Hello, I recently removed the rear drive shaft on my Toyota 4runner sr5 4X4 because it was worn out and making a lot of noise. I was wondering if it was ok to drive it from now on in front wheel drive only, having to put it in 4x4 mode to do so. will this cause any damage?
I doubt it will hurt anything at all, but assuming the driveshaft U-joints are worn out and knocking why not fix it properly?
http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=GMB&MfrPartNumber=2150021&PartType=17&PTSet=A
It’s not that expensive.
i purchased the new u-joints but have been unable to install them (and there’s no local toyota dealership for miles around). so…
If you live near a major metropolitan area check the yellow pages under the “drivelines” category.
There are usually shops around that specialize in halfshaft and driveshaft repair.
You do not have to use a Toyota dealer for this job and any driveline shop or independent shop should be able to handle this with no problem.
I do not know if Toyota uses plastic to seal the original joints in or not and whether this is the cause of the inability to change them.
The plastic is gotten around by heating it up and pressing the U-joint out. The plastic snaps and the new joints have C-clips to hold them in.