2004 kia sorento lx manual transmission; 135550 mileages
i brought my car in a shop for radiator replacement and the mechanic so kind checked my car for any other problem and find nothing except that i need to replace my drive shaft. He told me all the signs of a bad drive shaft, i am not a mechanic but i didn't notice not even one of the sign he told me, no unusual noise, no vibration i even tried to check it the way you say it, it does move a little the first time i try and thats with force but not back and forth.
Do i need to bring my car back to that mechanic and let him repair the drive shaft or i can try to go to another mechanic for second opinion?
By the way its almost three months since me and my mechanics discussed that issue and i just bought that car last april 10.
hope to hear from you soon.
big fan here.
rex
Typically driveshafts need to be replaced when the rubber boots break, letting road dirt and debris into the U-joints. Did the mechanic show you a torn boot? Also they will click on turns when the outer joint (at the wheel) wears - are you hearing anything like that?
The mechanics did not show me anything, he just told me. i just checked any torn boots and i did not see even one.
There is no click or any unusual sound when i turn nor when i speed up. Actually the wheel is so responsive.
I would ask him to show you on what basis he's making that diagnosis.
thank you very much chuck...
Definitely check into that. Also, the comments by @Doc below got me thinking, you did not mention of you have 2WD or 4WD. If 2WD you only have a rear driveshaft, not the front ones I linked to. On a shaft of that type normally you just replace any worn universal joints, not the entire shaft, unless it hit something and was damaged.
i checked it again, turned out im not really a mechanic because i only check the middle part not the one connecting to the transmission(im not sure if thats the transmission) and when i pull on it, it wiggles and i also notice a grease around it... i hope i described it write and clear. by the way, its a 2wd.
I've never seen rubber boots on a U-joint. It sounds like you are describing axles (which run laterally, delivering power to the wheels), not driveshafts (which are mounted longitudinally, delivering power to axles). And front axles typically have constant velocity (CV) joints, which are different from universal joints (which are not constant velocity). If you want to be 100% accurate. 😉
@rex, if your Sorento is 2WD that changes things. Forget about the front axles and CV joints, you don't have them. That vehicle is on a truck-like chassis and has a solid rear axle that is driven by a driveshaft connected between the rear of the transmission and the axle.
Typically there would be a universal joint at each end of the shaft and those can wear and loosen up over time, and just the worn joints would be replaced. It looks though like you have a 2-piece driveshaft with a center support bearing, which makes things more complicated and it may well be best to replace the entire thing depending on what's worn. (@Doc is correct that the driveshaft assembly costs around $350.)
You say that you're seeing some looseness in the middle part, indicating that possibly the center support bearing is worn, or it could be the joint connecting the two sections of the axle. The situation is clearer now but it is still best to ask your mechanic for specifics about what's going on under there.
thank you guy for all the advice. made appointment with my mechanic on tuesday,, again, thank you..
2004 Kia Sorento drive shaft runs about $350 but you can have the 2 u joints (Precision #365) replaced at $40 each.
Aftermarket driveshafts on rockauto.com are running about $50. Of course who knows what kind of quality they are.
They are not $50. The cheapest one they sell is $220.00
That price is assuming he's talking about one of the front driveshafts. If it's a rear driveshaft for 4WD that's different.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/kia,2004,sorento,3.5l+v6,1426003,drivetrain,cv+axle,2288
NAPA also has them for under $100.
All he said was "driveshaft" he didn't say which one.
True, but CV boot failure on front driveshafts is most common due to the stresses of steering combined with suspension movement. That vehicle has a solid rear axle, if the driveshaft to that is having problems it would probably be just the universal joints unless the shaft was hit by something and bent. (Come to think of it, there was no mention if this was the 4WD version. The 2WD Sorento would be rear-drive with no front driveshafts.)
Chuck, the plot thickens!!!
Is he talking about a drive shaft or an axle shaft???
It sounds like it's a driveshaft. I had forgotten those old Kia SUVs are actually built on a rear-drive truck chassis with a solid rear axle. We also now know he has the 2WD, rear drive version of the Sorento. So he has no drive axles in front and since the rear is a solid, live axle, there are none back there either. (Aside from the ones inside the axle tubes of course.)