Well, I thought your explanation was great, fantastic even. I purchased a set of rear leaf springs that had single 3 degree shims fitted to each one "supposedly" to correct the pinon angle being raised to far after a 2" lift on my 4x4. That's all well and good but they had the shims facing the wrong way around with the thin side to the front which I now know made it worse. So, I went out and bought larger shims & fitted them the same way again which only made things even worse and I couldn't work out why. I now know why, so thank you very much. I should be able to get it sorted out now. Cheers.
Awesome. I have been reading a lot of forum posts on lifts and never could figure out the theory behind lifts and getting the drive line in sync. Nice to see a young kid that has so much good knowledge and the ability to convey it so well.
Great video! I'm pretty sure about 80% of off road shops don't even know how to fix this, they just install whatever is in the kit. Also, you remind me of Cameron on Ferris Bueller's Day Off! Oh, cool cat.
You killed it. For some reason, the way you explained this concept made me totally get it. I'm an educator myself, and if you haven't already, you should consider that career!
Excellent educational video most people would simply install a kit without paying closer attention to the shift in the structure of the vehicle and how important the angles are for vibrations, wear and tear.
Great vid. I'll add it's recommended to have the rear diff down 1 degree from the transmission / transfer case output. When you're driving it will torque the rear differential and it will lift a small amount. That way when you're cruising they're parallel but parked it's down 1 degree
Excellent video! Installed slightly taller springs on my Lexus GX and now getting a slight vibration at highway speeds from the rear end. I think this is the issues and your video explains so well what it might be. Thank you.
this actually helped me a lot. I was installing my CS009R springs and I had the axle resting on a jack while I was working on getting the axle lined up with the pins on the springs and it rolled and the slip yolk came out of my drive shaft. I thought I got it lined up the way it was but then I had massive driveline vibes at highway speed. A little research lead me to YotaTech which lead me here and I realized I was about 70-80 degrees out of phase. took my shaft off and I found an old match mark so I lined up in the zerks and got them all lined up with the yokes in line on each end and boom no more vibes.
Minimum Operating Angle Of 1/2 Degree A slight angle is required to prevent U-joints from wearing out from brinelling, providing a smooth flow of power through the driveline. It is similar to intentionally putting a pre-load on a wheel bearing. Maximum Operating Angle Of 3 Degrees
Thank you for this great video. Very informative. So I may not need to buy a SYE and a new drive shaft. But before I do anything I’ll buy a inclinometer to get the angles correctly measured.
Just got my bronco back from the spring shop for new springs and 1 inch lift, it’s vibrating like crazy. It appears they set it up for a single joint and it has a factory double cardan! Thanks for the very informative video. I know what to ask them about now
Some Great Vids Alex.. I have an 87 4x4 pickup and your videos have helped me out a Ton.. just installed new 2" OME leafs, shocks all around and bj spacers..and have a slight vibration now, looks like some shims will be the fix
thanks for sharing, this answers a question i had about the driveshaft it's self...i have a 4runner almost restored with the same vent windows...Creator bless...doug
Great video. Using shim will solve pinion angle problem. But it will lead to change in caster angle which In turn will largely affect the stability of the vehicle at high speeds.
Awesome vid. Love those old yotas. I was going to purchase the same skid plate it's good to know about pinion angle change. Would rather install all parts needed when your underneath the truck. Keep the build going looks awesome!
Thank you. I'm glad you liked the video. The BudBuilt skidplate is a nice piece but it will change the pinion angle. Having all the stuff at once is a plus. Thanks for the feedback.
I am off to get an angle finder this morning I guess.... Not a truck, but I have a 1970 Ford Torino that vibrates BADLY while accelerating. I have three to four inches of shackle lift, plus some shocks with external springs, and an OLD driveshaft. I also suspect my slip yoke bushing is also worn, since I can feel looseness side to side when I push and pull on it. SO, I may end up hunting down angle shims today or tomorrow. The slip yoke thing may become less of an issue if the angles are correct, and then I can deal with that when I can find a bushing puller and installer tools. Not a daily driver, just a toy thankfully. I am also looking to get the driveshaft balanced, or at least check it to be sure.
A slip yolk eliminator kit and a double cardan drive shaft is the best solution, but in that case, you want your diff pointed directly at the transfer case
Watched your video on pinion angle, and it was very informative. Had a question though, if the angles were reversed, meaning if the rear was 86 and the front was 82, if you use the axle shims would you put the in facing the opposite way as shown in the video. Hope this makes sense.
Most rear lift blocks from reputable manufacturers tilt the pinion upward to compensate for the increased angle. The real issue is the shortening of the overall length of the driveshaft which pulls the yolk further out of the transmission tail shaft, requiring a pinion shim to extend to its proper position.
Your example on number 4 doesn't take into account if you tip the pinion angle to far up you will cause oil starvation to the small bearing in the pinion. That needs to be kept in mind also.
I trussed my axles and changed the pinion angle to be direct to the transfer case yoke, not knowing any of this and once I started learning about phasing I was pretty sure I had screwed my driveline up, luckily rear drive shaft has a double cardan so it worked out...even tho I apparently had no idea what the hell i was doing.
With a double cardan. My crank/ouput shaft is 3+, the driveshaft is 11+, the yoke 8+ . Seems pretty smooth overall and almost normal. Gets viby around 2200 to 2300. Just paranoid my angles are bad. I have like 7 degree in the back, any comments appreciated. The driveshaft is only 13 3/4" so it's difficult. Lowered the motor trans 2" to clear the trans without major gutting. thanks
I have a first gen Tundra with a 3/2 lift. Blocks in the rear. My truck rides smooth till I put it on a lift where my suspension is unloaded. It will vibrate like crazy for a few days then clear up. I can't find anything like this being spoken about. Oh by the way that's a pimp ass Z50 I see
Loved the video thanks, can you explain how the angles should be on a 2 piece drive shaft I have a shutter on take off only, has a 4" sky jacker lift installed
What happens under hard acceleration or pulling a heavy load and there's some axle wrap going on. Which in some cases can be quite significant. In changing pinion angles
The pinion points up during acceleration. Traction bars can help with axle wrap. There's a handful of other options too if you really need to fix it. Some people preload the pinion angle a degree or so down to compensate for this.
What if the trans side is cv and the rear end is ujoint ……I’ve been search days now since putting iron man heavy duty leafs on .they’re suppose to be only a 1.5”-2” lift but a direct replacement for oem ,supposedly …when installing ( my first time doing leaf springs ) I noticed the rear of the axle touched the spring first leaving between 1/4” & 1/2” of gap in Front of the plate( leafs under axle) …so not knowing I just torqued down to spec ….and it was vibration time from 25 mph up to 40 mph….not getting two Same answers on how to get back to normal angles I ordered shims that were approximately the height of that gap ( 2.5 degree) out of frustration…havent gotten em in yet should be tomorrow …but now I’m thinking since the new leafs gave me an actual almost 4” lift ( I assume because of old ones being shot ,along with the drivers side having a broken leaf and the Xterra has 170k miles ..that from stock new leafs it’d only be a actual 2”lift) that maybe 2.5 isn’t enough shim angle …..my drive shafts at 10.1 degrees and the ear end Is at 4.8 degrees( both in some direction) …..since no ujoint at tranny ( all forums say they’re cv’ instead, but I don’t know ) and there was definitely some angle before , that I’ll subtract 4.8 from 10.1 which gets me 5.3….now 2.5 shim would bring me to 2.8 and that’s sounds about right ….though I have no clue lol
Excellent Video! What if you have drive line vibration and you ARE using double cardan shafts? I just re-geared my JK from 4:10 to 5:38 and immediately noticed vibration on the highway.. I'm using double cardan 1350's front and rear.
+TomVaillencourt The end of the driveshaft with the single cardan should be perfectly in line with whatever it's connecting to. The double cardan end can be at any angle and still not vibrate. Typically the double cardan is connected to the transmission/transfer case output and the single cardan is connected to the differential.
You have a talent to teach as well as being a good mechanic. Thanks for posting this...very informative.
this was one of the best videos I've found describing the reasoning for shims and driveline angles. Thanks!
Excellent tutorial on what can be a very confusing subject when simply explained and not shown. Well done Alex.
Videos like this are hard to find. Well done!
Wow, a video that actually shows you how to fix something, not just identify the problem. Thanks
Well, I thought your explanation was great, fantastic even.
I purchased a set of rear leaf springs that had single 3 degree shims fitted to each one "supposedly" to correct the pinon angle being raised to far after a 2" lift on my 4x4.
That's all well and good but they had the shims facing the wrong way around with the thin side to the front which I now know made it worse.
So, I went out and bought larger shims & fitted them the same way again which only made things even worse and I couldn't work out why. I now know why, so thank you very much. I should be able to get it sorted out now.
Cheers.
Awesome. I have been reading a lot of forum posts on lifts and never could figure out the theory behind lifts and getting the drive line in sync. Nice to see a young kid that has so much good knowledge and the ability to convey it so well.
Great video! I'm pretty sure about 80% of off road shops don't even know how to fix this, they just install whatever is in the kit. Also, you remind me of Cameron on Ferris Bueller's Day Off! Oh, cool cat.
I cannot thank you enough for this video. I had no idea how to correct the pinion angle after adding lift blocks. Great explanation.
Same hear. Bad vibes at 70.after tapered lift blocks
I comment rarely, but this was perfectly explained! I don't need to watch another video on drive-line angles. Thank you
You killed it. For some reason, the way you explained this concept made me totally get it. I'm an educator myself, and if you haven't already, you should consider that career!
Excellent educational video most people would simply install a kit without paying closer attention to the shift in the structure of the vehicle and how important the angles are for vibrations, wear and tear.
Finally someone who explains this to where I can understand thank you
This is literally the BEST video I have found about pinion angle!!! Awesome work man. Subscribed ✅
👍👍👍👍👍👍. Thank you for this video. U just save me $400 on a drive shaft I didn’t need. Now the vibration is gone on my Jeep.
Great vid. I'll add it's recommended to have the rear diff down 1 degree from the transmission / transfer case output. When you're driving it will torque the rear differential and it will lift a small amount. That way when you're cruising they're parallel but parked it's down 1 degree
Cameron from Ferris Buellers Day Off did a great job explaining pinion angles. Thanks!
Hey Alex, thanks for creating this video. You made a complicated topic easy for me to understand and helped with my own lift project. Keep em coming!
This is exactly what I needed thanks dude. I was struggling trying to find a solid video that showed and explained everything
Excellent video! Installed slightly taller springs on my Lexus GX and now getting a slight vibration at highway speeds from the rear end. I think this is the issues and your video explains so well what it might be. Thank you.
Well done. You'd make a great teacher .....if you're not one already. Keep the tutorials coming!
That’s the best video I have watched on the vibration subject. Thank you
this actually helped me a lot. I was installing my CS009R springs and I had the axle resting on a jack while I was working on getting the axle lined up with the pins on the springs and it rolled and the slip yolk came out of my drive shaft. I thought I got it lined up the way it was but then I had massive driveline vibes at highway speed. A little research lead me to YotaTech which lead me here and I realized I was about 70-80 degrees out of phase. took my shaft off and I found an old match mark so I lined up in the zerks and got them all lined up with the yokes in line on each end and boom no more vibes.
Toyota, hire this guy now.
Wish I had seen this tutorial 10 videos ago! Thanks for the great info👍🏽!
Finally a good explanation of how this works!
Thank you great work absolutely brilliant clear and straight to the point from Australia.
Great explanation, i now have a better understanding of drive shaft vibration, thanks. I like how you explain while drawing
well done and very well explained by someone who really knows stuff.
🙌🏼 thanks bro my grandfather said a simple idea making a big difference.
Best pinion angle video on UA-cam.
Minimum Operating Angle Of 1/2 Degree
A slight angle is required to prevent U-joints from wearing out from brinelling, providing a smooth flow of power through the driveline. It is similar to intentionally putting a pre-load on a wheel bearing.
Maximum Operating Angle Of 3 Degrees
Thank you for this great video. Very informative. So I may not need to buy a SYE and a new drive shaft. But before I do anything I’ll buy a inclinometer to get the angles correctly measured.
Thanks for explaining this clearly and also providing solutions! Great video!
Just got my bronco back from the spring shop for new springs and 1 inch lift, it’s vibrating like crazy. It appears they set it up for a single joint and it has a factory double cardan! Thanks for the very informative video. I know what to ask them about now
Very informative and addressed my slight vibration in my truck
Excellent video. Clear and concise. Thank you.
Great information. and Yes! you have a talent to teach. Great video.
Thanks for making that. I lifted my S10 and have bad shakes from the driveline. I think that was the issue
Awesome video and explains the why and how to fix the issue.
Some Great Vids Alex.. I have an 87 4x4 pickup and your videos have helped me out a Ton.. just installed new 2" OME leafs, shocks all around and bj spacers..and have a slight vibration now, looks like some shims will be the fix
Glad I was able to help out. Hopefully the shims cure your problems.
Glad I found this, I may have installed my shims in backwards. Good info👍🏻
I did TWICE...
thanks for sharing, this answers a question i had about the driveshaft it's self...i have a 4runner almost restored with the same vent windows...Creator bless...doug
the beggining was my favorite lol
Great video.
Using shim will solve pinion angle problem. But it will lead to change in caster angle which In turn will largely affect the stability of the vehicle at high speeds.
No such thing as caster on a rear axle (without steering).
Ben watchin driveshaft videos last hour.... this one makes sense!! Time to get to work!!... thank man!
Best video on springs I’ve seen! Good job 👍
GREAT video! THANK YOU for the good clear explanation
Great info, no bs. You may have just saved my jeep!
Great video!!! Thank you so much for this through explanation! I even went and explained it to my wife... AND SHE UNDERSTOOD! :)
Excellent video. Very well said. Good instruction, very thorough. 👍
Great video have a slight vibration after lifting my Jeep more so I'll try this. Thanks
Awesome vid. Love those old yotas. I was going to purchase the same skid plate it's good to know about pinion angle change. Would rather install all parts needed when your underneath the truck. Keep the build going looks awesome!
Thank you. I'm glad you liked the video. The BudBuilt skidplate is a nice piece but it will change the pinion angle. Having all the stuff at once is a plus. Thanks for the feedback.
I am off to get an angle finder this morning I guess.... Not a truck, but I have a 1970 Ford Torino that vibrates BADLY while accelerating. I have three to four inches of shackle lift, plus some shocks with external springs, and an OLD driveshaft. I also suspect my slip yoke bushing is also worn, since I can feel looseness side to side when I push and pull on it. SO, I may end up hunting down angle shims today or tomorrow. The slip yoke thing may become less of an issue if the angles are correct, and then I can deal with that when I can find a bushing puller and installer tools. Not a daily driver, just a toy thankfully. I am also looking to get the driveshaft balanced, or at least check it to be sure.
Thank you for your good explanation
great video very simple and easy explanation
Very well done young man, 2 thumbs up!!!
A slip yolk eliminator kit and a double cardan drive shaft is the best solution, but in that case, you want your diff pointed directly at the transfer case
Great video -- thank you for the effort you've put into this!
Brilliant. Outstanding explanations mate.
Watched your video on pinion angle, and it was very informative. Had a question though, if the angles were reversed, meaning if the rear was 86 and the front was 82, if you use the axle shims would you put the in facing the opposite way as shown in the video. Hope this makes sense.
Alex your video is A1 and yes Paul at 4Crawler makes some nice gear
Thanks! Just the info I needed! very cut and clear!
Great video, and your correct Paul is the man!!
Great explanation, well done.
Great vid - you explain things so well
Gotta 1st gen tundra and its been a shaker. Not the wheels, not the brakes, dont think the axle shafts are bent so its got to be the driveshaft.
Perfectly explained, good video
Good explanation.... thanks for taking time to post......
Great video overall. 👍Some good info I needed to align my pinion angle.
Most rear lift blocks from reputable manufacturers tilt the pinion upward to compensate for the increased angle. The real issue is the shortening of the overall length of the driveshaft which pulls the yolk further out of the transmission tail shaft, requiring a pinion shim to extend to its proper position.
The driveshaft does not shorten. The distance between the transmission and pinion yokes is increased.
TheAlexManVideos *Oh thank you Einstein*
Your example on number 4 doesn't take into account if you tip the pinion angle to far up you will cause oil starvation to the small bearing in the pinion. That needs to be kept in mind also.
Great video you explain things well.
I trussed my axles and changed the pinion angle to be direct to the transfer case yoke, not knowing any of this and once I started learning about phasing I was pretty sure I had screwed my driveline up, luckily rear drive shaft has a double cardan so it worked out...even tho I apparently had no idea what the hell i was doing.
Great explanation , thank's !!!
Great job explaining it
Good video, very educational.
Explained perfectly!! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it. I really liked how this video came out. Dixie used to be able to fit under doors but she has grown to be quite fat.
With a double cardan. My crank/ouput shaft is 3+, the driveshaft is 11+, the yoke 8+ . Seems pretty smooth overall and almost normal. Gets viby around 2200 to 2300. Just paranoid my angles are bad. I have like 7 degree in the back, any comments appreciated. The driveshaft is only 13 3/4" so it's difficult. Lowered the motor trans 2" to clear the trans without major gutting. thanks
Great job man. Very helpful!
great information, great video!
Wow awesome explanation
Very well explained !
Good video, but why is there a delorean and a flux capacitor on the paper?
Thank you. Excellent teaching skill here, teachers take note. SUBED! :)
Thanks for the help
I have a first gen Tundra with a 3/2 lift. Blocks in the rear. My truck rides smooth till I put it on a lift where my suspension is unloaded. It will vibrate like crazy for a few days then clear up. I can't find anything like this being spoken about. Oh by the way that's a pimp ass Z50 I see
Loved the video thanks, can you explain how the angles should be on a 2 piece drive shaft
I have a shutter on take off only, has a 4" sky jacker lift installed
What happens under hard acceleration or pulling a heavy load and there's some axle wrap going on. Which in some cases can be quite significant. In changing pinion angles
The pinion points up during acceleration. Traction bars can help with axle wrap. There's a handful of other options too if you really need to fix it. Some people preload the pinion angle a degree or so down to compensate for this.
I appreciate this video, thank you
What if the trans side is cv and the rear end is ujoint ……I’ve been search days now since putting iron man heavy duty leafs on .they’re suppose to be only a 1.5”-2” lift but a direct replacement for oem ,supposedly …when installing ( my first time doing leaf springs ) I noticed the rear of the axle touched the spring first leaving between 1/4” & 1/2” of gap in Front of the plate( leafs under axle) …so not knowing I just torqued down to spec ….and it was vibration time from 25 mph up to 40 mph….not getting two Same answers on how to get back to normal angles I ordered shims that were approximately the height of that gap ( 2.5 degree) out of frustration…havent gotten em in yet should be tomorrow …but now I’m thinking since the new leafs gave me an actual almost 4” lift ( I assume because of old ones being shot ,along with the drivers side having a broken leaf and the Xterra has 170k miles ..that from stock new leafs it’d only be a actual 2”lift) that maybe 2.5 isn’t enough shim angle …..my drive shafts at 10.1 degrees and the ear end Is at 4.8 degrees( both in some direction) …..since no ujoint at tranny ( all forums say they’re cv’ instead, but I don’t know ) and there was definitely some angle before , that I’ll subtract 4.8 from 10.1 which gets me 5.3….now 2.5 shim would bring me to 2.8 and that’s sounds about right ….though I have no clue lol
Nice Job Alex
Excellent Video! What if you have drive line vibration and you ARE using double cardan shafts? I just re-geared my JK from 4:10 to 5:38 and immediately noticed vibration on the highway.. I'm using double cardan 1350's front and rear.
+TomVaillencourt The end of the driveshaft with the single cardan should be perfectly in line with whatever it's connecting to. The double cardan end can be at any angle and still not vibrate. Typically the double cardan is connected to the transmission/transfer case output and the single cardan is connected to the differential.
+TheAlexManVideos thanks for the response! I will double check my pinion angles!
Great video ! Thanks for the info!
Thanks for this info in this video
Good explanation
Very informative video thanks
Thanks for this vid it helped me with my yoda🤘
all makes sense to me now...thanks much