I bought a "reconditioned" Cardone driveahaft off of RockAuto for my 97 Miata with a Torsen. It doesn't fit. The overall length is the same but the front yoke is bigger and has a bigger u-joint making the shaft itself a bit shorter. The splines line up but it won't slide into the transmission. It gets maybe two inches in and stops like something is blocking it. The other difference I noticed is the taper on the nose on the front yoke, the part where the internal spline is, is more rounded vs. angled.
I don't want to force it in, so I wanted to see if this is the right driveshaft to begin with or if a little extra effort is necessary due to aftermarket design differences. I don't want to return it just to have the same thing happen again.
Thanks!
I'm not 100% sure, but I think the only difference is Torsen vs. non-Torsen driveshafts. So I'm not sure why it wouldn't seem to work with your transmission.
Phil, can you accurately measure the diameter? I've got an NB drive shaft I can measure to see if there are differences. I've always ASSumed all NA/NB shafts were the same. Did you have to turn in the old unit as a core, or can you measure that, too ?
Edit: NB yoke is 1.374" dia.
NickD
PowerDork
6/24/19 4:07 p.m.
1.6L driveshafts are different from 1.8L driveshafts. But 1.8L driveshafts, whether it be NA or NB or 5-speed or 6-speed, are the same.
The outer diameter of the splines section is identical. Just the taper on the nose.
I wouldnt force it on. It should have some ability to slide back and forth on the output shaft.
The overall length of the shafts are the same. The shaft body on the new one is slightly shorter due to the larger front u-joint. The flanges are different shapes but hole spacing is the same. And you can see the difference in taper on the nose. I can't see any spline difference causing it to not fully enter the transmission. So I'm stumped right now.
The spline was probably not broached correctly by Cardone or their supplier. Do not use it. You cannot tell by eye if the spline dimensions remain correct all of the way in.
All 1.8 stick shift driveshafts are the same. 1.6 are different but have the same spline dimensions. I’m not 100% sure on autos, but this sounds like a manufacturing problem.
Thanks for the replies everyone! Replacement ordered. Hopefully this one will fit.
TurnerX19 said:
The spline was probably not broached correctly by Cardone or their supplier. Do not use it. You cannot tell by eye if the spline dimensions remain correct all of the way in.
Ugh... I have one that I acquired for nefarious purposes. I'll check to see if it fits a transmission.
In reply to Knurled. :
I stopped using Cardone anything a decade ago,and I hear they have deteriorated.
2nd driveshaft arrived. Same problem. Slides in maybe an inch and stops. Factory slides in and out effortlessly. berkeleyin garbage.
Didn’t want to mention the first time, but since Cardone has dropped the ball twice I’ll just leave this here
https://www.flyinmiata.com/18-rebuildable-driveshaft.html
