When you get your car down, one end of the drive shaft goes to the car transmission and the other end to your tires.
The drive shaft is usually found between the gearbox and the front wheels. Drive shaft problems are common with vehicles with a mileage of more than 120,000 km with constant torque and extreme road conditions. The worn drive shaft appears in the following features:
- Damaged or torn drive shaft cover
- Click on the sound
- Vibration
If your car has these features, you should consider inspecting and repairing your drive shaft.
What is a drive shaft?
First, it seems that there are some conflicting views on what a “drive shaft” is. We want to make that clear.
The drive shaft is the mechanical component that transmits torque and rotation. This is the exact definition, but the only problem is the very broad definition. If you google the word “drive shaft”, you will see different images like
(i) Propeller shaft or
(ii) Garden shaft or
(iii) Universal joint shaft.
All of these are internationally known as drive shafts. Roughly speaking, you can find at least two drive shafts for your car. Depending on your car model, you may find drive shafts or close to your front wheels or rear wheels. When you get your car down, one end of the drive shaft goes to the car transmission and the other end to your tires.
How does it work?
So, how does it work and why do we need it? Drive shafts serve two purposes:
- Improves the range of motion of your car wheel. Hold if your car wheels are connected to the transmission with hard metal instead of the drive shaft. When your wheels cross the pump, the wheels turn up but do not transmit. With enough strength, it can break hard metal in half. That’s why we have the drive shaft. It improves flexibility and gives more dynamism to work with car wheels.
- The rotational force is transferred from the transmission to the wheels. When you disassemble your engine, the engine ignites the petrol-air mixture. Thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy, which pushes the car engine pistons further down. The car transmission then harvests the power of these engines and converts them into rotational power. When the differential rotates, it goes through rotation through the drive shaft to your car wheels. Finally, when your car starts spinning wheels your car moves forward.
As you can see, the drive shaft is a very important part of your car. If you remove it, your car will not move! That is why we call it… drive-shaft because it is a flexible shaft that drives the wheel.
What are the first 3 drive shaft problems?
Mechanical parts, especially moving parts, are prone to wear and tear. The drive shaft is no different. We have compiled and isolated the first 3 drive shaft issues, which we hope to share with you today.
1. Damaged or torn drive shaft cover
The broken drive shaft covers film. In the beginning, you can see tears and grease splashing on the car wheels. Inspect your drive shaft for broken fixed speed boots. Changing it right away will save you money. Drive shaft cover / fixed speed boot means black rubber on your drive shafts. Its main purpose is to remove contaminants and lubricate the grease at a constant speed.
The torn card can be found very easily if you know where it is. All you have to do is put on dirty clothes, crawl under the car and find your drive shaft. You will see cracks or punctures that appear on the drive shaft cover. Often, this is due to grease splashes around your car tire.
If you have a damaged cover, we recommend replacing it immediately. Forget the groceries, forget your laundry, and then eat, but don’t wait for repairs.
The truth is, the only way of protection for your drive shaft is to cover the drive shaft. It keeps the lubricant grease inside and removes moisture and dirt.
For drive shaft and moving parts, it is always important to have lubricating grease. This constant speed minimizes contact with the metal inside the joint. Think of them as airbags. Ball bearings inside your drive shaft are better at hitting a soft object than hitting a metal wall directly. Without lubricating grease, the metal starts to wear ideally on each other.
2. Click on the sound
You are trying to turn your car. You will see a sharp turn forward, so start moving your car in that direction. Suddenly, you hear this quick click sound when you come back.
The clicking sound sounds like “Tak Tak Tak” and continues until you return. This is especially noticeable when you rotate at a sharp angle.
You can hear it from your driver’s seat while driving. If you hear enough, the noise can be heard from any side. In the hands of an experienced car mechanic, they can even tell if it is coming from either side or from one side.
What should you do if you hear a clicking sound? Well, there is no easy way to say this thing. If you can hear, that means you definitely need a drive shaft repair.
You might consider replacing yourself with front wheel drive access, but we do not recommend it if you do not know how to repair the car. In addition, labor costs are limited to RM 30 ~ RM 70 per drive shaft. Depending on the risk and time required, self-study and its implementation may not be beneficial.
Instead, someone else may work hard for you. Go to the nearest car workshop to get an expert to check and replace you. Most workshops have no problem providing this service.
Finally, we recommend adjusting your two drive shafts. Because, if one side is worn then the other will be ready to use. Two are better than one. This will save you time going to the local car service center in the future!
3. Vibration
On one fine morning; you are planning a field trip with friends. You are waiting for today, it is finally here! When you change lanes, you start at 30… 40… 50… 60 kilometers per hour. This is the moment when the steering wheel starts to move when you accelerate.
What do you think? You have been found to have a bad drive shaft. Not the best way to start your weekend. Low steering causes your steering wheel to vibrate when traveling at low to medium speeds. We are talking at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour.
However, do not go to the nearest drive shaft store to purchase a refurbished part. You can buy what you do not need. Vibration is a common symptom and can be caused by many things. For example: –
We strongly recommend that you get a professional test drive to see if this is actually the drive shaft you are wearing. Once verified, repair it before your drive shaft deteriorates. If vibration is not detected, the clothes will aggressively deteriorate.
Instead of direct repairs, it becomes more complicated. Or worse, you have to pay for something new, which costs you a fortune. You know what they say, early birds save tons (or something like that).
Final verdict
We discussed what a drive shaft is and how it works. Poor drive shaft noise and vibration can cause an unpleasant driving experience while compromising your safety. Now that you know the features of a bad drive shaft, you can identify how and why to fix it a.s.a.p. Some say there is no meal in the world. But I will repair your drive shaft as soon as possible.
If you have a drive shaft and live in Selangor, Malaysia, contact us! As a drive shaft & steering rack expert who has been in the industry for over three decades, you can be sure that your car will be in good hands.
Until then, drive safely and drive smart!