so i am replacing the driveshaft in my '91 4 runner and i was wondering if i would do any damage if i put it in 4 wheel drive and drove it without the rear driveshaft installed. (in theory making it a front wheel drive) i only plan on driving <6 miles to a job interview so i don't have to ride bike in my fancy duds. also i just wanted to say thanks to all because i did an engine swap and was able to answer pretty much all of my q's simply by digging around the site keep up the good work <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

You'll be fine. I lost a spider gear while driving home once. I took the d-shaft out and drove it home, and actually drove it around for several weeks until I got the rear rebuilt.

Those few weeks included a 200 mile trip to the my parents to do the rearend rebuild at highway speeds.

Just check the front fluid and you should be fine. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

tucker

As long as you do not have a locker in front you will be fine. With a locker things can get a bit weird.

thanks for the help. no lockers or anything that cool so i just went and got it from where i was working on it and i can't believe how smooth it drives! you should see my old drive shaft and whats left of it where the u joint (whats left of it) was. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> anyway the new shaft should be here tomorrow so hopefully i can get in the woods this weekend.
thanks again
sharkey

tell me about it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I drove mine around for a week with just the front driveshaft. Only thing i noticed was the steering was a little stiffer going around corners.

When I tried this, I did notice that when goin gfrom a stop, if I gunned it it tended to yank to one side. Same with hard braking. I checked out the hubs etc, no clear problems, best explanation was the diff in sideshaft lengths make for different torque...? Anybody else experience this?