I drove my truck approx. 30 miles in 4 Hi with rear shaft out. I read on here some had done it, and I was having trouble locating greasable u-joiunts. I put new joints in rear shaft last night and re-installed driveshaft. This morning going to work (in 2 hi) truck was making a growling noise from transfer case? I did notice fluid underneath while reinstalling shaft. What did I screw up by driving truck this way?

 

with the rear shaft out, the transfer case can pour fluid out through the hole. hopefully its just the tcase is low on fluid, and nothing got tore up in there.......

 

Like Buffalo said, your truck will puke fluid out the output shaft hole without the draveshaft in there.

Several years ago when riding with a neighbour in his 1/2 ton chevy he was complaining he needed to replace some u-joints on the truck, right about then there was a terrible noise and the shaft came apart at the t-case end, attempted to do a pole vault in the middle of the road at 50 mph.

You could see the crumpled shaft doing cart wheels down the road and landing in the ditch.

Scot never missed a beat, reached down and pulled it into 4wd and kept going.

Never said another word about it.

 

Added 1 qt. + to transfer case - Noise gone. I'm hoping I didn't do any internal damage. All seems fine now.