Repair And Fix it

The drive shaft is a long rod or tube used to carry rotational force from a vehicles engine to the wheels. Drive shafts vary in size, configuration and features. One variation is a hollow drive shaft, used for several reasons.

Rotational Inertia

The engine would have to power the rotation of a solid piece of metal. With a hollow drive shaft, there is less mass for the engine to push and the force it produces is able to accelerate the drive train faster.

Low Cost

Making a hollow drive shaft uses less material than a solid one. With some good engineering, manufacturers can make hollow drive shafts with the same structural integrity as their solid counterparts. The saved material lowers the cost.

Fuel Efficiency

Because of the reduced rotational inertia, the engine can get the same push with less work. This translates into fuel efficiency. With less material to push, it takes less fuel to get the same acceleration.

While a vehicle with a cracked radiator remains operable and can be driven as long as you ensure it remains continually full of water, doing so is not a good idea. The radiator and the coolant that it holds performs a number of crucial functions for proper engine operation. A crack in the radiator will reduce pressure, introduce air into the system and foul the ground with poison. Even if you stop to fill the radiator regularly, the breach in the system will ultimately affect the engine overall.

Overheating

The primary purpose of a radiator is to cool the engine. When a radiator is cracked, coolant leaks from the radiator, causing the level to fall, resulting in improper cooling or a complete loss of cooling. Overheating an engine can result in a damaged or ruined engine.

Loss of Lubrication

In addition to cooling the engine, antifreeze lubricates the water pump. When the radiator is low on antifreeze or even filled with just water, no coolant, the water pump is not properly being lubricated, which can cause premature pump failure.

Expense

While the primary reason that one might choose to drive with a cracked radiator is to avoid the cost of repair or replacement, the costs of antifreeze and damage to the vehicle will far outweigh any short-term savings. To save money, a car owner may choose to repair the damaged radiator or to purchase a used one.

Drive shafts, also called propeller shafts, are a very important part of a vehicles engine system. They are essentially hollow tubes which connect the transmission output shaft to the differential pinion shaft. The vast majority of drive shafts are made from steel, including those for racing vehicles, motor homes, trucks, four-by-four vehicles and replacement parts. Different kinds of steel are used on various types of drive shafts.

OEM Steel Drive Shafts

OEM steel drive shafts are rated for less heavy-duty service than other types of steel drive shafts. Usually they can handle about 350 pounds per foot, or about 350 to 400 horsepower. This is the lowest performance level for steel drive shafts.

Dsaya Steel Drive Shafts

Dsaya steel drive shafts, stronger than OEM drive shafts, usually can handle about 1,300 pounds per square foot of pressure, which is comparable to about 1,000 to 1,300 horsepower. If your car does not require a lightweight unit, a Dsaya steel drive shaft is an excellent choice.

Chrome-Moly Steel Drive Shafts

Chrome-moly steel drive shafts are the strongest possible type of steel drive shaft. You will find this type of steel drive shaft in Pro Stock-style racing cars. Chrome-moly steel can be strengthened even further if it is heat-treated. Heat treatment will raise the torsional strength about 22 percent and raise the drive trains critical, or maximum, speed by about 19 percent.

CV Steel Drive Shafts

Constant-velocity (CV) steel drive shafts are so named because they revolve at the same speed during the entirety of their operation. One of the most common types of drive shaft, they come in several different subtypes, mostly characterized by the way in which the transmission output shaft and the differential pinion shaft connect.

Split Drive Steel Drive Shafts

Split drive steel drive shafts are two-piece drive shafts used on many vehicles with longer wheelbases. They are characterized by an extra U-joint and a center bearing which provides greater support to the shaft assemblys middle area.

Torque Tube Steel Drive Shafts

Torque tube steel drive shafts are used on cars with independent rear suspensions. This type of drive shaft is connected rigidly at both ends, with a rotating inner shaft.

Flexible Steel Drive Shafts

Flexible steel drive shafts are very rare and quite different than other steel drive shafts. They are not rigid shafts but are instead just large steel cables.

Four-wheel drive vehicles receive torque from the engine in all four wheels at the same time. The original concept was to be able to maintain traction to either haul extra weight or drive in tough road conditions, or both. There are two modes of 4-wheel drives. The part-time mode is used for off-road driving or loose road surfaces. The driver is able to switch from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive as needed. Full-time mode is used in all road conditions all of the time.

Differentials

The 4-wheel drive has a differential between the two front wheels and another between the back wheels. During a turn, all wheels are going at different speeds while at the same time, the inside wheels are following a different path than the outside wheels. The differentials allow front, back, left and right wheels to spin at different speeds during a turn by sending the power from the engine to the wheels. The differentials slow the transmissions rotational speed before it hits the wheels. In this manner it behaves as the last gear reduction of the vehicle.

Transfer Case

The transfer case is said to be the component that defines a vehicle as 4-wheel drive. This device splits power between all four axles on the vehicle. The transfer case is used to lock the front and rear axle drive shafts to force the wheels to have the same speed when they are turning. On part-time 4-wheel drive systems, transfer cases have an extra set of gears. These gears give a low range to the vehicle, providing extra torque.

Drive Shaft

Drive shafts enable the transfer case to transmit power from the drive to the front and back axles. The drive shafts are enclosed inside axle housings and transmit the drive to the tires. In part-time 4-wheel drive vehicles the drive is transmitted through the front axle drive only when the driver uses 4-wheel drive.

Locking Hubs

Every vehicles wheels are bolted to a hub. Part-time 4-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with locking hubs that are designed to disconnect front wheels from the front differential when 4-wheel drive is not engaged. The locking hubs also disconnect the front wheels from the drive shaft when a car is in 2-wheel drive.

Electronics

Electronically controlled clutches are used on some 4-wheel drive vehicles. This type of clutch controls torque transfer between the tires in a much more effective manner than older clutch mechanisms. Many 4-wheel drive systems use Anti Lock Brake Systems (ABS). The ABS systems provide brake-traction control when the tires begin to skid.

Until You See Grease Near Wheel Area

One of the first signs of CV joints going bad is when the caps of the CV joints break from the structure. This will cause grease to accumulate in the CV joint area, which is located between the front wheels of the car. If you see such an occurrence, take the car for maintenance immediately.

When You Hear Clicking and Popping Sounds

When the CV joints go bad, you will hear a popping or a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel. The more damaged the CV joints become, the louder and more intense the sound will be. Each time you turn the steering wheel, the clicking or popping sound will resonate. This indicates serious damage.

Bottom Line

CV joints can break easily and rapidly. Within a matter of weeks, the CV joints can become so bad that the maintenance cost will be very high. The sooner you fix the damaged CV joints, the lower the cost will be. Therefore, regularly examine the CV joint area to check for grease buildup. If you see no buildup, but begin to hear clicking or popping sounds, have the car fixed.

The 1986 Ford F150 shipped from the factory with two four-wheel drive hub options; automatic locking hubs and manual locking hubs. With manual locking hubs, you need to get out of the vehicle and manually lock the front hubs before the truck will engage the four-wheel drive. With automatic locking hubs, all you need to do is engage the four-wheel drive with a lever and they will automatically lock within a few revolutions of the front wheels. While automatic locking hubs are a nice feature, some owners actually prefer the manual locking hubs because they are less prone to malfunctioning due to their simpler design.

Instructions

1

Stop the truck shift it into park, or first gear for trucks equipped with a manual transmission. Apply the parking brake.

2

Exit the truck and rotate the locking switch at the center of the wheel hubs to the lock position. If your truck doesnt have these switches, then you have automatic locking hubs and can skip this step.

3

Shift the transmission into neutral. Move the four wheel drive selector lever to the left, then down into your desired four wheel drive range. Use 4-LOW for low speeds below 15 miles per hour and increased torque. Use 4-HI for driving at road and highway speeds.

4

Shift the transmission back into drive, or first gear for trucks with a manual transmission. Release the parking brake, then drive forward 20 to 25 feet to engage the four-wheel drive hubs.

Two important parts control the engine of your car or truck. One is the gear drive, which controls the gear that the vehicle is in and allows you to easily change it. The other is a timing chain. The timing chain is what ensures that the parts of the engine run in harmony.

Gear Drive

A gear drive is a circular piece of steel that has notches or ridges carved out of it. Most vehicles have several of them that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. They attach to the engine by a belt, which controls the gear based on which one you select while driving. Gear drives are present on all transmission types, whether they are automatic or manual.

Timing Chain

When the timing chain on your engine breaks, your engine will not start. On older vehicles, the chain is near the valves, but on newer models, it is farther away. A timing chain is made of steel and connects to the valves and pistons, keeping the engine running properly, or "in time."

Fun Fact

The very first timing belt was designed for use in a sewing machine. It was invented in 1946 by Richard Case.