One Piece Propeller Shaft
Important: When undercoating a vehicle, keep the propeller shaft free from undercoating material. Undercoating or any other foreign material will upset the propeller shaft balance and may produce serious vibrations.
The propeller shaft is a hollow shaft or tube that connects the transmission to the differential. The propeller shaft connects to the transmission with a splined slip yoke and connects to the rear axle with a universal joint.
Propeller shafts have universal joints at each end in order to accommodate angle variations between the transmission and rear axle, and the rear axle position caused by suspension motion. All propeller shafts are the balanced tubular type.
Vehicles with the 5.7L (VIN G) engine and both the 6-speed (MM6) and the automatic transmission (M30) are equipped with a one-piece propeller shaft of either stamped steel design or a lightweight aluminum.
Two Piece Propeller Shaft
Vehicles equipped with the 3800 (VIN K) engine and the 5-speed manual transmission (M49) are equipped with a two-piece propeller shaft assembly. The two-piece shaft assembly consists of a front propeller shaft, a rear propeller shaft, and a center support bearing. The center support bearing prevents angular movement (or "whipping") of the propeller shaft. The support bearing is a ball bearing type. The support bearing mounts in a rubber cushion. The rubber cushion mounts to the torque arm.
The bearing is prelubricated and sealed by the manufacturer.
The spline coupling has internal splines which accept the rear propeller shaft.
A propeller shaft joint (sometimes referred to as constant velocity joint) is located on the front of the rear propeller shaft. The propeller shaft joint fits into the spline coupling of the front propeller shaft. The propeller shaft joint (or constant velocity joint) allows adjustment of the propeller shaft angle without interrupting the power flow. The up and down movement of the vehicle requires the above action.
Vehicles with two or more propeller shafts use a center bearing. The center bearing is usually near the rear of the front propeller shaft. The slip joint is at the forward end of the rear propeller shaft.
