Upgraded prop shaft?

Obviously everyone is aware of the classic Toyota clunk when coming to a stop. This is not limited to 4runners but pretty much all of Toyotas offerings with a slip yoke rear shaft.

Now some vehicles have received warranty or TSB replacements, any maybe that got rid of your clunk. Others will say to lube your zerks every time youre doing your oil and tire rotation (or more). However, I dont think I'm the only one still feeling it after these remedies.

So, the next step is to take the shaft off, pull the shaft apart, and re-grease it properly that way. Thats all well and good, but you're still ultimately left with the underlying issue, that Toyota put the zerk for the slip yoke WAY down the shaft relative to where the grease is actually needed. So you have 3 options it seems:

1. to take your drive shaft off and apart every time to actually grease it right - excessive but not awful
2. pump the hell out of the slip yoke zerk (on the order of 30-50 pumps) to fill the whole thing up with grease
3. get an aftermarket shaft (rockauto or other)

Im curious where people are currently leaning… Cause I am getting to the point where option 3 is sounding real good.

Thoughts?

 

Interesting. I just did option 2 about a week ago. I pumped until I saw yoke start to extend slightly. I took the zerk off and bounced hard on the rear bumper to make sure I don't end up hydro-locking it and blow out the rear plug.

When I took the zerk off, a bunch came out just from the pressure of an air pocket.

Now, I dont feel a clunk per se, but I still get a “stiction” feeling occassionaly, depending on how I come to a stop. Not super annoying or anything.

My buddy used to own a toyota pickup he bought new in the mid 90s. He said the slip yokes didn't have seals, and you could see the splines,…. you just pumped until it came out of the splines.

 

I mean in the meantime I'll be doing option 2, again... Pump it till I see the yoke extend. But thats the thing, your second point. There is a ton of space between the end of the splines and where the zerk inlet is, so all the grease is collected down at the end, stuck behind a pocket of air its not going to magically slide by, and compounded by centrifugal force angled away from the splines every time youre moving, UNLESS you remove the whole thing to take it apart.

Gah Toyota makes goofy engineering choices sometimes

Im leaning towards something like this one as an upgrade. All of us spend thousands on the suspension or wheels/tires or superchargers... why not spend a few c-notes on this?
https://4xshaft.com/collections/toy...unner-or-pickup-conventional-rear-drive-shaft

 

Once I removed the zerk and saw it burp out the grease I joked with my buddy that it looked like I have to add “bleed the slip yoke” to my list of scheduled maintainance, which just sounds funny.

 

So do you think it would be better to get the greaseable or non-greaseable?

 

I'm unfamiliar with the newer 4runners however this sounds like a problem that the early 2000's Ford 3/4 ton and up vehicles had. My last two Fords would clunk on starting and stopping due to the slip yoke. My solution was adding a grease zerk right on the slip yoke. Had to take the driveline out to add it and make sure the zerk isn't too long but it solved my problem. I don't know if it is possible to do on a Toyota driveline but maybe it's an idea.

 

Personally Im definitely only considering the greasable version. As a mechanical engineer I may well be speaking ill of materials and lubrication engineering here but Im not quuuiiiite sold that something with metal moving next to metal NEVER needs lubrication added over time. Maybe I havent read the right studies

 

Well not to argue but what about sealed bearings?

 

There have been reports that some of the newer 4Runner models, and Tundras, do not have any driveshaft zerks.

It’s described in this thread:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/needle-bearing.23288/#post-301944

https://www.4runners.com/threads/needle-bearing.23288/page-2#post-302058

 

Well in the 2020 model they still have them. Maybe 2023? I saw your comment that they still had it in the manual. Maybe people don’t know where they were looking. I just pumped some grease into mine not long ago.

 

My 2020 4Runner does have front and rear zerks but so far no clunk or noise of any kind. I'm pretty faithful about getting underneath with the grease gun.

 

I thought the missing zerks to be strange also. But the poster @Redwood is a retired auto mechanic so he knows what to look for. Maybe he will see this and give an update.
https://www.4runners.com/threads/needle-bearing.23288/page-2#post-302058

 

I mean you are right, there are plenty of things made as sealed and not be opened for need of extra lubrication. Bearings, ball joints... But I posit back to you, those are indeed designed with the mindset that theyll either never be opened ever, so the conversation is moot, or never be opened for the average consumer's ownership lifespan - 10yrs, 20, 30 depending who you ask - for the original owner to bother with it. But I would venture that most of us here are not normal and want our stuff to last as long as possible. And like @ElectroBoy mentions, Redwood commented later in that thread, I have to quetion the longevity of something I cant maintain myself and when I dont know what considerations Toyota made when designing that shaft.

These driveshafts with zerks were obviously not designed that way or there wouldnt be zerks. Toyota and every manufacturer who uses lubricated slip yoke shafts determined they arent yet adequate to be completely sealed. However, if Toyota did indeed finally come out with shafts with no need to lube the slip yoke, that will last through the wheeling many of us put them through, then hell I'll defer and get one of those and figure out what adapter plate I need to put it on my '05. But thats a mighty big if...

And no arguing, just good conversation

 

You are not wrong but also remember Toyota is doing everything they can to save a $. The goal is to make profit. So upgrading to that nicer driveshaft probably already takes into account them being sealed. Might be worth a call to the company you are looking at and seeing what they have to say.