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The experts must all still be busy this morning, but when they become available I expect they'll agree with us amateurs that this is a job you can handle.
The part you're after is the center support bearing and its rubber doughnut. to get to it, the whole drive shaft has to come out. Not a problem.
Four wheels in the air, transmission in neutral, parking brake off.
Before you loosen anything, find the splined, telescoping connection where the front and rear sections of the shaft meet. This connection is immediately forward of the center universal joint, but may be hidden by a small rubber bellows installed at the factory to protect the splines. Mark the two shaft sections where they meet so that you can get it correctly re-assembled. This is important in order to preserve the phase of the universal joints in relation to one another and the overall shaft balance.
Start from the rear and disconnect the shaft flange from the differential flange. Once loose and pulled to the rear of the car, this rear section of the shaft will slide free from the forward section at the splined joint mentioned above. The propeller shaft is a hollow tube so while it may look pretty stout, it's not very heavy and may be easily damaged. Looks aren't everything.
The center support bearing assembly is held in place by a crossmember and four bolts. Loosen these, but before you drop the center altogether, make the forward section of the drive shaft mostly loose at the transmission. Notice the orientation of the small coil spring and cup washer supporting the bearing through the doughnut from below. You will need these parts.
Once you've got both sections of the shaft out, have a good look at your universal joints. They should flex smoothly without binding. Excessive play is a problem. If your u-joints need attention, that would be another topic. Here I would urge caution, as it's very tempting to invite a hammer into a universal discussion and damage may occur.
If your u-joints all check out, take the time to lube 'em up while they're out of the car--it's easier. If they're meant to be lubricated, your joints may have grease zerks or allen screw caps at their center axis. And while you've got the grease gun out, clean and relube what you can of that splined connection.
The doughnut will peel away from the bearing without too much trouble. While doughnut failure does not necessarily mean the bearing has failed, it should be suspect. The center support bearing can be the source of a lot of mysterious driveline noise, so if you have any doubts about the condition of yours, consider replacing it.
Clean the exposed area of the shaft over which the bearing will have to slide off. The bearing can be removed with a puller arrangement, or by judicious use of a vice, a drift and a hammer.
Once the old bearing is off and the face of the shaft is cleaned again, the new bearing can be driven on with a short length of the right diameter galvanized pipe and the same judicious hammer. (There are two different size shafts and bearings; the pipe is to be applied to the inner race of the bearing while the other end of shaft is secured and protected.)
Lube the new doughnut (I like undiluted dish soap) to get it over your new bearing and you're ready to put it all back together.
Good luck with it!
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