larryk wrote:Trail X wrote:
Mason, don't worry about a little wear on the intermediate shaft. It doesn't ride on any bearings, just seals. Should be fine.
Bzzzttt... Both ends of the intermediate shaft are supported by bearings, identical to the ones supporting the CVs. Granted, there should be no lateral loading as in the CV joints, but it still does ride in bearings
Take a look next time you're in there. They ride on splined connections on both ends. Those splines ride in either a side gear in the diff or a splined gear in the disconnect. The side gear and the splined gear are what rides on the bearings. The intermediate shaft never touches a bearing - which was my point. Marks on the shaft will not eat up a bearing - which requires a smooth surface. The seal may get eaten up a bit on the disconnect side, but its just holding back grease from entering the rather dry area inside the oil pan - nothing to worry about.
