GeForce 2-piece driveshaft issues
07-15-2013, 06:18 PM
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GeForce 2-piece driveshaft issues Hello,
I've had my CTS-V for a few years now and finally got around to replacing my POS original driveshaft because the center support bearing was starting to howl at me. Other than the obnoxious squealing sound from beneath the center console I was not having any issues or vibrations from anywhere in the car. I decided to buy the 2-piece CTS-V driveshaft from GeForce instead of buying another OEM driveshaft:
http://www.shop.gforce1320.com/product.sc?productId=183
The driveshaft finally arrived and I installed it yesterday. Two problems:
- The rear half of the driveshaft is massive - it is a 3" steel tube up front, and 3.5" aluminum in the rear. The joint between the two halves are so large that they hit the stock exhaust pipes. This interference is south of the resonator, right around the small brace in the center of the car under the pipes and driveshaft. I would have to make a large dent with a hammer in both pipes to create enough clearance for this thing.
- I think the driveshaft shipped with a bad universal joint. I am still trying to troubleshoot this. This is what I am seeing:
--- After installing the new GeForce driveshaft, I have massive amounts of vibration under any kind of engine load. The harder I accelerate, the harder it vibrates. If I downshift and engine brake, the vibrations also happen.
--- The vibration only seems to happen under engine load. It does not seem to be vehicle speed dependent. If I let the car coast at 70MPH, for example, it mostly goes away. I do not think it is a driveshaft balance or indexing issue because I would expect that to cause vibrations that would always be present at high vehicle speed. I also did make sure to line up the red marks on both halves of the driveshaft so I'm certain it is indexed properly.
--- The vibration does not seem to be caused by engine RPM. I can be stopped and in idle and rev the engine and it does not cause any vibrations. Because of this, I think my engine mounts are still fine. Also, I think my engine mounts are fine because they were fine the morning before I swapped driveshaft.
--- Before I installed the driveshaft, I inspected the universal joints by hand and one of the universal joint pivots was noticeably stiffer than the others. I also felt what almost felt like a faint 'grinding' or clicking from inside the joint. The joint did not articulate smoothly like all of the other joints in the driveshaft.
--- All of the bolts in and around the driveshaft are tight and have been double checked and are not loose
The vibrations appeared immediately after I installed the GeForce driveshaft. It seems to be tied to acceleration and engine deceleration instead of engine speed or vehicle speed. It had a stiff U-Joint as shipped to me new out of the box. Does what I am describing sound like a bad universal joint to you guys, or should I expand my search to other areas?
I contacted GeForce for help. Maybe they have some ideas as well. I am hoping they didn't send me a driveshaft with a bad U-Joint.
I've had my CTS-V for a few years now and finally got around to replacing my POS original driveshaft because the center support bearing was starting to howl at me. Other than the obnoxious squealing sound from beneath the center console I was not having any issues or vibrations from anywhere in the car. I decided to buy the 2-piece CTS-V driveshaft from GeForce instead of buying another OEM driveshaft:
http://www.shop.gforce1320.com/product.sc?productId=183
The driveshaft finally arrived and I installed it yesterday. Two problems:
- The rear half of the driveshaft is massive - it is a 3" steel tube up front, and 3.5" aluminum in the rear. The joint between the two halves are so large that they hit the stock exhaust pipes. This interference is south of the resonator, right around the small brace in the center of the car under the pipes and driveshaft. I would have to make a large dent with a hammer in both pipes to create enough clearance for this thing.
- I think the driveshaft shipped with a bad universal joint. I am still trying to troubleshoot this. This is what I am seeing:
--- After installing the new GeForce driveshaft, I have massive amounts of vibration under any kind of engine load. The harder I accelerate, the harder it vibrates. If I downshift and engine brake, the vibrations also happen.
--- The vibration only seems to happen under engine load. It does not seem to be vehicle speed dependent. If I let the car coast at 70MPH, for example, it mostly goes away. I do not think it is a driveshaft balance or indexing issue because I would expect that to cause vibrations that would always be present at high vehicle speed. I also did make sure to line up the red marks on both halves of the driveshaft so I'm certain it is indexed properly.
--- The vibration does not seem to be caused by engine RPM. I can be stopped and in idle and rev the engine and it does not cause any vibrations. Because of this, I think my engine mounts are still fine. Also, I think my engine mounts are fine because they were fine the morning before I swapped driveshaft.
--- Before I installed the driveshaft, I inspected the universal joints by hand and one of the universal joint pivots was noticeably stiffer than the others. I also felt what almost felt like a faint 'grinding' or clicking from inside the joint. The joint did not articulate smoothly like all of the other joints in the driveshaft.
--- All of the bolts in and around the driveshaft are tight and have been double checked and are not loose
The vibrations appeared immediately after I installed the GeForce driveshaft. It seems to be tied to acceleration and engine deceleration instead of engine speed or vehicle speed. It had a stiff U-Joint as shipped to me new out of the box. Does what I am describing sound like a bad universal joint to you guys, or should I expand my search to other areas?
I contacted GeForce for help. Maybe they have some ideas as well. I am hoping they didn't send me a driveshaft with a bad U-Joint.
07-15-2013, 07:11 PM
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I installed one of these 7 months ago. I have vibes too, but only at 2800-3200 RPM...regardless of gear or speed. The vibes are not noticeable, but the center console rattles, so I know it is there. I too changed mine with nothing wrong with my OEM driveshaft, other than the annoying squeal. GForce's customer service was great when I had questions, so I'd expect it to get resolved.
