Rear Propeller Shaft

[03LibertyLimited]

Okay, friends. I am asking for a little help on my issue with my Liberty. I have an '03 Limited with about 133,000 miles on it, it's my daily driver, love the vehicle and want to keep it as long as possible...

I'm having issues with the propeller shaft, the rear section of it. I noticed a sort of squeaking noise and vibration not too long ago and went under the Jeep to inspect what was going on, and the rear end of the prop shaft was completely destroyed. I could grab onto it and move it with no effort, it was just rotating freely. It had 130,000 miles on it, so I figured it was just a part that just needed replaced after so many miles? Right?

Went to my store (employed by O'Reilly Auto Parts) and picked up a Dorman 932-301, we installed one on Thursday, December 5th, and it worked fine for about 36 hours, then at 6am this morning, the vibration and grinding came back, and the shaft-end had failed. Ordered in a new one this morning thinking it was a bad part, warrantied it out, went to the garage, we installed it this evening. Went down the road for a test drive, not really getting on it 100% or taking it through any snow, it held up fine. Was driving home and lo-and-behold, the vibration again, and the smoking and burnt smell coming from the underside.

We've greased the entire inside of the prop shaft end, then the 2nd time we dabbed a little oil on the bearings, put it together and before we had the end cap on, we moved it to make sure it had plenty of movement before we installed the 2nd time. We didn't do this the first time though.

What is it I am doing wrong here to have these go out so frequently? Any questions that anyone may have that will help me lead to an answer, are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Trey B.
03LibertyLimited

 

[tommudd]

Going to O'Reillys first is one problem
Did you buy just the end kit or the whole shaft?
I assume the CV repair kit, if so did you pack it with grease the right way?
Have to really pack the grease in around the bearings

 

[03LibertyLimited]

Yeah, we packed it full of grease. I just got the end versus the whole shaft assembly. The end was $141, my cost, entire shaft was $340. Definitely don't have the $340 laying around. We greased everything inside good and solid though, rotated everything around, it was full of grease.

 

[03LibertyLimited]

You just did make me think of something I will be inspecting in the morning though. Still, if anyone has the suggestions, keep them coming.

 

[tommudd]

Yeah, we packed it full of grease. I just got the end versus the whole shaft assembly. The end was $141, my cost, entire shaft was $340. Definitely don't have the $340 laying around. We greased everything inside good and solid though, rotated everything around, it was full of grease.

141 :roflsquared:wow
The kits for them are like 50-55 bucks

 

[03LibertyLimited]

Where are they for 50-55 bucks?

 

[tommudd]

Driveshaft Parts

 

[03LibertyLimited]

Don't have time to deal with shipping and paperwork, emails, etc. Dorman makes good stuff, I just think we're doing something wrong with installation. I can have a new one shipped from the DC in Indianapolis, have it the same day or next morning and have a lifetime warranty. I can actually opt to have my money refunded if I get a 3rd one and it fails.

I'll probably end up getting some form of aftermarket prop shaft or a different one being my Birthday/Christmas (same day for me) is a few weeks away. I've also got ties with lots of smaller shops with good technicians. I wouldn't mind throwing my money to a small shop that does good business anyway. We'll see how this goes, I guess. :\

 

[profdlp]

Good luck, man. The only thing worse than having something break is having something break, fixing it, then having it break again.

 

[03LibertyLimited]

Good luck, man. The only thing worse than having something break is having something break, fixing it, then having it break again.

Amen to that! I'm hoping to have this fixed by tomorrow evening. We've got snow and ice in the forecast again soon, and my girlfriend has 3 kids, and when mommy's Caliber can't get through the snow, my Jeep has to be the one to chauffeur everyone around, which...honestly, I don't mind, leather heated seats, heated mirrors, 4 wheel drive and a comfortable ride, I'm okay with that. I'm gonna be 26 on the 25th and I've probably got as many miles behind the wheel as some "veteran" transit drivers out there.

She and her family have had my back on this "treacherous journey," in fixing this issue. :console:

Maybe this will lead a write up on what NOT to do with a prop shaft replacement.

 

[tommudd]

Well good luck
glad someone has money to throw away
1000's have used the kit I mentioned with no issues at all
no use to buy/build a new one or any of those things
Understand wanting to get it right
Maybe some pictures of what you found/ what may have been done wrong etc would help

 

[streetglideok]

Dorman makes good stuff

That's your first mistake. I used to believe that, until about five or six years ago. I started having issues with various parts of theirs. They aren't my first choice of what I'll put in a customer's vehicle. I have to stand behind it 24mo/24k. Second rate parts don't fly.

Are you merely putting the grease in the boot? You should be pushing grease in and around each ball in the joint, then packing the front and rear of it. I have seen before where Dorman didn't reverse engineer the part right, and tolerances were out of spec.

 

[03LibertyLimited]

That's your first mistake. I used to believe that, until about five or six years ago. I started having issues with various parts of theirs. They aren't my first choice of what I'll put in a customer's vehicle. I have to stand behind it 24mo/24k. Second rate parts don't fly.

Are you merely putting the grease in the boot? You should be pushing grease in and around each ball in the joint, then packing the front and rear of it. I have seen before where Dorman didn't reverse engineer the part right, and tolerances were out of spec.

No, when it comes to grease, I know it's used to lubricate and cool things, so I packed as much in there as I could. We dipped it in some clean synthetic oil, put the bottom of the shaft together, greased it good, middle disc shaped part, then greased it, then filled the cap with even more grease and sealed it. Held the two ends together with medical tape (since it resists oil) so the cap couldn't come off during installation and get grease anywhere. Before we put the end of the cap on, we made sure we flexed the assembly quite a bit so the grease could get all over the bearings and everything else.

We have some ideas we're going to try.

Another thing that a fellow AWD enthusiast suggested is checking the transmission mounts. Maybe they're flexing causing the rear part of the shaft to constrict and lock up, or get heated, causing failure.

 

[03LibertyLimited]

Maybe some pictures of what you found/ what may have been done wrong etc would help

I'll do that. If it can help others avoid this problem, then...I'll post it on here. I'll break out the good camera and take pictures of the installation.

I'm looking at Youtube videos and seeing that these may need to be installed and have a break-in time. Is this a driving break-in or a idle break in, just like letting it sit in place for a day or so.

I'm in West Central IN and we've got lots of snow and ice and I've had to yank it up into 4 a few times and drive with it. Some say yes, but others say no on the break-in time.

I get to drive my girlfriend to work tomorrow in just 2WD. *facepalm*

 

[03LibertyLimited]

I found the issue is not the propeller shaft failing, but something within the transfer case heating up, causing the boots on the propeller shaft to melt, grease everywhere, causing the part to fail.

Frontward facing output shaft bearings are now the parts in question. Time for a new thread.

Thank you TO EVERYONE that put in their 2 cents. It's greatly appreciated.

 

[CactusJacked]

Ouch! I rebuilt my shaft without any issues, which made your problem sound very weird. Before getting to the end of the story, I was going to suggest you grab, turn, and wiggle the output of the t-case to see if anything there feels binding or sloppy. Hopefully you'll be able to find a reasonably priced case for sale, I have seen them come and go on craigslist and ebay. If you need to drive it in the meantime, be sure to remove the shaft first.