Well I figured out what broke but I am not exactly sure what it is and what I need to do about it. Where the drive shaft meets the back of the transmission there is a ring that is about 1.5 inches thick. What ever purpose that serves, it has broke loose from how it was attached is now not attached to anything so it is just sitting on the shaft and making all kinds of noises. If anyone could enlighten me to what this does, what I need to do about it and how hard it is to fix I would really appreciate it. The truck has driven fine for a day or so but I just noticed this and want to fix it before something really goes wrong. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

Sounds like the drive shaft balance ring. It's what keeps the drive shaft from wobbling because of not being complete true and out of balance.

Sorry, I can't help with the fix but, I'm sure someone will ring in with a answer.

 

Man, how did you break the balance/inertia ring on your d/shaft?... Not sure what you could do about it. If its under warranty I'd go to the dealerrship. If not , you might call a reputable 4x4 or driveshaft shop about possible alternatives to stock replacement. I wouldn't drive it too much though, might be possible for it to get up against the tail case and do more damage...

 

Thanks for the responses guys. That explains the occassional slight vibration I was feeling the last day or so. It is still under warranty so I will take it in tomorrow to see about getting it fixed. I was in a wreck about five months ago that pulled the drive shaft out and knocked the back axle out of line so my only guess is that it might have gotten damaged slightly then and has just now broken. I'll let ya'll know how it gets fixed.