriously consider this. Until then its just a stock spicer joint for me, maybe a IEDLS lol

 

I hate going to the dealer but circumstances warranted it in this instance...among other things they said my CB is failing and after 244k miles I tend to believe them additionally they said I should replace the entire prop-shaft (I'm wondering why), since it's the deal they want $1200+ for the unit but online I find them ALL day long for <$500.
Question; what's this team recommendation for a new drive shaft? Is there a thread on here discussing this already? (i missed it if so)... And hey, I'll pay the $1200 if that's what has to happen but on principal I don't what to give the dealer the $$$ I also don't want to buy the crappiest replacement on the market.

 

just get a driveshaft from the junkyard and replace the joints you’ll be good for under 300

 

Why replace the whole thing? All the ujoints and carrier bearing can be changed. Unless your slip joint is messed up for some reason, or you bashed it on a rock, there shouldn't be any reason to replace it

 

exactly. That’s about the cost of a pro driveline shop dropping off the propshaft to be rebuilt and balanced.

 

Okay cool, just needed the boys to confirm my thoughts. I already picked up the u-joints and CB from Napa. I don't really need anything fancy. Lots of highway miles and a few logging roads is about it for me. Cheers guys

 

stealership wont replace CB or ujoints they will replace the whole driveline as a unit... its BS. I purchased CB and ujoints for less than 300 bucks and did it myself.