U-joints: Did I do it right?

Tim_with_the_tj

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
240
Location
Vancouver, WA
Alright, this was my first time ever replacing u-joints so take it easy on me. Stock rear driveshaft. Does this transfer case side u-joint look too tight? It isn’t difficult to move at all. It just feels snug. Ignore the mess…wait for the end of video.



I used the thinnest clips that were provided with these Spicer 5-1310x. The rear driveshaft is now back in the Jeep and my driveline vibrations are gone. So that’s a win.
 
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You can give the yoke a good whack with a hammer on the meaty area to relieve any binding. It's really common if you pressed the cups in with a press or vise but I've still needed to do it on occasion when I've used the hammer and socket method.
 
You can give the yoke a good whack with a hammer on the meaty area to relieve any binding. It's really common if you pressed the cups in with a press or vise but I've still needed to do it on occasion when I've used the hammer and socket method.
Ok. Maybe hit it on these two areas?
801D9CCC-166B-4E9F-9F61-D34AD65E2F9E.jpeg


I won’t know if it made any difference unless I remove the driveshaft first. Might be a good idea to remove it before whacking it anyway? On that note, are y’all replacing or reusing the straps and 8mm bolts?

Thanks for the help.
 
Ok. Maybe hit it on these two areas?
View attachment 289987

I won’t know if it made any difference unless I remove the driveshaft first. Might be a good idea to remove it before whacking it anyway? On that note, are y’all replacing or reusing the straps and 8mm bolts?

Thanks for the help.

Yeah I wouldn't do it installed.

I reuse the straps and bolts if they appear ok. I do put a drop of blue thread locker on each bolt.
 
You didn't state which way you were doing it but I strongly recommend hammer and sockets. Some end up actually bending the yoke ears using a press or vise. I only say anything because I saw both a hammer and a vise in the background of your video.

On the front, make sure to mark the orientation of the CV assembly so you put it back the same way. And if you're replacing those u joints it's a good time to replace the centering yoke as well.
 
Just curious where you got your Spicer 5-1310x. I'm going to do mine this winter and want to get the best price. Amazon is high I think.
I buy my ujoints from Denny's driveshaft. I dont know where he stands on price compared to others but its always the correct order and he carries the non greaseable versions along with dust boots.
 
Just curious where you got your Spicer 5-1310x. I'm going to do mine this winter and want to get the best price. Amazon is high I think.

I shop around. Amazon can be the cheapest, but sometimes they're way up there, depending on the particular sellers that happen to be selling them at a given moment. Buying consistently from Denny's would probably save money in the long run vs being at the whim of Amazon's rollercoaster pricing.
 
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You didn't state which way you were doing it but I strongly recommend hammer and sockets. Some end up actually bending the yoke ears using a press or vise. I only say anything because I saw both a hammer and a vise in the background of your video.
Can confirm, bent the ears on a front axle the first time I used a press to do u-joints, which I guess allowed me to buy chromoly axles, but I would have just as soon not spent that money at that time. Since the topic came up, I'll share that you'll probably know right away if you bent an ear. It doesn't have to be visibly bent, but you'll probably have a hard time getting the u-joint in initially. It was a bugger to get seated completely, and never really felt right even once we got it assembled. Once re-installed, the jeep pulled to the side with the bent shaft, likely due to increased rotational resistance. (cool story bro)

I've since done 10 or so axle u joints for my other jeep and some friends' jeeps, and I've got a pretty good routine that uses a vice & socket except for the last little bit, where I seem to have trouble unless I use the press. But now I take great caution and have a pretty good feel for how much force is too much.
 
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Can confirm, bent the ears on a front axle the first time I used a press to do u-joints, which I guess allowed me to buy chromoly axles, but I would have just as soon not spent that money at that time. Since the topic came up, I'll share that you'll probably know right away if you bent an ear. It doesn't have to be visibly bent, but you'll probably have a hard time getting the u-joint in initially. It was a bugger to get seated completely, and never really felt right even once we got it assembled. Once re-installed, the jeep pulled to the side with the bent shaft, likely due to increased rotational resistance. (cool story bro)

I've since done 10 or so axle u joints for my other jeep and some friends' jeeps, and I've got a pretty good routine that uses a vice & socket except for the last little bit, where I seem to have trouble unless I use the press. But now I take great caution and have a pretty good feel for how much force is too much.

I just use a 2.5lb hammer, a socket just barely smaller than the cups and another socket just big enough for the cups to fit into. Put the big socket under the yoke and small socket on top, beat with hammer until the opposite cup falls into the big socket, then flip the shaft over and do the opposite side. For installation, put the first cup in by hand, set it down on a block of wood and hammer the yoke down onto it (I use a brass hammer for this part). Then flip over and do the same for the other side. I do it this way because hammering the cups directly while the opening faces down is really prone to knocking the needles out of place.

A hand swung hammer can't put enough on the yoke to bend it but the inertia is enough shock on the cups to move them. It's like the difference between using an impact wrench vs a 3 foot cheater pipe.
 
You didn't state which way you were doing it but I strongly recommend hammer and sockets. Some end up actually bending the yoke ears using a press or vise. I only say anything because I saw both a hammer and a vise in the background of your video.

On the front, make sure to mark the orientation of the CV assembly so you put it back the same way. And if you're replacing those u joints it's a good time to replace the centering yoke as well.
To remove them I hammered them out with a socket. To install them I used the vice. Then I hammered them a little bit with a socket to seat them enough for the c clips to lock into place.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll be replacing that centering yoke as well with the non greasable part number. It has some grease in it straight outta the box, but do y’all add more grease?

Just curious where you got your Spicer 5-1310x. I'm going to do mine this winter and want to get the best price. Amazon is high I think.

Denny’s Driveshaft
 
Here’s what the old one looks like.

25D6FFE0-A79E-421E-BD81-2D7C4BC71368.jpeg
A6C04A03-4DEB-4DF0-B8FD-D74416CAA821.jpeg


I’m hoping this rebuild fixes the front driveline vibes. There are zero highway vibes with the front DS removed, but with it installed my seat feels like a massage chair.