how not to remove u-joints.

[sdan27]

So I was driving around this past weekend and noticed a slight vibration between 35 and 50 mph. When I got the chance I got under my truck and saw one of my u-joints was coming apart, wasn't actually loose that I could tell but coming apart where one of the caps seals on the inner cup. Have just shy of 300,000 on the beast and probably never been changed so I figured I'd do them all on the rear driveshaft. Didn't really have any special tools so I set each of the yokes on two pieces of wood and beat it down with a hammer. Now I've done it this way I don't even know how many times with semi-truck u-joints with no problem. Didn't take too much with a 48oz hammer and I put some pretty pretty good flat spots on my drive shaft and the thing shakes worse than ever now. Found a place that can replace driveshaft tubes but its probably going to cost in the region of $200-$300. Next time, might just cut them out with a blow torch and deal with the burning grease. 3/4 ton driveshafts aren't quite as stout as class 9 driveshafts.

[444-4D]

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Next time, might just cut them out with a blow torch and deal with the burning grease.

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I have a U-joint press. But I haven't used it in about 15 years.

[sdan27]

I just recently quit from working at an International dealership as a mechanic and even there all we had were blocks of wood and hammers. That's how I know it's not such an issue to flatten semi drive shafts a little.

[444-4D]

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That's how I know it's not such an issue to flatten semi drive shafts a little.

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If I was running the shop it would be a huge issue to flatten a driveshaft a little. BTW I worked at an IH truck dealer once upon a time. When I worked on 18 wheelers the U-joint caps were slip fit instead of press fit. Has that changed?

[BlueMule]

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I have a U-joint press. But I haven't used it in about 15 years.

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Well if you'd brought it over last Sunday you could've put it to use.

[action4478]

A socket smaller than the cap & a good size vice......

[sdan27]

I'm not entirely certain what you mean by slip fit or press fit. We would usually run into either full rounds or semi-rounds. With full rounds all four caps were pressed into the yokes and held in with 5/16 bolts usually. On semi-rounds two of the caps would be pressed in and held by bolts or clips while the other two would be held to the next yoke with straps that could be unbolted and taken apart pretty easily. Sometimes the threads for the straps would get stripped out simply by removing the bolts because they were in there so tight but I have a nice tap set that I was usually able to clean them up with. The full rounds that had the bolts holding them in usually weren't too bad because we did have a small press for them. Some newer designed models were like semi-rounds but the caps wouldn't fit all the way down into the yoke and would be held in place by a small tab with some little metric bolts. Those ones and the ones with clips were sometimes difficult to get out because they would get seized in place by rust and such. They don't generally never-seize u-joints from the factory. Then about all we could do was put each free trunnion on a block of wood and beat down on the drive shaft to force the caps out of the yoke. Management was never too keen on buying any new shop equipment to make simple stuff like this any easier.

[TravisT]

Go to a shop and have them give you a cap off a jeep u-joint. Then hammer on that one to press them out.