Help finding a Prop Shaft/Drive Shaft for my 73 Brave

[wbryanh]

Over the weekend I was returning from a trip in the Winnie when it threw the drive shaft.  Thats right, at full speed it worked itself loose and shot off like a missile.  From what I can tell it did not damage anything else in the process.  $400 later, she is back in the driveway with no part# for reference.  Can anyone help point me in the right direction in regards to a replacement?


Thanks in advance!


Little more info:  73 Winnebago Brave / D18 / Dodge 318 Chassis

[Rickf1985]

If you do not have the old shaft then it is best to contact a drive line shop and have one made. You will need to measure from the the yoke at one end to the yoke at the other end. I am not going to tell at what point to measure since different shops use different methods and they will tell you when you call.


Even if you have the old shaft, if it flew out it will need to be checked for straight and balance.

[wbryanh]

Thanks Rick.  I appreciate it as always....

[ClydesdaleKevin]

This just happened with us over the winter, and the driveshaft took out the transmission in our old Holiday Rambler.

Do you have the driveshaft?  If you do, make sure you bring it to a driveshaft shop and have a new one made...don't bother trying to fix the old one, although they can use the old ends if they aren't damaged.

If you don't have the old driveshaft, then take careful measurements.  And if you have a two piece driveshaft, then make sure you also replace the carrier bearing, which is what seized up on ours, and led to the catastrophic failure of the entire driveline.  And if you have a one piece driveshaft and it uses a carrier bearing, replace that carrier bearing!  Also make sure you replace all the U-joints while you have the driveshaft out.

Look at spending around 500 bucks, which is what we paid a shop in Dothan, AL to remake our two piece driveshaft before we realized that the transmission was cracked right through in 3 places.

Kev

[wbryanh]

Thanks for the advice Kev.  I was just reading through your thread....


I have not fully assessed the damage as of yet.  I do know that my shaft is on the side of the highway so getting it back is not an option!  I plan to look at it further this weekend.  I have however contacted a local (recommended) shop to get the ball rolling on a build.


 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks for the advice Kev.  I was just reading through your thread....


I have not fully assessed the damage as of yet.  I do know that my shaft is on the side of the highway so getting it back is not an option!  I plan to look at it further this weekend.  I have however contacted a local (recommended) shop to get the ball rolling on a build.


 

So you can't drive back to the highway in your car or pickup truck or van, and pick up the old shaft?  Not only would that ensure that your new driveshaft is the exact right size, but if you can reuse any of the ends, it will save you a lot of money (and time trying to find just the right ends with the correct number of splines, etc.).

Kev

[wbryanh]

Honestly I may try, but I have no idea exactly where it landed.  But I do know the side of the highway was a steep embankment......

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Honestly I may try, but I have no idea exactly where it landed.  But I do know the side of the highway was a steep embankment......

I would do more than try...lol!  I walked back to get the driveshaft off the highway, and the driveshaft shop had a hard enough time sourcing the correct ends even with the driveshaft in their possession...and I'm sure you don't want to spend another 400.00 towing your RV to the shop so they can match up the ends.

I would drive back to the highway ASAP before the highway department picks it up.  If you can't remember exactly where you lost it, just call the tow truck company that charged you 400.00 and get an exact location of where you broke down (mile marker, exit numbers, etc.)...the driveshaft won't be too far back from that.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

I have to agree, Having the old shaft will save time and money and eliminate any measuring mistakes. Where did this happen?

[wbryanh]

Rick,
This happened while driving on the highway....

[Rickf1985]

I was wondering where in the country? If you were near one of the members that could help you out.

[wbryanh]

Sorry Rick,
I am located in Greensboro, NC.  I am currently communicating with a company out of Winston Salem, NC "Olivers Driveshaft". 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sorry Rick,
I am located in Greensboro, NC.  I am currently communicating with a company out of Winston Salem, NC "Olivers Driveshaft". 

Did you ever go back and try to recover your driveshaft off the highway?

Kev

[wbryanh]

I did, spent roughly an hour combing the sides of the highway with no such luck! 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

That sucks man.  The highway department can be tricky...they will leave a dead deer for weeks, and pick up a driveshaft after a few days...lol!

Kev

[fasteddie313]

Darn that sucks!!


It might be hard to find the exact same one but if you found one from another longer MH with the same trans and rear end you could have it cut down to size..

[wbryanh]

**Update**
I was able to have a custom driveshaft built here locally to the tune of $475.  Which I assume is within reason.  Beautifully done, bulky and ââ,¬Å"hopefullyââ,¬Â will get this thing rolling again.


Notice I said hopefully above....  so yesterday I get the driveshaft, new seals etc installed.  I go to crank the engine, it cranks but I am getting no spark at the plugs! what in the world?!!!?


Strange coincidence?
(Note that I did change the all those components months ago and it had been running great)


Any ideas what may be going on all of a sudden?!?!??


Thanks for any help....

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Assume it is unrelated (because it is definitely unrelated)...and troubleshoot it from the distributor/coil up.

You have a 73 Dodge...so it could be the ballast resistor, the coil, a loose coil wire, etc.

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

Right off the top of my head! I buy a new ballast resistor. They are a wonky thing. Most of the problems I have is with the ballast resistor. $475.00 up around here would be more than fare. But first thing I always do when I have starting problems is usually the ballast resistor. Shoot I bought a new coil and the first trip out it went for a crap. D:oH!

[wbryanh]

I was absolutley positive the two were not related, just amazed that all of a sudden, I have an electrical issue! 


I will try replacing the ballast resistor again.  I within the last 6 months have replaced coil, wire, plugs, cap, all ignition components, ballast resistor, module etc.  Amazed that a BR would go that quickly.  Is there anyway to tell if it has indeed gone bad?  Test it?

[Rickf1985]

Have you looked closely at the inside of the distributor cap for any carbon tracking? It could be a cracked cap. Have someone crank it at night while you get your head down close to the coil and distributor and see if you see any sparks around the coil tower or in the area of the coil wire or cap. These are free things to check before spending money. You can do an ohms check on the ballast resistor to see if it shows resistance or open circuit. If it shows open then it is bad. I don't know what the value is so I can't tell you the exact reading but if it shows resistance it is most likely good. Have you pulled the coil wire out of the distributor and held it near a ground to see if the coil is sparking? If it is then the issue is in the distributor. If you really want to dig into free diagnostics you can take the wire from the module off of the distributor, turn on the ignition and then with a jumper wire ground that terminal of the coil with taps of the grounded jumper wire while looking for sparks from the coil wire. You are simulating what the module does. If you get sparks from the coil this way but you do not get them while cranking then you have a bad module OR you have a low battery and low power to the ignition.

[wbryanh]

Went ahead and changed the BR last night.  Still nothing.  Coil appears to check out fine with tester..  I began looking into the starter relay as it has some serious age on it; and even the starter solenoid
.
Am I correct in evaluating them as well?  Low voltage could be an issue correct?

[Rickf1985]

Low voltage could be an issue but I already gave you a comprehensive list of things to check for no spark for free and you seem to want to keep throwing new parts at it without further diagnosis. Did you do the checks I suggested and what were the results? Any spark at any time? Do you have voltage to the ballast resistor? What more do you want me to tell you? If you want you can check for voltage drop during cranking before and after the ballast resistor. Check for voltage drop across the battery terminals during cranking and also check for voltage drop between the engine block and battery ground post during cranking. Looking back over your thread I notice that you must have been having a recurring ignition problem, have you checked the ignition switch?


Hint, The list I gave you yesterday is quicker and easier but this is an advanced version. I can get more advanced but I don't know what kind of advanced diagnostic tools you have.

[LJ-TJ]

I was just going through some of my stuff and found a fantastic article on Servicing Chrysler's electronic ignition system by Mort Schultz. It's in a November 1980 Popular Mechanics. I think the article is all ready posted here some were. Let me see what I can find. Hm? 

[LJ-TJ]

Found it.    It's in the members section under Mechanics 101 Chrysler's Electronic Ignition System. I think you'll find it a big help. Hm?