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Is Your Drive Shaft Damaged? Here’s How to Tell: Insights from a Drive Shaft Repair Shop in West Chicago, Illinois

by | Oct 24, 2022 | Drive Shaft Repair | 0 comments

Your vehicle’s drive shaft is central to its ability to function. It is responsible for transferring torque from the engine to the wheels. If your drive shaft were to take on damage, it would greatly impact your vehicle’s ability to operate smoothly.

With that said, it’s important for vehicle owners to be able to recognize the signs that your drive shaft has incurred damage. Are you wondering what these include? This drive shaft repair shop in West Chicago, Illinois is going to review some of the most common signs below.

Is Your Steering Wheel Tough to Turn?

One of the surest signs that your drive shaft is ailing is that your steering wheel is tough to turn. There are other problems that can cause this as well. For example, there could be an issue with your power steering.

Drive shaft impairments are an exceedingly common cause of turning difficulties. The specific problem? Deteriorated U-joints. These break down over time due to continuous stress. Eventually, they can become severed entirely.

The key, then, is to replace these U-joints. Your local drive shaft repair shop in West Chicago, Illinois can get the job done for you.

Does Your Vehicle Vibrate Violently?

Your vehicle is bound to let off some level of vibration. However, when things are in proper working order, this vibration should be faint. If it’s difficult to ignore, and especially if it’s violent in nature, you need to have your vehicle checked out by a professional mechanic.

Vehicle vibration can be caused by several different factors. If the vibration is coming from the undercarriage of the vehicle, however, it’s almost certainly being caused by a damaged drive shaft.

Again, the U-joints, specifically, are to blame. Therefore, to get your vehicle back to normal, you’re going to have to replace those U-joints. As always, your local drive shaft repair shop in West Chicago, Illinois can assist you.

Is Your Vehicle Making Unpleasant Noises?

Another potential indication of drive shaft problems is unpleasant noises. Not all bad noises are indicative of problems with the drive shaft. In fact, bad noises can be indicative of many ailing components.

That said, clunking noises and squeaking noises generally indicate something wrong with the drive shaft. Whereas clunking noises during gear shifts tend to indicate deteriorated U-joints, squeaking noises at low speeds tend to indicate U-joints with a lack of lubrication.

In all of these cases, the problem is best repaired at a reputable drive shaft repair shop in West Chicago, Illinois. You can ask their mechanics to check it out and provide a quote for the work that needs to be done.

Does Your Vehicle Rock Suddenly While Accelerating?

For the most part, when accelerating, a vehicle should pick up speed smoothly. There shouldn’t be any notable friction that causes you alarm. If you do notice a less-than-smooth takeoff, there’s a good chance that something in your vehicle is awry.

When it comes to your drive shaft, a bad carrier bearing or worn U-joint can lead to this problem. Because they aren’t holding the drive shaft in place, they’re essentially allowing it to rock back and forth suddenly. This causes that friction that was noted above.

If you encounter this problem, you should have it checked out sooner rather than later. The quicker a professional gets their hands on it, the less damage you’ll have to contend with down the line.

Looking for a Drive Shaft Repair Shop in West Chicago, Illinois?

Are you worried that your drive shaft has taken on damage? Want to have it inspected? If so, and if you’re looking for the best driveshaft repair shop in West Chicago, Illinois, look no further than King Transmission Company.

Our mechanics have repaired drive shafts in all sorts of vehicles throughout the West Chicago area. Regardless of your automobile’s make and model, we can get it running smoothly again. Contact us today to get the process started.

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