Getting the old u-joints out.

[MAKG]

It's amazing how much easier these things are to change with the correct tool and a little penetrating oil.

A bench vise does NOT substitute. Neither does a C-clamp (unless you like breaking them).

 

[Fx4wannabe01]

yesh roughranger has it...... i had a typo.

ahh....ok.....totally makes sence how. whoops. lol.

 

[Cutter26]

Well the axels came back from the garage. Of course like always, one job leads into another. As I was under my truck today I noticed that my seal on my dif is leaking, plus it looks like I'm going to need new seals on my spindals. Had to bang a 9/16 socket onto a 15mm bolt(really rusted) so I could spin it off. Plus by looking at the inner u-joint, it needs to be replaced. This summer I'm going to drop the front end out and change all the seals and whatever else I need. I didn't think the front end was as bad off as it was because it passed a safty check and my mechanic didn't say anything about the front end.

 

[4x4junkie]

I used to use the bench vise method for u-joints. Now that I have a press, I look back and wonder why I put up with toiling over that stupid thing for so long

I've now changed maybe a couple dozen u-joints using the press and haven't bent a yoke yet, although I can see how it could easily happen. The trick is to give it a good whack with a hammer while it's under pressure if it doesn't want to pop loose on it's own. Has worked every time, even on real rusty ones (makes a hell of a 'Bang!' when it lets go too lol).

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

I still find using a vise and hammer faster, easier and more efficient than using a press or balljoint press.

 

[wahlstrom1]

Yup me too, and I do a LOT of Ujoints. From steering shafts to HD truck driveshafts, it's usually a couple a week. I use a bench vise, big hammer and a couple different drifts sized to the shaft I'm working on. Truck driveshafts get the puller with the impact but everything else is done by hand. With the volume of that kinda work we do at our shop if it takes us longer then 10-15 a joint we're doing something wrong and get hassled by fellow employee's.

 

[Cutter26]

I don't plan on going through lots of u-joints, so a press would just gather dust in my garage. If I do need to change these u-joints again it would be alot easyer to get them out than the old rusted ones. Next one I have to do is the rest. Once the weather warms up. Maybe I'll rent a press for that.