Driveshaft U-Joint Phasing

Weber State University (WSU) - Automotive Technology Department - Transmission Lab. The proper measurement procedure of propeller shaft (driveshaft) U-joint phasing. Phasing means that the U-Joint bearing caps are lined up within 3 degrees of each other. Driveshafts that are out of phase can experience a second order driveshaft speed-related vibration (two shakes per revolution of the driveshaft)
Timeline
0:00 Introduction
0:10 Why driveshaft phasing is important
0:43 Front driveshaft phasing setup and tools
1:20 Actual phasing measurements on the front driveshaft (2.9 degrees and 3.0 degrees)
2:24 The phasing specification = no more than plus/minus three degrees on one driveshaft with two universal joints (u-joints)
2:50 How you can accidentally cause an out of phase problem
3:38 Rear two-piece driveline phasing
4:00 Measuring the rear u-joint phase angle = 0.2 degrees
4:34 Measuring the center u-joint phase angle = 0.7 degrees (Out of specification when compared to rear phase)
5:02 Measuring the front "Odd" u-joint phase angle = 0.4 degrees
6:00 Summary
www.weber.edu/automotive
This video was created and edited by John D. Kelly at WSU. For a full biography, see www.weber.edu/automotive/J_Kel...
Are you trying to diagnose a vibration in your vehicle? See the incredible vibration diagnosis NVH app at / vibratesoftware
Donate to the Department of Automotive Technology at Weber State University here: advancement.weber.edu/Automotive

[@Newtire]

I used to be an automotive instructor before KZbin days. We came across a GM training film with the sawblades welded on to the shafts and then it made sense. Particularly useful to know when you have a customer complaining that the transmission you sold him that his shop installed is vibrating. Used to have some stubborn customers complain that the driveshaft he welded together couldn't possibly be the problem. When that happened to me one time, I took the film and my old VCR down to his house and showed him. Then it was "Oh, I guess it does make a difference." On those two piece shafts with three U-joints, you have to consider the front most joint as just an extension of the trans output shaft and it should have no angle at all. Then, the rear two joints cancel each other out. Thank God for KZbin!

[@Roam865]

Ive replaced my ujoints 5 times before i realized why the center support bearing and ujoints kept blowing out leaving me stranded. All of some phasing the joints. This is some crap. This video is gold. If only people knew how important this is.

[@pt13gt]

thank you so much for this!! I had a carrier bearing changed at a shop and had a horrible vibration afterwards, now I'll check the phasing and angle both. you guys are great!!!!!!

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you. Best wishes

[@crhenkel]

Holy crap that is one beautiful repair shop! Great info on drive shaft geometry as well. Thanks for the help.

[@wickedxe]

your vids deserve 50 times the view count! :) absolutely crucial information that is very hard to learn only from a book. well done. i look forward to more new vids. everyone (that's into cars) should know this stuff

[@WeberAuto]

wickedxe Thank you!

[@markgunn6454]

Dear Sir I drive and fix land rover defenders and the hilux in my profile pic. in South African bush I have a mechanic friend who had deity like knowledge and experience. You are even better. I have just discovered your channel. I am an instant fan. your style is relaxed but gets all the info across. Lovely.

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you!

[@bernhardlist9359]

Dear Mr. Kelly I really enjoyed and learned a lot from Your classic differential rebuild and Your U-joint series. I am an engineer by education but became an airline pilot and so I never worked on cars. Lately I have experienced a decreasing mechanic quality so I decided to do the work on my classic jaguars myself. This spring, after watching Your superb videos, I fitted one of them with a limited slip differential and I think I did a class-A job. Now I have been searching KZbin for engine rebuilding videos and I am amazed at what kind of "idiots" are doing tutorials there. Please do an engine rebuild series to the same standard as the differential videos. I admit that I am a perfectionist and sometimes I go a bit overboard but the outcome so far was always excellent (I am very slow and overly careful but this is because of my lack of practical experience). I want to rebuild my Jaguar XK inline 6 engine and if all works well tackle the great Jaguar V12 as my masterpiece. Bernhard.

[@WeberAuto]

Hi, thank you for the kind words. I wish I had the time and resources for the engine topic as well as many other topics, but I do not. The videos I shoot are of the topics that I currently teach at Weber State University. I shoot them to help my current students and those who have graduated remember the proper procedures they practiced in my classes. I am thrilled that anyone else in interested in them. Have a great day.

[@bernhardlist9359]

+WeberAuto Thanks for Your reply. I was hoping to get such a high quality training for my newfound engine hobby. You would be the right man to do that. It would be invaluable.

[@ikeimage]

Thank you. You just made my day. Was about to give up on my sailboat v drive. 2 gimbal bearing destroyed. Thank you !

[@joedejesus6363]

Didn't know so much was involved in a propeller shaft. I wish I knew about that earlier. Thanks you very much for this information.

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you, I am glad it was helpful.

[@jacklabloom635]

I never knew that. Glad I watched this video before replacing the u-joints on my '03 Tundra.

[@Subarubruce]

This video is pretty informative for someone who is uneducated in the phasing of a driveline. However you forgot to mention that it is imperative to mark the drivelines before ANY part is ever separated. You can slide the slipyoke off of the shaft, flip it 180°/90°and slide it back together and your phasing will still be spot on. However that will cause the shaft in most cases to vibrate as the balancing was done in the position it was assembled in. Even if you remove the carrier yoke in the middle to replace the bearing, the yoke and shaft should be marked before separation.

[@happydonut84]

Thank you so much, had to replace my transfer box out put seal on a Toyota Land cruiser 79 series and i took the slip yoke out. Now i know that propeller shafts are meant to be in phase just but had no idea how or what that meant/involved.

[@chuckadam9046]

Golden information! Thanks for the video 👍 great job

[@mohamedelshamy2706]

thanks for your posting ... really you are teaching us ... regards from Saudi Arabia

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you!

[@noncents2664]

great info! thank you!!! thanks for explaining it too!

[@invincible_raaaj]

thank you for uploading this video👍... helps is study of automobile engg. thankyou soo much

[@rtonchev]

Congratulations for video series about drive shafts. It should be noted that there are drive shafts with dephased u-joints. For example - Mercedes G-class W461 & Land Rover 90/110 front drive shafts.

[@WeberAuto]

Yes that is true, thanks for the feedback!

[@mcycleserv]

great video on tailshaft setup I have a BMW E46 that is giving a vibration at 120KPH and hopefully this will sort out the problem. .Before I bought the car I think a backyard fixer worked on it and boy is there lots of problems but getting through them one at a time

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you! Best wishes

[@superbeep53]

Thanks for putting this on.

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you!

[@geojor]

good info, thank you...

[@andychong5984]

Thank you sir for an excellent video

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you very much!

[@michaelvadney5803]

Very clear! Thank you very much.

[@airyfast]

very nice, great job

[@job38four10]

Thanks for posting, I never knew about this, you did an excellent job of explaining it.

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you!

[@vin605]

thanks for sharing 👍

[@compu85]

Thanks for this super clear video. I had tried to find this information 2 years ago and couldn't find anything conclusive. So the basic take away here is that all the unjoints should be exactly in line?

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you! Yes, inline for most vehicles. There are some that are not inline too, but very few.

[@dustin3627]

Valuable stuff. Thank you.

[@WeberAuto]

Dustin Shook Thank you!

[@grizzy909]

Nice Video. Should have way more views, I came across a comment that said not all vehicles are like this? Would that be the case for an 01 Toyota Tacoma 2 piece Rear drive shaft? Thanks in advance

[@patiwatatayagul8738]

Thank you

[@wolfkin73]

Awesome. Could you also talk about the drive shaft angles as well? I seem to remember from high school auto mechanics that they have to be equal as well.

[@Roam865]

3 shops couldnt even figure this out.

[@whatfreedom7]

Thank for the helpful info. I have a question that wasn’t really discussed though. I have a Tacoma with the 2 piece drive shaft and went in for a center carrier bearing replacement. Long story short I made all my marks but during the swap I lost my marks. Yeah I learned don’t ever use soap stone to make your marks. But the issue is I don’t know if my yoke is on right or not. According to the degree readings I’m well within spec on the front,center and all the way to the rear. But does it matter as far as balance if the yoke is 180° out? Mine doesn’t have a master spline.

[@Subarubruce]

Yes it can matter. Often times one side of the slip can be thicker than the other. Therefore if you flip it 180° the weights that were welded on the shaft to counterbalance said thickness are now on the heavier side of the shaft. Generally speaking though, you won't feel any vibration when you have it 180° out but that depends on the machining of the part. Ford are by far the worst with the two piece shafts. The slipyoke in the center of their shafts can be .250"thicker on one side.

[@SailingAlma]

Hi there first i have to thank you for taking the time making and posting this very knowledgeable videos, we how much work and dedication take to make them. WE NEED HELP from someone who knows about this stuff and you seems to be the guy that can offer us advice we are restoring an old sailboat with a lot of nonsense Parts on it and at this point we are stuck with a vibration that seems to be provoked by and universal joint between a V-drive transmission and the engine transmission we don't know if the parts were made or is original but we have been searching with no look lately we have no idea what to do so anything we help

[@WeberAuto]

Thank you! I suggest making sure the driveshaft phasing is as close to zero degrees as possible and your u-joint working angles are as equal as possible. Make sure you have good quality u-joints and that they are installed properly. See my video series on u-joints and checking working angles in my Vibration Diagnosis playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLIn3FrDiB1lxxj_X8eZ7Z4tF4Ge8plIdN Best wishes!

[@NoSaysJo]

thanks mate

[@NimaSomeh]

nice !

[@pwatom22]

Old LR defender front shaft needs to be a spline or two out of phase to compensate for slightly different uj angles. Crp design.

[@anthonyjohnson4853]

basically make sure the u joints of the drive shaft are level, got it

[@jstephenallington8431]

Great job explaining how and why you need to line up the u-joints. It's a little, confusing? distracting? yes, a little distracting when you use "propeller" instead of "drive shaft" or "axle" . An engineer might not be thrown off by the phrase differences, but I'm not an engineer. Even on a boat you would still use the term as "propeller SHAFT" as the propeller is literally a separate part of the drive line.

[@edwardcarberry1095]

So then this would be best done on a bench which has been leveled then? So tire pressure then is most important so that tilt is not introduced then? Having blown out my XF case to rear driveshaft needing to learn this so as to prevent this again. As it damaged other things which will also require being a costly repair. Thanks.

[@RC-Heli835]

Can a yoke be 180 degrees out and cause vibration. I took one off a tandem dump truck and didn't mark it. I then installed a new carrier bearing in and its been vibes ever since 35 to 46 MPH truck empty mild vibes. Loaded there's no vibration.

[@DarkStarAlpha1]

I would like to ask you a question Do they all need to line up or front lines up and back line up

[@WeberAuto]

Thanks for watching

[@MrDingaling007]

Legend

[@ceetwarrior]

At 4:00 - on shouldn't you be turning your phone "inclinometer" 90* to be accurate for what you're checking for??

[@WeberAuto]

No, the phasing test checks for a twisted driveshaft tube or end yokes that were not positioned properly before being welded. The inclinometer needs to be on the same plane. Thanks for your feedback.

[@ceetwarrior]

Oh, duh, you said phasing not working angle.

[@manstersr]

Whenever I am under a vehicle I'm working on, I like to take a paint stick and mark the driveshaft and yokes for alignment whether I'm doing anything with the driveshaft or not. Just cheap insurance.

[@magicone9327]

Using any device to measure degrees u will have to insure that the device is used in a position that is perpendicular to the cap or it will read the angle of incline that has nothing to do with the angle of phasing u are checking

[@WeberAuto]

Very true, Thanks for your feedback

[@superwilcox9026]

Cant measure with the phone in the wrong direction. Lol hope no one tries it that way.

[@magicone9327]

Super Wilcox the phone being used as a level has to be held 90 degrees to the propeller shaft. Any deviation from 90 degrees will the add in the inclination or declination of the propeller shaft and or the u joint hub.

[@DarkStarAlpha1]

Just answered the question never mind

[@WeberAuto]

Good to hear

[@morganhill1238]

drop tested phone was a bonus..

[@xmo552]

Morgan Hill I grew up in a town with your name.

[@alexnolden2735]

I know this is kinda an old video, is .3 phase difference just a rule of thumb? I bought a shaft for my car started at 45* out of phase I clocked the center bearing spline now 20*. Place I bought it from claimed that shouldn’t matter

[@WeberAuto]

Old or not, it is still current technology and specifications. 0.3 degrees is a Spicer specification. 45 degrees can cause a terrible vibration depending upon the working angle of the u-joint. If the angle is zero, it will not matter. If it has any angle at all, it will. Best wishes!

[@bellaguatemala5706]

Hola tengo una camioneta honda automática ex 2006 4x4 y no trae el diferencial de la doble q puedo hacer

[@ihabassi1048]

Hi, Does the driveshaft angle can also cause vibration in low speed please?

[@Mr3X7R3M3]

Yes, though obviously the speed of the vibration would be comparable to the speed of the shaft

[@MegaHugro]

If I hazard a guess, students coming out of your class or that University over there are well prepared for the rigors of the industry.

[@WeberAuto]

I hope so. Thanks for watching

[@efanclublolsmaforlife2501]

How are you checking the drive angle if your 180 out from the angle of the drive shaft

[@WeberAuto]

Top or bottom of the driveshaft, the angle is the same

[@garybrady7245]

Does it matter if the very front shaft is in line with the 2 piece rear?

[@Mr3X7R3M3]

Yes. All angles change speed if not equal. That is why I laugh when truck guys lift their truck without addressing the shaft angles lol

[@deleepan03]

+/- 3 deg is same for commerical vehicle ?

[@WeberAuto]

I believe so

[@deleepan03]

Thanks much I found all your vidoes are useful. I appreciate your effort.

[@bmkolb]

Why isn’t the slip yoke keyed so you can only install one way

[@WhatAmIGonnaGet]

That is what I was wondering. They have a BALANCING process, also which means even know you get it into phase, it could be out of balance 180 degrees, if the slip yoke is upside down out of the shaft. I guess it is not keyed because it could offset the balancing, since they probably need as little geometric difference around the shaft as possible. That being said, there is no other reason why they can not factory stamp markings to line it back up. I checked on my Toyota shaft and could not find any.

[@tomhurley974]

you are putting your angle gauge on the yoke surface how do you know it is machined flat . Should put gauge on the cap using a socket also your phone is it perfectly flat. you need a real gauge of high quality.I know I went thru this.

[@AZDESERT2024]

Your phone has a rounded case. The difference is being caused by your tilting of the phone on its rounded edge. Invest in the proper equipment to do the job.

[@WeberAuto]

Thanks for your feedback. That case still had a flat surface that worked well. The trick is to get it aligned with the part you are measuring.

[@ronplucksstrings7112]

This is a good demonstration of measuring it, but a pretty poor explanation of why an out of phase condition occurs in the first place...why don't don't you pull one of those spline joints apart, and put it back together off by some number of splines...then point out the huge angular difference in the UJ yokes which would be immediately apparent and obvious...and you could correct it by pulling spline joint back apart, rotating the shafts to where the yokes line up and inserting the spline joint...and if you were off by one spline, and they were not perfectly aligned, pull them apart again, turn in the correct direction, and reinsert until perfect...the splines help you...DONE!...and you wouldn't need your phone or an inclinometer under the car...just the eyes God gave you...pretty disappointing if this is what you teach there!! My Driveshaft slip joint has 16 Splines...that's an increment of 22.5 Degrees per spline...if you can't see that without instruments, you might consider changing jobs to one which uses a shovel!

[@WeberAuto]

Driveshafts are manufactured incorrectly and are twisted under high torque in some situations. Phasing checks for both of those conditions besides the obvious spline misalignment. Thanks for your feedback.