Help with U-joint replacement

[Diesel JD]

hey guys, I need to do my ujoints I think. How do I do it? What tools do I need...how can I be sure that I need to or not? Thanks,
JD

 

[NJKen]

That is hard to explain over the internet. You will need a good size hammer, some good basic hand tools, and a lot of patience. If you have a large auto parts retailer anround you it is possible to rent a C-clamp style u-joint press tool. It may not be a bad idea to consult a good repair manual also. Be carefull changing u-joints if you do it yourself because they are easy to mess up if you loose or damage just 1 needle in the cap.
You can check the condition of the u-joints by grabbing the driveshaft near each joint while it is in the truck and shaking it. There should be no movement in the joint. (make sure the truck is in neutral, parking brake set, and wheels chocked when you do this). Just because the u-joint is tight does not mean it is good. Remove the driveshaft and flex each joint. Any that are very tight or grittty feeling should be replaced. Usually a tight u-joint will make a telltale light double squeek sound as you leave a stop.
Good Luck
Ken

 

[Mr_Roboto]

I've always done it with a large hammer and two sockets. One socket just larger than the cup (to drive the cup into) and one smaller, used to drive the cup out and in.

If they are rusted in tight you need to carefully heat outside of the cups with a torch.

You can do the job the same way in a vice but I find that the "shock" of a hammer works better than the steady pressure of a vice.

 

[subway]

maybe it is just me but i found that my u-joints have lasted longer when i use the big c style press. like mentioned you should be able to get them from any big box store for rental. large whacks with a hammer and bearings dont always go together, so i would reccomend that if you can get one.

clean up the yoke after you get the old joint out. you want a clean surface for the joint and you dant want ANY crap falling into the joint when you take it apart to put it in the yoke. any debris will dramatically shorten its life.

its really not a hard job if you have good tools. i did mine in my truck last year in about 20 mins. it was the back one though so i didnt bother dropping out the drive shaft.

 

[suv7734]

Here's a few pics so you might get a better idea. Scroll down toward the bottom and it shows the c-clamp tpe press etc.

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0a/88/24/0900823d800a8824/repairInfoPages.htm

 

[RLDSL]

A hydraulic press is your friend for U joints. I'm not strong enough anymore to whack those things out with a hammer . If you do it with a c clamp press, vise , or press, make sure after seating the caps in that you take a BFH and whack on the edges of the yoke around the caps to get it to settle in around the cap not under load, or your ujoints are not likely to last long.

 

[Agnem]

Your probably like me, and don't have a fancy press so here is what you do. Take a pair of needle nose pliers, and squeeze the clips in the middle to extract them. They are internal snap rings basically. Once both clips are out, hold the driveshaft square with the floor with one side down, and using a drift smaller than the outer diameter of the clip, give the side facing up a good smack or two or three. You should see the U-joint cap receed into the opening, and after a few smacks you will feel and hear the difference as the cap on the opposite side comes to meet the floor, and is now flush with the opposite side. You now know how to tell if it's moving right. Take the drive shaft to your vice, and set the width of the jaws to be slightly bigger than the cap. Use the drift and hammer and get it moving again until it stops. At some point, your going to be able to remove the cap on the downward side, and the U-Joint will kind of fall apart and come out. You can then whack the top side cap through the rest of the way. Putting it together is a little harder because now you have to care about what happens to it. Take a good look at how the bearings are made inside, and how they are supposed to rest. A common mistake is for one of them to lay over and get stuck in the back of the cap. This manifests itself as an inability to get the caps back to the point where the snap ring will fit back in. Re-assemble in reverse order, but be real carefull with the hammer, and keep the yoke positioned as to split the difference in distance so that the bearings don't fall out. You can put the snap ring in the bottom half, as that is your stop for hammering up top.

 

[Diesel JD]

So do I understand that the driveshaft needs to come out to do these? A mechanic friend of mine said I should probably pull the driveshaft and let a machine shop press them in for me. Any thoughts? How does the driveshaft come out? Easy to do? What is fair to pay for this service? If it has to come out anyway and I can rent or borrow the C-press I might be able to do it myself. I already have the joints. Do they need to be greased right out of the box or are they lubed for life or what? I will also be taking the driveshaft down over the holidays for a t19 swap so will I have to be doing it again.

 

[riotwarrior]

One thing to keep in mind if possible is to keep the grease nipple in compression not tension this helps overall strength of the U joint.

Everyone here has given great advise...

Optimally a press and two sockets are best
second option BIG vice and two sockets
third option C clamp type u joint tool
roth option a BFH or Big freakin hammer and two socket method to hammer em out and in.

I have done the hammer n socket method for many many joints with thus far zero problems that I am aware of as I either end up junking the vehicle years later or sell it.. Thus I guess if done right this Draconian method works ok.

As I said I try my hardest to keep the ujoints nipple under compression instead of tension because you end up not trying to rip the ujoint into two parts this way.

JM2CW

 

[Diesel JD]

What is meant by keeping the grease fitting under compression? Thanks..

 

[suv7734]

"under compression" refers to when the driveline is under load in the forward direction the area where the grease fitting is located is trying to 'close' rather than being 'opened'. Of course this only works in drive not reverse. That is also why you'll find a lot of the ultra HD u-joints wil not have grease fittings.

 

[Andylad13]

for gods sake use the damn press!!! its so much more satisfying having the whole project go together smoothly rather than banging hammers and sockets and friggen torches!

 

[suv7734]

for gods sake use the damn press!!! its so much more satisfying having the whole project go together smoothly rather than banging hammers and sockets and friggen torches!

I agree but where's the fun in that???

 

[87crewdually]

I just cut out the cross of the joint with a torch and then the caps left in the yokes simply tap right out with a hammer. Beating and pressing on 2 caps at the same time has a risk of warping/bending the ears for the caps. once this happens the retaining rings will either be loose or to tight to even get in the groove. JMO&E

 

[subway]

I just cut out the cross of the joint with a torch and then the caps left in the yokes simply tap right out with a hammer. Beating and pressing on 2 caps at the same time has a risk of warping/bending the ears for the caps. once this happens the retaining rings will either be loose or to tight to even get in the groove. JMO&E

i agree, i know things can be pounded but you really increase your chances of hurting or screwing something up. i understand in a pinch sure but not when the tool can be redily had.

so is the joint swapped out yet?