checking driveshaft bearing
 

i have some driveline vibration with my 1984 300-D turbo diesel
i am going to go under the car soon, how do i check to see if the hanger bearing is any good ?

Grab it as close as you can to the bearing mount and move it back and forth perpendicular to the cars direction of travel. If there is much movement just replace it. Pretty straight forward to replace the brgs - do a search. Take a bright light and look REAL close at the flex disk. Look for cracks or missing fasteners and replace as required - good diy'er job. I would not do anything with the u-joint unless it is falling apart. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way:(.

Jim, when you had your U-Joint replaced, did they seem to do a good job? That is, was it nice and smoothly operating in both directions? And have you had the chance to put in another driveshaft that solved the vibration issue?

As far as the center bearing, sometimes it will make a growl just as you are starting out. You can hear it and feel it through the transmission hump.

Ken300D

Ken - If I had it to do over I would have left it alone. I ended up taking it to Driveline Services of Atlanta and they replaced the u-joint again. I am running it in the 300D without any problems.

If it starts vibrating immediately after driveshaft service it is likely that the splines slipped apart and were slipped back together in the wrong position. You should always mark it everywhere before removing the driveshaft. This way if the splines slip apart, which they often will, you can get it back together in its original, balanced relationship.

Have a great day,

Yea, I can't emphasize enough the importance of marking it. Use paint or a center punch/hammer. Do not use a permanent marker because it ain't for this application. After putting mine back together it would start vibrating at 40 mph. Universal joint was not "centered" and I'm sure the splines were off a tooth or two. Driveline Service of Atl did a good job on it.