Rear driveshaft help.

[George915]

So I removed my rear driveshaft to repair a leak coming from my transfer case rear output seal. Decided to replace u joints also And clean up the driveshaft. Then I wire wheeled the shaft and then decided to paint it. I accidentally painted over the my mark showing me which end was which. Both ends of shaft look identical. My question is does it matter which end of the shaft goes to the rear diff versus transfer case.

 

[SquareRoot]

Assuming the T case yoke and the rear end yoke are the same size it shouldn't matter. It's 50/50 at this point. If it shakes, you picked the wrong 50. The question is, Are ya feelin lucky?

 

[Zelph]

If the trans case doesn’t have a slip yoke the driveshaft should have a splined extension joint. Typically the portion with the male splines attaches to the differential.

 

[George915]

The slip yoke was removed to replace the u joint. And the u joint that attaches to the rear differential is held in by 4 bolts and 2 clips so I have 2 identical ends in the shaft. I guess square root is right it’s 50/50 at this point.

 

[Snoots]

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[SquareRoot]

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Dang snoots. Try as I might, it tricks my brain.

 

[Ricko1966]

Dang snoots. Try as I might, it tricks my brain.

I was so confused I started looking for one of cogged belts cats in there.

 

[CalSgt]

The slip yoke was removed to replace the u joint. And the u joint that attaches to the rear differential is held in by 4 bolts and 2 clips so I have 2 identical ends in the shaft. I guess square root is right it’s 50/50 at this point.

You’ve got a 25% chance of getting it right the first time…

50% on getting the correct end of the shaft mated to the slip yoke,

And 50% chance (at each end) of getting the tube yoke oriented correctly at the slip yoke.

Like @SquareRoot said just go for it, if you get a vibration try again. Good luck Sir

Tip: next time use the corner of a file to gouge a small groove in the mating parts, a center punch and hammer can do the job too. Those marks can even survive sandblasting if done right.

 

[Grit dog]

If Im reading it right, slip yoke splines aren’t the issue.
It’ll likely work fine either way, but the short half of the driveshaft (the slip yoke end) should go to the transfer case. If it’s on the axle end it’ll wear the splines quicker.

 

[Snoots]

I wuz jest compairin' the dryveshaft setup.

 

[George915]

Well the driveshaft has been installed and road tested with no problems. Thanks for all the input.