how to remove ujoints?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,030
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From: White Pine / Dandridge TN
how to remove ujoints?
Nearing completion of rear suspension rebuild. I've never installed/uninstalled ujoints before. What is the technique for removal of the ujoints?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: North Alabama
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Waterloo ontario Canada
I am not a fan of pressing them out. Particularly the one on the outer ends of the 1/2 shafts. Without proper support the flange will get bent. The first time I did one I drilled and tapped a chunk of steel to bolt the flange to before pressing to prevent this bending.
My prefered method is cutting them out with a cutting torch and while still hot use a air chissel to walk the old caps out. This totally prevents bending.
The roundness of the yokes must be maintained and I feel pressing in or out affects this.
After cutting and walking the caps out I use a flapper wheel and polish the bores, debur with a file and clean the grooves.
I then hold the shaft in the vise, lubricate the bore well and using a small brass hammer walk the caps in.
If the caps are a tight press fit the roundness of the cap is compromised and the universal will fail early.
A universal doesn't need to be a tight press fit. I believe they should be little more then a hand press fit.
My prefered method is cutting them out with a cutting torch and while still hot use a air chissel to walk the old caps out. This totally prevents bending.
The roundness of the yokes must be maintained and I feel pressing in or out affects this.
After cutting and walking the caps out I use a flapper wheel and polish the bores, debur with a file and clean the grooves.
I then hold the shaft in the vise, lubricate the bore well and using a small brass hammer walk the caps in.
If the caps are a tight press fit the roundness of the cap is compromised and the universal will fail early.
A universal doesn't need to be a tight press fit. I believe they should be little more then a hand press fit.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 492
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From: Birmingham AL
Originally Posted by Frankenvette
Nearing completion of rear suspension rebuild. I've never installed/uninstalled ujoints before. What is the technique for removal of the ujoints?
Clean up the inside with some high grit sand paper and use some lite lub and then hand press them in when re-installing. If it takes anything more than hand pressing to get them in initially, something is wrong. I then used the vice to finish pressing from there. It should take very little torque on the vice to get them finish seated to put the snap rings on. Check the finish on the inside of the snap ring groove. I found mine were loaded with rust and junk. Had to whip out the Dremel to clean them up and get my snap rings seated well.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,725
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From: Minnesota
They can also be cut out using an angle grinder ($20 at HF) but be VERY careful. I went too far on one of mine and chewed up a yoke. I finally got another used halfshaft and was more careful. I also used a torch but didn't like the grease explosions. Just a sissy I guess.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,128
Likes: 3
From: Deltona (son of Deland and DAYTONA) FL
Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
I am not a fan of pressing them out. Particularly the one on the outer ends of the 1/2 shafts. Without proper support the flange will get bent.
Easy to bend them. I messed up one with a Ujoint tool I borrowed from Autozone. It looks like a big C-clamp. If you leave it bolted to the flange while R&R-ing the ujoint in that part, it's harder to bend them.
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Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 400
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From: California
Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
I am not a fan of pressing them out. Particularly the one on the outer ends of the 1/2 shafts. Without proper support the flange will get bent. The first time I did one I drilled and tapped a chunk of steel to bolt the flange to before pressing to prevent this bending.
My prefered method is cutting them out with a cutting torch and while still hot use a air chissel to walk the old caps out. This totally prevents bending.
The roundness of the yokes must be maintained and I feel pressing in or out affects this.
After cutting and walking the caps out I use a flapper wheel and polish the bores, debur with a file and clean the grooves.
I then hold the shaft in the vise, lubricate the bore well and using a small brass hammer walk the caps in.
If the caps are a tight press fit the roundness of the cap is compromised and the universal will fail early.
A universal doesn't need to be a tight press fit. I believe they should be little more then a hand press fit.
My prefered method is cutting them out with a cutting torch and while still hot use a air chissel to walk the old caps out. This totally prevents bending.
The roundness of the yokes must be maintained and I feel pressing in or out affects this.
After cutting and walking the caps out I use a flapper wheel and polish the bores, debur with a file and clean the grooves.
I then hold the shaft in the vise, lubricate the bore well and using a small brass hammer walk the caps in.
If the caps are a tight press fit the roundness of the cap is compromised and the universal will fail early.
A universal doesn't need to be a tight press fit. I believe they should be little more then a hand press fit.
would bending the ear out or in a little make a wicked vibration at say 60 mph? i had a friend press out my old driveline u-joints and press in new ones but i think he did it with a simple vice and some large sockets. is it possible that the bending of and ear would cause that vibration?... i dont mean to steal this or anything but i dont want to have an accident at 80.
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Joined: May 2000
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From: Clearwater FL
Originally Posted by EVIL_GRIM
would bending the ear out or in a little make a wicked vibration at say 60 mph? i had a friend press out my old driveline u-joints and press in new ones but i think he did it with a simple vice and some large sockets. is it possible that the bending of and ear would cause that vibration?... i dont mean to steal this or anything but i dont want to have an accident at 80.
It could. Thats why you have to reinforce the 1/2 shaft flange. I personally don't see anything wrong with pressing them out or in. Any driveshaft shop you go to does it this way. Most actually have a machine that uses compressed air to drive the joints in and out. You can either fab up a 1/2 thick plate or use your spindle flange to reinforce the 1/2 shaft flange. We have old spindle flanges that we use and we stick pins on 2 sides of the 1/2 shaft flange and spindle flange when we mate them together. This flexes the 1/2 shaft flange out a little bit and makes it easier to press u-joints in. The pins we use are about the same size as the parking brake pins. No problems yet.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by Van Steel
It could. Thats why you have to reinforce the 1/2 shaft flange. I personally don't see anything wrong with pressing them out or in. Any driveshaft shop you go to does it this way. Most actually have a machine that uses compressed air to drive the joints in and out. You can either fab up a 1/2 thick plate or use your spindle flange to reinforce the 1/2 shaft flange. We have old spindle flanges that we use and we stick pins on 2 sides of the 1/2 shaft flange and spindle flange when we mate them together. This flexes the 1/2 shaft flange out a little bit and makes it easier to press u-joints in. The pins we use are about the same size as the parking brake pins. No problems yet.
The roundness of the cap must be maintained. If you press you could cause a very slight out of round and that spells disaster. If the bore is clean, only a slight interference fit there is no chance the cap will be distorted.
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From: Clearwater FL
Norval
I understand but, did you know that u-joint caps can be up to 10 thou off from another cap. Unfortunetly the caps are all over the board. What if you happen to get a cap that is undersized and you bore the hole out. Now your out $150 for a new shaft because you bored the hole to much. You also have to realize that not everyone has as nice of a shop as you do w/all the equipment that you have. One could easily make this into a costly mistake.
I understand but, did you know that u-joint caps can be up to 10 thou off from another cap. Unfortunetly the caps are all over the board. What if you happen to get a cap that is undersized and you bore the hole out. Now your out $150 for a new shaft because you bored the hole to much. You also have to realize that not everyone has as nice of a shop as you do w/all the equipment that you have. One could easily make this into a costly mistake.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,154
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From: Connecticut, USA
I have pressed, cut out w/ die grinder, and torched out joints. I prefer to torch them now. Regardless I always bolt the flange to one of my plates. It helps me to see if they are bent to begin with and many are. It isn't uncommon to find a crushed shaft or bent flange on a 30 year old car that has changed hands many times with many "mechanics" working on it.
Using Spicers leaves little room for and varience due to their size. They are a tight fit in brand new flanges, slightly bent and it's impossible to get the clips.
Here is a shaft I did last month bolted to the plate.
Gary
Using Spicers leaves little room for and varience due to their size. They are a tight fit in brand new flanges, slightly bent and it's impossible to get the clips.
Here is a shaft I did last month bolted to the plate.
Gary
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 4,101
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From: NorCal
All of the above advice is great. Torch works great, and I also use a U-joint press (looks like a giant 'C' clamp) occasionally. One thing I do when I have completed the assembly is the following:
I tap lightly (with a brass hammer) on the cast u-joint ends, with the cross piece supported. The idea is to seat the caps against the circlips after they are installed, which ensures no interference with the cross piece and makes for free operation. Don't bash it, just hit it enough to seat the caps. One or two light hits will do it. Good luck.
Hans
I tap lightly (with a brass hammer) on the cast u-joint ends, with the cross piece supported. The idea is to seat the caps against the circlips after they are installed, which ensures no interference with the cross piece and makes for free operation. Don't bash it, just hit it enough to seat the caps. One or two light hits will do it. Good luck.
Hans
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From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by Van Steel
Norval
I understand but, did you know that u-joint caps can be up to 10 thou off from another cap. Unfortunetly the caps are all over the board. What if you happen to get a cap that is undersized and you bore the hole out. Now your out $150 for a new shaft because you bored the hole to much. You also have to realize that not everyone has as nice of a shop as you do w/all the equipment that you have. One could easily make this into a costly mistake.
I understand but, did you know that u-joint caps can be up to 10 thou off from another cap. Unfortunetly the caps are all over the board. What if you happen to get a cap that is undersized and you bore the hole out. Now your out $150 for a new shaft because you bored the hole to much. You also have to realize that not everyone has as nice of a shop as you do w/all the equipment that you have. One could easily make this into a costly mistake.
As for presses I have the best in the business at my disposal and I have seen pressures as high as 20,000 pounds when someone else can and asked me to press out a stuck cap.
I just don't believe in force. If you have to force it something will get broken or bent.