rubronthroad

I am trying to change a u joint on my 87, there must be some pics posted of this repair, I cannot find any, I will post some pics of my "progress" and see if some one could help, or if someone could point me toward some helpful old posts, I cant seem to find any.
Thanx

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Try the search function. If you can't find it with YT search. Go to google and search U joint replacement on yotatech. Should yield plenty of results. Also what problems are you having. Your post is vague. Are you trying to pull your shaft and not able to get it out? Front or rear?
Did you get it out but can't remove the u joint?
All of these details will enable us to help you better. Also there is a sticky in this newbie section that has great tips on how to search and what details should be included in you questions.

Good luck and give us some more details and I'm sure we can get you squared away. We all want nothing more than to keep these trucks on the road as long as possible.

rubronthroad

Thank fish, I am wanting to change the front u joint on the drive shaft, I am practicing on the drive shaft of an old four runner, here are some pics

rubronthroad

As you see I cut thru one of the bearings and still couldnt get it apart, I was using a 19m impact socket as a driver and it is starting to mushroom(still works though), bit frustrating,I was considering cutting thru the spider with, a die grinder, that seems a bit over done, I did one of these long ago, seems there is some combo/trick I am missing, If anyone can shed some light that would be great, thanks for the help so far.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Try a good penetrating oil like PB Blaster. It seem to eat through rust very well. When I bought my current toy everything seemed to be rusted on there. I would crawl under every day for a week and just spray down all the nuts and bolts I could find. Made a big difference. Here are some post I found that might help

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...863&styleid=51

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...889&styleid=51

Read through those and see if they help. I personally just pull my driveshaft and take it to a driveline shop with the parts. It's usually under a few hours. It's just one of those thing I let pros do because it just seems like a good trade of time for money. Good luck

YotaSnap

There are presses made specifically for U-joints. If you cannot get your hands on one, some PB Blaster like thefishguy77 stated and a socket that fits over the cap and a good heavy hammer will do the trick.
I don't have a press and I used a 19mm socket to pop mine out and what wouldn't come out completely got destroyed with a chisel.
Be very careful not to damage or even scuff anything but the U joint or the new one will be next to impossible to get back in.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

You did remove the C-clips holding them in??

I have found these joints a pain to change because the way the flanges don`t sit square and that causes things to bind up.

I keep saying I am going to build something to hold the flanges square but never get around to doing it.

Even with a 50 ton press i have had to heat some cherry red to break them loose.

20 year old vehicles you will have these things

YotaSnap

That's right.
In order to get to the clips you have to pound found the caps towards the outside of the flange,right? They were kind of difficult to remove as well. Once again I used a punch or chisel for that.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Thread title tweeked...

rubronthroad

Thanks for the advise guys, sorry for the lag, yes I did remove the circlips, I will use some blaster,' seems like a Chinese puzzle, I will tackle it again and keep you posted. I don't understand what is tweaked about my title?

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

I think your title was something about u joint help or problems. And now it's advise needed. I can't remember the exact original wording. But this new title seems more accurate. Good luck and keep learning.

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

I've always just used a vice and a 2-4lb sledge. I can replace a u-joint in a few minutes. An old timer at a drivetrain specialist shop (Six States in Utah) showed me how, and it's worked flawlessly every time since.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Well perhaps you would like to share just what your secret is!!!

For clueless clumsy people like me

Who most times loses at least one of the clips as it goes flying bounces off the wall and vanishes to where those things go.

I need to buy the joints so I buy them from the drive line shop and they put them in

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

It's kind of hard to explain. But the method is to use the u-joint itself to knock itself apart. And use the vice to squeeze the new caps back in. Some times I will use an appropriate size socket to vice the caps a little further in towards the joint itself, but not always.

I've lost clips, sure, but I've found it helps to drape a rag over the whole thing, then push clips down with a large flat screwdriver. If the clip pops off, it'll usually fly into the rag and not across the shop.

chubbydude

For stubborn rusted U-joints it is best to use a grinder with a cut off wheel to cut out the internal piece holding the 4 bearings together (middle), then the bearings will pound out easily.