[5 Main Reasons] Silverado Driveshaft Failure And How To Fix Them?

Before you try to fix the driveshaft, you first need to know the reason behind chevy Silverado driveshaft failure and their solutions.

The common symptoms of the bad driveshaft are squeaking sound, clunking sound, shuddering while accelerating, and excessive vibration. And the reason behind the problem can be a bad cv-joint, loose wire connections, misadjustment of bearing, and many more.

Thankfully, some of the common issues with the driveshaft can be fixed with a little money. Read on to learn about it.

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Reasons Behind The Silverado Driveshaft Failure

There are many reasons behind the failure of the 2005 Silverado drive shaft problems.

One of the major problems behind this issue can be improper heating treatment, but there’s nothing you can do like replace or fix any specific component. In that case, you need to contact your dealer and ask for a solution.

However, you can solve some driveshaft issues by yourself or through professionals. Here are some of the common reasons that are responsible for driveshaft failure and their quick solutions.

Causes	Solution
High torsional stress	Increase cross-section shape
Defective cv-joint	Repair cv-joint
Worn out u-joint	Repair u-joint
Loose connection	Fix wire and other connections
Misadjustments of bearings	Adjust bearings correctly

Now, we’ll elaborately discuss all the chevy silverado drive shaft issues and their solutions.

High Torsional Stress

Another primary reason behind the driveshaft failure is high torsional stress in your Silverado. Torsional rigidity determines how your car’s frame will perform when you drive.

Driveshaft experience high torsional stress when they transmit power to the wheels from your vehicle’s engine. If you experience the signs of a faulty driveshaft, consider checking the torsional stress first.

How to check? You can use a static torsional test along with a longitudinal torsion condition.

Solution: This feature is something that adjusts with your Silverado car while constructing it. You can improve the torsional strength by increasing the diameter of the cross-section shape. It’ll bring a positive impact on torsional stiffness that might not be possible to gain by changing material.

Defective CV-Joint

CV (Constant Velocity) joint is specially designed to deliver sufficient power to the wheel from the transmission through a wide-angle with the least internal play and friction. It usually transmits the torque at high speed to help the suspension move quickly.

If your Silverado driveshaft has a defective cv-joint, you’re supposed to experience transmission issues while turning your car’s wheels.

Solution: If the cv-joint component is the issue, consider replacing or repairing the component to fix the driveshaft.

Worn Out U-Joint

U-joint or universal joint is a mechanical intersecting connection in the middle of rotating shafts.

This component is used to allow the driveshaft’s up and down movement with the suspension. The shaft doesn’t stay in a straight line between the wheels and transmission when the shaft is moving. During that time, the u-joint operates to transmit power to the wheels through the uneven shaft.

Solution: U-joint is also known as hook joint. If the u-joint has defects, consider replacing it as soon as possible.

Loose Connection

The proper connection between all components is the key to ensuring optimal performance of your Silverado or any other car.

Suppose the engine has any loose connection with the transmission-related component. In that case, the engine won’t be able to transmit torque to the wheel. Therefore, you can experience the 2003 Silverado aluminum drive shaft failure.

Solution: Check connections thoroughly to find out if there are any torn wires or loose wire connections. If found any, consider fixing the connections for optimal performance.

Misadjustments Of Bearings

Bearings are a significant part of the wheel assembly. This part connects your wheels with an axle, and the axle is what delivers power to wheel from the engine.

Axle also ensures that your car’s wheel is rotating smoothly with the least friction.

Also Read: Driving with Bad Cam Phasers? See How to Quiet Cam Phaser Noise Easily

So if the bearings are not adjusted correctly, the wheels won’t get enough power to transmit according to the command, which will lead you to driveshaft failure.

Solution: Adjust the alignment and connect the bearings correctly to solve the problem.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happens if my drive shaft breaks while driving?

You’ll lose the traction that is provided by your vehicle’s driveshaft right after breaking the driveshaft while driving. It may also make you lose the stability of your car due to an isolated connection between wheels and wheelbase. And unfortunately, it can lead to a fatal accident and completely damage your car.

What causes driveshaft failure?

There are many causes that can make your car’s driveshaft fail. The most major reasons are improper heating treatment, faulty constant velocity joint, and improper stiffness that can’t transmit enough torque to wheels and causes driveshaft failure issues.

What is the most common driveshaft problem?

Broken or worn-out universal joints (u-joint) are the most common driveshaft problem. Loose connection and wrong adjustments of bearings are also a common issue, but can’t be seen often like defective u-joints.

How much does it cost to replace a driveshaft for Chevrolet Silverado?

A new driveshaft for Chevrolet Silverado costs between $210 to $265 and the labor cost of replacing it costs between $ 1060 to $1150. So the overall cost of replacing the driveshaft falls between $1270 to $1430.

How do you diagnose driveshaft problems?

You can diagnose the driveshaft problems through the symptoms of a bad driveshaft. Extreme vibration, knocking loud noise, difficulty turning, shuddering while accelerating, clunking noise, squeaking noise, etc., are the common symptoms of driveshaft problems.

Conclusion

We shared the common causes and possible solutions for the Silverado driveshaft failure issue in the above discussion. Though the possible fixes are straightforward, you may still need to know some technical skills.

If you experience any symptoms of driveshaft failure, kindly avoid driving your vehicle with the issue as it can invite unwanted situations for you.

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[5 Main Reasons] Silverado Driveshaft Failure And How To Fix Them?