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View Full Version : How To: Drive Shaft U-Joint Replacement


Rover
08-22-2008, 12:11 AM
Start out by properly chaking the tires and placeing the trans/tcase in neutral

The need to raise the vehicles wheels off the ground depends on the vehicle

Place a pry bar in the joint and loosen the nuts on the u joint straps

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0078.jpg

After both straps are removed use a pry bar to remove the drive shaft from the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0079.jpg

*Tip* If you are removing a d shaft and not replacing one of the joints, wrap tape around it like shown so that you do not loose any of the caps or needle bearings

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0080.jpg

Red dust like this is common when the joint runs out of greese and the needle bearings turn to dust. This joint became very stiff and squeeked when the vehicle drove down the road

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0081.jpg

here is the u joint with the cap removed

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0082.jpg

Next step is to remove the hotchkis clips that retain the u joint in the driveshaft yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0083.jpg

I use a pair of plyers or side cutters and a small screwdriver to remove the clips. Use saftey glasses when removing these clips, the usually come out at high speed and can hit you in the eyes, no good

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0084.jpg

Repeat this for all the clips on the drive shaft

here you can go acople different ways with removing the joint from the dshaft, i will show you how to do it with a vice and then a press

Vice method

I dont have a vice in this garage so I used to plates to mimick vice jaws

Place the joint and shaft into the jaws as shown

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0085.jpg

Hit the yoke as shown, DO NOT HIT THE SHAFTS TUBE

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0086.jpg

Hit the yoke untill the joint bottoms out and the cap becomes loose

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0087.jpg

You may need to use some plyers to remove the cap from the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0088.jpg

what the joint should look like now

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0089.jpg

Rotate the d shaft 180 and repeat

Now its time to remove the joint from the shaft

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0090.jpg

Very lightly use a file to remove any rust/corrosion from the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0091.jpg

Take the new u joint and make sure it matches the old joint

Then take the new joint apart and lay out the pieces

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0092.jpg

take one of the caps and carefully tap it into the yoke. check to make sure you have not lost/moved any of the needle bearings

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0093.jpg

Install the joint and place it in the new cap

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0094.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0095.jpg

Carefully tap the oppostie cap into the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0096.jpg

Lay one end of the shaft onto a flat surface and take a old socket alittle smaller than the face of the cap and hit the cap untill the hotchkis clip can be installed.

if the cap becomes had to hit stop immediatly, one or more needle bearings may have fallen out of the pack and are stopping the cap from seating fully. remove the cap and inspect for missing needle bearings

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0097.jpg

install the clip into the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0098.jpg

Flip the shaft 180 and repeat

place the joint back into the vice jaws and lightly tap on the yoke to seat the needle bearings

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0099.jpg

rotate the shaft 180 and repeat, the joint should rotate freely with some resistance

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0100.jpg

install the greese fitting and greese the joint

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0115.jpg

Press method

Im going to start this one with the hotchkis clips already removed

Find a large socket or orther item big enough so that the u joint cap can fit through it but still contacts the yoke. I use a toyota solid pinion spacer from a toy 8" differential for most joints

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0101.jpg

Find a socket alittle smaller than the face of the u joint cap

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0102.jpg

place you big socket/space on the press plates

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0103.jpg

place the d shaft joint and small socket onto the press

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0104.jpg

press the cap untill the joint bottoms out in the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0105.jpg

you may need to use some plyers to remove the cap

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0106.jpg

Flip the d shaft 180 and repeat

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0107.jpg

Remove the joint from the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0108.jpg

Lightly file any rust/corrosion from the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0109.jpg

carefully tap one of the new caps into the yoke

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0110.jpg

make sure the needle bearings are good

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0111.jpg

place the joint into the yoke and sit the installed cap on a flat surface

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0112.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0113.jpg

Carefully tap the oppostie cap onto the joint and then hit it on enough to install the clip

if it gets tough stop and remove the cap, a needle bearing might have fallin into the joint

see it happins to the best of us

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0114.jpg

When finished install the greese fittings and greese the joint

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o74/landrollover/tech/drive%20shaft%20u%20joint%20swap/IMGA0115.jpg

Reinstall the driveshaft and make sure to tighten all the u joint straps

your ready to go

any qestions or comments dont hesitate to send me a pm. Want to see a write up on something that hasent been covered let me know, i can try to do one for ya

Nick-Double Doppleganger Fab and Repair

Jason
08-22-2008, 04:44 PM
Also, don't forget, the grease fittings should always be installed in the joint so they are under compression during normal use - not tension.

rodolo
08-22-2008, 06:50 PM
Good right up I just did two of those today at work on the belly plow trucks LOL

Got one of the double Cardin Joint r&r? :poke:

Rover
08-22-2008, 07:12 PM
Got one of the double Cardin Joint r&r? :poke:


ill do a write up next time i do one of them :thumb: