Hi all,


I am a new owner of a 2500HD EC 4x4. I took my truck in to a dealer to see if they would do anything about rusty drive shafts and couplers. According to the dealer, Chevy says this is normal. Apparently the heavy duty trucks are shipped with steel shafts whereas the 1/2 tons are shipped with aluminum. I can even see the weld seam in the shaft thru the rust and am flummoxed as to why Chevy would consider bare metal on a $40K vehicle "normal". I pointed out to the dealer that the warranty covers rust and that "rust-prone drive shafts" option was not listed on the window sticker. But they would not get paid to correct it from Chevy so they would not budge. I am wondering about you folks in the snow belt. Would not these shafts eventually rust thru where the roads are salted? I would appreciate your thoughts/input on this . . .


BTW, I requested they replace the bubbled door protectors and the dealer said that Chevy was working on a fix for this and should be available late August/early Sept.Edited by: flivver

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&gt;BTW, I requested they replace the bubbled door protectors &gt;and the dealer said that Chevy was working on a fix for this &gt;and should be available late August/early Sept.</BLOCKQUOTE>
The fix is rather simple, the dealer will need to order and paint (if applicable) new door strips and make sure they REMOVE the UPC barcode from the back before they apply it to the truck.
I went to my dealer's body shop and said, my mouldings are defective, fix it. The guy said he noticed several NEW trucks on the lot having the same bubble, I was firm and said they have a problem and I want it fixed.
When he removed my old ones to install the new ones, he saw the UPC sticker still on there at the exact same location where the bubbles were, he had his guys make sure they remove the upc label on all replacements.
Been fine since.

Andrew,


The impression I got from the dealer is that the problem was so widespread that ordering new ones, painting, installing was too expensive. So they are probably producing repair kits that are painted at the factory ready to install. We'll see . . .

Weird, my 2500 04 has aluminum rear drive sahft and steel front drive shaft.

Turbo,


Maybe only the HD's got the steel "shaft" . . .

Turbo has the Dmax in his so it's a 2500HD. When I installed my Nicktane, I dropped the drive shaft. That big telephone pole was light, so I assume that it is aluminum. Didn't see any rust on mine at all.

Well, mine is sure steel - I don't, however see why the moderate coating of rust is any concern other than asthetic. I'm sure not worried about mine!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/9ZE_683b.jpg

Idle,


I'm not so worried as I am amazed that GM felt that saving $1 in paint/plating on this level of vehicle was an economically good choice. This is a 4x4 and the drive shaft is easy to see. Here I am the largest auto manufacturer in the world with rust visible on a flagship truck. Just another example of GM's sometimes pennywise/pound foolish decision process.


Darin,


I think those assembly folks just grab whatever is close. My 2WD Suburban had a large (trashcan diameter) shaft that was nicely plated and looked heavy duty enough to pull a semi.Edited by: flivver

Could you spray the shaft with some sort of rust-o-leum? I would not see any problems with that. I saw hammerrite at Home Depot the other day and that would look good. IMO.


Ben

Ben,


That's the plan but the thought of removing it makes me squirm. A lot of the folks on the forum here could tear the truck apart and put back together before dinner but I work slow and that means the truck is parked for awhile. Also, I hate to disturb the factory assembly until something is broke. I may try to paint it on the vehicle.

When I get around to installing my Mag-hytec diff. cover, I plan on spraying the driveshaft and everything else rusty with flat black rustoleum. Im not removing anything, just turn the wheels to spin the shaft.


It just for looks, theres no way that shaft would loose enough metal to fail in my lifetime....or my sons either probably.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

You would need to sand or grind down the metal a bit to remove the rust deposit before you could paint the driveshaft or else the paint will fall off in no time. It need to be primed first BEFORE painting.

I like the idea of doing that. I am always looking for things to do to my truck. Sounds like an adventure. Yes prime the shaft first!


Ben http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Rock On.gif

Flivver, what year is your truck? IIRC they first came with a two piece drive shaft that was steel. That was later replaced with the single piece large diameter aluminum shaft. Take a look at the picture from Idle_Chatter, I think that is the two piece. Here is a picture from my truck with the one piece. You can see that it is bigger than the drive shaft from Idle_Chatter's truck.


http://bis.midco.net/darineb3/Images/HPIM0010.JPG Edited by: Darin Billing

I never had any problems with any of my drive shafts other than u joint and carrier bearing. They all get the rust on them. It no big deal. My trucks pull 6000 lbs trailer daily and plow snow in the winter. some trucks are 20 years old too.

Darin,


Mine is just like Idle's. Your's looks like the one I had on my '99 Suburban. Can't make any sense of it . . .Edited by: flivver

Take a look at the picture from Idle_Chatter, I think that is the two piece. Here is a picture from my truck with the one piece. You can see that it is bigger than the drive shaft from Idle_Chatter's truck.


Nope, one-piece, all steel. The big shaft (also known as "the torpedo") is the ALUMINUM shaft. Many of the two piece replacements were the aluminum torpedo - and many of the one piece fittings were the aluminum torpedo. But my Aug 2001 build came with a one-piece steel.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/563_DCP04417.JPG


Edited by: Idle_Chatter

Holy cow those are some small drive shafts. I have the huge canister one that Darin posted a picture of.

My o4 LLY has the huge aluminum shaft.

POR-15 and forget the priming.


http://www.por15.com/


Many folks I know of use this on the frames of their classic cars when doing restorations.


"WHAT IS THE BEST SURFACE ON WHICH TO PAINT POR-15?
POR-15 likes rusted surfaces best. Seasoned metal and sandblasted metal are also good. POR-15 does not adhere well to smooth, shiny surfaces, but will adhere well to those surfaces with the proper preparation. Edited by: Kartattack

Paint it with some type of rust inhibitor. It should adhire well and it will turn it black. It is just surface rust on these newer trucks. It seems to be more of an apperance problem.


I would have thought the smaller shaft would have been the two piece also. Sounds like a factory mess up, unless all of the 2001 were given that style and then they changed with the 2002.

POR-15 and forget the priming.


http://www.por15.com/


Many folks I know of use this on the frames of their classic cars when doing restorations.





Ditto. POR-15 is good stuff.

Big Ditto the POR15! We use that stuff one EVERYTHING that you want protected but dont much care about the finish. Im not trying to prettify the shaft, just make it blend in. Kinda like spraying the inner rear fender area that GM like to paint to match the truck http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif


I also have the small diameter shaft like Idles' on my late 04' LB7 and it looks the same

Since the two piece replacement was the big aluminum shaft, it makes me wonder wether the 8.1L gas engines were supposed to get the smaller steel drive shaft and the diesel get the big aluminum one. Since the smaller steel one fits, and it was on hand, they just stuck it in instead of the aluminum one.


It would be interesting to see if one of the techs could confirm my guess that the diesel gets the aluminum and the gas engine gets the steel drive shaft.

Thanks for the tip and link for the POR-15, just ordered a bunch and will be using it for the driveshaft and some other brackets and pieces under there that have suffered the insult of winter salt!

Yeah, I seen a brand new dually at a tractor pull a few weeks ago that had the aluminum shaft on it.

I yanked my door striping completely, I think it looks better like this. Get em somewhat warm by either being in a nice hot sunny location or a hiardrier heat gun and peel em off and use a bit of 3 m adhisave remover to get the residue. Dont scrubb it! if you are left with a bit of a line its just a bit of scratched clear coat(mine had a bit of it in places but they were on the truck for a year) take it to a body shop and have em smear some glaze on there and buff it out real quick. It was so minor you realy had to look on mine and a bit of glase and I got it out by hand, no need for a buffer. When I peeled mine off and saw the dirt and water traped behind there I was glad i did it, but I started the project because I didnt like the look of em. Also removed my LS emblems at the same time.


POR rules although it is a bit pricey. My 97 had a painted shaft and the paint dosnt seem to hold up. I wouldnt worry about it rusting through but if you dont like the looks then POR it.


Yanking a driveshaft is easy, set the parking brake and get a 7/16 wrench. The caps for the u joint may be stuck in there deccent with rust so you may need to stick a screw driver pry bar in between the u joint and the yolk and break it free from the corrosion, I ussualy put a smearing of grease on the yolk and the straps to hopefully keep it from sticking in the future. Mkae sure you dont pull tose caps off(the deals on the u joint that get squished into the yolk and they are what spin) and it wouldnt be a bad idea to put some electrical tape around the caps to make sure you dont kick em off or something. if you have that carier bearing(a 2 peice shaft) you need to yank it off too and drop the whole floping thing. When you put it back there is a slight chance that it will be outa balance-a very slight chance. best thing to do is to rotate the shaft 180 degrees and see if that fixes it. IMO you will probably spend more time trying to paint it connected to the truck and trying to maks stuff off and all that then just droping it, unless you POR 15 it and use a brush, then masking isnt a biggy.


IF YOU USE POR 15!!!! Trust me when I say that they are NOT BSing! The stuff does not wash off with anything I have found! (there is a either based carb cleaner I have heard rumorod that works) Dont wear anything that you dont mid if its black and wear gloves and dont get it on your skin because you will have to wear it off! Eye goggles or a face shield and a hat would be a good idea too.

Hey Rat,


Thanks for all the info. I have used POR15 once before on a floor pan and I can attest to the fact that you wear what you spill on you. I think I am going this route. Although the shaft is not very visible, I come from an aerospace background where corrosion is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form. Thanks again!

Could you spray the shaft with some sort of rust-o-leum? I would not see any problems with that. I saw hammerrite at Home Depot the other day and that would look good. IMO.


Ben





I sprayed my shafts to match the Rancho shocks http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif no visible rust now. . .

Line - X it.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif

You made me wonder what was on my truck.


2004.5 LLY 4x4 with 1 piece drive shaft.....steel (and rusting).

Same here SmoknDmax

I would be careful what kind of finish you decide to spray on your dirve shaft. I used to be VERY picky about painting anything on the underside of my vehicles that rusted.


Too much paint on any part of the drive shaft could upset the drive shaft balance. The primer undercoat and finish coats all weigh something and unless they are applied very evenly you could end up destroying u-joints/bearings (and warranty) by making the drive shaft out of balance. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif