Carrier Bearing Drop for Two-Piece Driveshaft

2-PIECE DRIVELINE CARRIER BEARING MOD

http://www.nwtoys.com

This mod became necessary after I lifted my 2004 Tacoma Xtra Cab with a 3” Cornfed lift that utilized a Pro Comp 2.5-3” AAL in the rear. According to Cornfed, driveline vibrations sometimes occur in the Xtra Cab models due to the 2-piece drivelines. Even though my driveline angle looked very mild, it vibrated through the 19-25 mph range. So after some discussion on the WATTORA Forum, I opted to lower my driveline’s carrier bearing instead of shimming my rear axle. Initially I lowered the bearing a ½” with the materials listed below. The ½” drop lowered my vibes down to 19-21mph. So I increased the drop to ¾”.  Which completely eliminated my vibrations. This was a very cheap (free!), and easy way to solve an annoying problem. 

 Parts & Materials:

½” washers

or

I used some graphite display blocks that came with some Bosch ½” shank Router bits that I had bought from Lowe’s. They were the perfect width, and look almost factory. And, they already had the ½” holes bored into them for the router bit shanks. Don’t be scared to get creative.

Tools Needed:

14mm Socket, or 14mm Wrench.

If you happen to be using the blocks, I needed:

Vise

Hack Saw

Coarse File

Estimated Time:

10-30 Minutes depending on your spacer method

Procedure:

With your spacers and wrench, slide beneath your truck, and begin by loosening the two bolts that hold your bearing in place. Loosen both bolts almost completely, but do not remove them yet.

While lying on your back, arch your knees up to help support your driveline. With both bolts still in place but loose, remove one bolt, slide in your spacer method, then replace the bolt.

(Member TacoCruiser says: "I found that if you use the stock jack and some 2x4 under it to raise the height you can use this instead of trying to support a drive shaft with your knees and putting a spacer in.")

Repeat this procedure for the other side.

Once this is complete, realign your driveline (because there is some play in the support bracket) and tighten your bolts. The factory bolts are long enough to easily accommodate a 1” spacer and still have plenty of threads to re-secure your driveline safely. The benefit of using the washers for spacers is the adjustability they have. I’d start small and increase the spacing as needed. The Cornfed guys said the vibrations were typically in the 30-35mph zone, and suggested 2 degree shims for the axle.

This Spacer Method is a whole lot cheaper, and much easier. 

-Ryan Mac Neil (Mac)