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  #1  
Old 12-03-2010, 09:06 PM
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How to determine if front shaft is slipping

Greetings,
I posted a while back regarding the popping/clacking sound under acceleration, and the consensus seemed to be that it is from a front drive shaft slipping due to a worn spline. Well, I also have found that a slipping transfer case chain can make the same sound. In fact, some transmission sites state the the clacking sound most likely is a loose chain slipping, while a worn spline will cause a ginding sound. In either case, I was looking to be more sure before shelling out $600 for a new shaft with longer spline, that is non-returnable.

Shouldn't I be able to put an index mark on the shaft where it meets the sleeve going into the transfer case, and then drive the car, make it pop/clack (VERY easy to do now, unless you drive like a 90 year old grandma), then look underneath and see if the index marks have moved?

I seem to remember seeing in a post somewhere that a user did just that, and determined that it was his chain that was causing the popping, not the shaft.

Regards,

Gary
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Old 12-03-2010, 11:08 PM
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Why not just drop the front driveshaft and look at the splines? Regardless of what you decide, the first step is diagnosis. Don't order any parts until you know what you are working on.
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Old 12-03-2010, 11:46 PM
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Thanks for the reply. I just figured that, if it was a valid test, that it was a heck of a lot easier to slide under the car and put a chalk line on the drive line than it would be to lower the transfer case.

I definitely want to make absolutely sure before shelling out the $$.

Gary
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Old 12-03-2010, 11:59 PM
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You don't need to drop the transfer case, just drop the front driveshaft.
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Old 12-04-2010, 03:45 PM
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Thanks again. However, even if I dropped the driveshaft and inspected the spline. That wouldn't necessarily tell me if the shaft was slipping, would it? By that I mean, that even if it looked a little worn, it still might not be slipping teeth, right?

I have not yet looked at the driveshaft/transfer case interface yet, except in photos online. If I am correct in my assesment that the driveshaft splines insert into the output shaft receiver outside of the transfer case, then if I make an index mark on the two shafts where they meet, if my popping occurs and the index marks don't move, it must be caused by something other than the shaft slipping, right?

Gary
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Old 12-04-2010, 11:31 PM
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Inspecting the splines is the only way to determine if they are damaged. It will be obvious from your inspection if the splines are damaged enough to slip.
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Old 12-07-2010, 01:32 PM
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Jcl,
Dont you have a thread on the dropping the drive shaft?
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Old 12-07-2010, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beewhy View Post
Jcl,
Dont you have a thread on the dropping the drive shaft?
We discussed it here. Read the entire thread, the relevant posts are on the second page.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...sfer-case.html
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Old 12-07-2010, 11:42 PM
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Thanks for the replies, and for the links! I'll post back with my findings. I am not sure which I prefer: Bad splines means new shaft for $600 (extended version), but a relatively easy repair. Stretched chain means around $140, but a much more involved repair.

Gary
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Old 12-09-2010, 11:38 AM
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You have a streched chain in your case. When the shaft splines fail it is instant with no warning, usually when taking off from a stop. You will know when it happens, you are not going anywhere. I would suggest when you do the chain, to do the shaft repair as well. If there is ANY wear on the splines, it's only a matter of time before they fail. Also, in order to install a repaired shaft you will have to remove the transfercase to put it in because of the longer splines. I have repaired over twenty of these shafts and have seen a couple that came from units with loose chains and the splines were getting hammered and were close to failing. If you need your shaft repaired, email me at [email protected]
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