Re: [AMC-List] torqu tube Q???

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006, J Johnson wrote:

> I received the following inquiry from a guy on another message baord I
> frequent.  I have never been into a torque tube, figured someone here
> has.  I would like to know more about this as well....  

Thanks for the forward; tell 'em to join this list, all the
torque-tube weirdos are here!

There is no "rear U joint", v8 or six. There is either a single
U-joint (six) or a CV joint (v8), and only at the front, with
a fairly typical-looking front yoke.

> (transmission engages but car will not move, slight squeek sound can be
> heard back there, was told by previous owner that it's the u-joint) . I

With no data, I'd guess it was an axple problem, not a
driveshaft/ rear end problem. Spun at the hub?

Jack the car, one wheel at a time, put in park, rotate wheel,
see if you can get more symptoms to diagnose with.


I assumed it was a freak, but my 63 classic's pinion shaft
sheared off when pulling away from a stop light, in 1996. Crack
the throttle, revs up like in neutral, and >clink clank clunk<
from the rear as the driveshaft wobbled around in the torque
tube.  Cost me $1000 to repair (new ring, pinion, bearings,
and labor) in 1996.

The old part where it broke looked like a thumbnail; a small
half-moon of shiny metal, and the rest greyish, like a very old,
creeping fracture; slow oxidation turned the metal gray. if
I recall it was about 25% connected! It took 33 for the part
to fail!

I hope his problem isn't that; if it is, find a donor rear! If it
is that, it would be disturbing that two failed in the same way.

There's not much else back there to fail! The driveshaft has
a simple splined couple (six) or some sort of weighted balance
splined coupler (v8). It's passive, no moving parts. I suppose
anything can break, but some things seem most unlikely.



I also had an axle shaft spontaneously break on a 1959
American. This was about 1977.  It broke in the middle! The
196 flathead was weezy and gutless (paid $50 for the car),
and my mother was driving it at the time, so it was also a
flawed part.  The wheel tilted up into the fender, so the
problem was most obvious.

Cast/forged parts do fail I guess, especially when old!

> I've read on the subject (including the manual) does not address the
> air springs that are also connected to the axle. 

Factory air springs? Personally ever heard of that (means nothing)
but can't you just disconnect/remove them?

> underneath the car spraying bolts down with PB Blaster and preparing to
> tackle the job, 

Prepare to replace all the brake lines; they're ancient, and
almost certainly frozen useless.


> etc., but this'd be my first time working on a drivetrain on a car.

... and a weird one it is! It's alien, but not complex. Not many
people have experience with them. Heavy monster it is though!

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