U-JOINTS

Kevin E

TJ Enthusiast
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Messages
850
Location
Wharton, TX
My baby hit 99000 yesterday so I thought I would replace the u-joints as preventive maintenance. Is it necessary to use a u joint tool. If so is the Harbor Freight kit any good? I have seen some videos of u joint replacement and the guy's hammer the u joints out by hitting just below the yoke. I don't mind using a hammer but I'm not sure if it's all that good on the driveshaft. I will be replacing the front cv/centering ball as well.

I didn't see a how-to on the u-joints yet so maybe someone can get a good one posted.
 
lots of videos out there on this. Stu offroad has a good one. If you have a good size vise, that works, or rent a tool for free at an autoparts store. I do enough of this I bought an OTC tool and the extra fittings for jeep ball joints to do u joints and ball joints on my stuff and a couple of friends as well.
 
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I use a vise whenever possible.
X2, my vise is my go-to tool for removing and seating u-joints. My u-joint recommendations are the Spicer 5-1310x for all of the u-joints in the driveshafts, and the Spicer 5-760x for the front axleshafts.

Also keep in mind not to press the bearing cap in so far that it causes the u-joint to bind which is easy to do. If the bearing cap does get pressed in too far and the u-joint is binding, it's relatively easy to get it back out with a trick mrblaine taught me years ago. With a BFH, smack the yoke right next to the u-joint bearing cap a few times. Doing so will cause inertia to move the bearing cap back out in the opposite direction to which you're smacking the yoke with the BFH.

u-joint seating with BFH.jpg
 
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I also ruined a driveshaft yoke on my Rangers aluminum shaft with a vise. Didn't take much pressure on the cup that was not perfectly aligned to shave the yoke enough to make it useless!
 
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