Bent Axle Shaft Yoke

Breto31

Breto31

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 30, 2020
Messages
397
Location
Kentucky
I was replacing my driver side UJoint today and the press actually bent the yoke on my axle shafts I was pressing the old one out. I’ve got the new Ujoint in, but since the yoke is deformed, it’s binding the new Ujoint so it doesn’t spin freely. Any recommendations, or should I just go for a completely new shaft?

I tried to figure out how to use the press to bend it back, but I couldn’t figure out a good way.

EB9FB495-BC62-45F3-8A4E-A4217C1BB000.jpeg
 
CharlesHS said:
I would purchase an entire new axle shaft and save what you have put together as an emergency trail spare.
Click to expand...

I actually already ordered a replacement once I realize what happened. Wasted a good ujoint, but otherwise I’m not terribly disappointed.
 
If it bent in, it can be bent back. I've fixed several for folks. Also why had you don't just a smidgen of research you would have discovered me and others telling folks to never use a press on u-joints, beat them in with a hammer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColoJeep
I bought a set of chromo shafts second hand one time, the guy failed to mention he exploded a u joint in one of them. One yoke was bent in and one bent out.

Think I used a vice to fix the one with the ears bent out by squeezing them together.

The other one I got some beefy all thread, some nuts and thick washers. Set it up inside the yoke and used a pair of wrenches to tighten the nuts and spread the ears apart.

Just do a little bit at a time. Take a pair of calipers and measure the width between the machined flats on the yoke in two places to check if the ears are parallel to each other within maybe .01" or so.

Been running those shafts for probably 20-30k miles now with paint marks on the caps, none of them have spun at all yet.
 
mrblaine said:
If it bent in, it can be bent back. I've fixed several for folks. Also why had you don't just a smidgen of research you would have discovered me and others telling folks to never use a press on u-joints, beat them in with a hammer.
Click to expand...

I did a fair amount of research. If mine were original, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get them out with just a hammer/punch. The press worked fine on 3/4 caps. The last cap busted the top off, and kept tightening (thinking the joint was still in there). Eventually it bent a bit. When I do the passenger side, I will use a hammer/punch.

Seems like more people used the press vs a hammer, and the ones who didn’t mentioned it was harder that way. I now see why a BFH is beneficial. Lesson learned. I should have been more vigilant using the press and I believe I would’ve been ok.

FYI, I assembled my shaft collars from my previous post (about the sway bar shifting and the bolt catching under the frame). They seem to be working fine, so thanks for the heads up there!
 
Top Bottom
Back