Driveshaft Center Support Bearing Failure!

[Clyde9]

From: denison  (Original Message)    
Sent: 11/15/2005 3:44 PM

We were rolling along through rural Mississippi, on a nice side road near Collins, MS, in nice sunny weather, when I heard a rattling vibration for a second.  It sounded similar to what you get when you wander onto the rumble strips at the edge of the road, but more chaotic, without the sonorous rumble tone.  It lasted a second, but happened again within a minute, and shorty thereafter commenced again continuously.  We were lucky to be able to pull off onto a smooth grassy spot, where I brought it to a stop with a lot of vibration underneath.   A quick look below showed that center drive shaft bearing support assembly was smoking.   I had checked that bearing 9000 miles and about a year ago, at which time it felt smooth and silky, though there was no way to lube it.   
    So the bearing seized up; at 103,000 miles & 33 years old; and tore apart its rubber vibration damper supporting matrix.  C&O auto parts in Collins, MS had the replacement in stock for $12, and even delivered it when I told them my situation.  I would have paid $212 just as gladly.    Getting the drive shaft off was not hard, but getting that bearing off the shaft took a lot of hammering.  I only had a claw hammer, would have liked to have had a sledge.  An interference fit.  Two hours later we were on the road again.
   Although it was a sunny warm day, on dry grassy level ground, I still would have rather replaced that part in the driveway at home.
   In this part of MS, on a Saturday, Everyone with a vehicle that could carry a ton or more of brush, was engaged in hauling away downed trees.  About  1 of  4 houses had blue tarps nailed on the roof, and a few houses had no roof at all.  This was the scenery from Tuscaloosa AL way over to Jackson MS.
   Would I advise people to replace that bearing now, rather than wait?  Yup.
  If it had happened on the middle of the Mississippi River bridge, we would have had to proceed across at less than a leisurely walking speed.



From: Bill_Rowles    
Sent: 2/3/2006 8:13 PM

You were lucky to find the part and be able to replace it yourself in daylight with no rain or other factors that make such a failure a nightmare in many cases. I guess the folks living in the area were having all the bad luck with weather.
Bill Rowles