U-Joint Fit inside axle, good or bad???

[Blur2u]

Hey guys, I bought some new axles to perform the full snap ring mod on my Dana 35 Front axles shafts. After I got everything finished I checked the clearance on my yoke for the U-Joints. From what I understand it should be a very snug fit. On a couple of my shafts it is much more loose. I am inserting some pics to show what I am talking about. The first two look too loose to me, but I would think the other two appear OK. Let me know what you think. It seems like any slop in that yoke would be bad when the torque hits. Opinions please!!!


On these first two I can slide the U-Joint all the way in without force on one side and almost all the way in on the other!

On one of these next two it goes to about the chamfer on the U-joint cap and not even that far on the other.

Thanks, any help is appreciated!

Oh, and no I didn't grind out the yoke holes,(I know it looks that way in the pics) I sanded out some of the rust that was in it, but there was a clearance issue before I even did that.

 

[4x4junkie]

No, they should be a tight fit.
I'd say see if you can exchange the shafts for some different ones, but looks like you've already ground them.

They may hold up, they may not (I ran a shaft on my Ranger for a couple years that had a fairly loose fit (but not so loose you could push it in by hand) on two caps and full-circle clips, and it didn't seem to be an issue).
At the very least, they'd make good spare shafts.


Edit:
Unless it's the angle of the pic, the yoke on that shaft appears bent. That didn't happen while you pressed out the old joint, did it? (assuming the old joint wasn't also loose-fitting)

 

[brendank]

At least you'll be using full clips. I wouldn't run that loose of a joint without them. With the stock half clips, the cap would end up rotating and spitting out the clip. With the full circles, the cap can spin in the yoke and it won't really matter.

 

[Will]

Peen them slightly to tighten the fit. Take your center punch and give it a JUST sharp enough rap to be able to feel a raised spot with your finger--not an atomic blast with the 2# hammer. Do it a bunch of times around the circle and then press the joint back in.

 

[Blur2u]

Peen them slightly to tighten the fit. Take your center punch and give it a JUST sharp enough rap to be able to feel a raised spot with your finger--not an atomic blast with the 2# hammer. Do it a bunch of times around the circle and then press the joint back in.

Not sure I got quite what you mean here, can you elaborate just a bit more?

Thanks

 

[CopyKat]

Also why is the bore shiney?

I have never had a used shaft shine like that!.....Ever. Only when it's brand new should it do that.

What Will is saying is to peen the bore surface to rough it up a bit. This way the cap has something to bite into. With a center punch you create a crater, and the crater has a raised edge. This will be what the Joint cap will contact.

Next time, don't clean the bores like that. You most likely removed too much material doing so. Do that once or twice and you'll have a slip fit instead if a snug fit.

 

[Blur2u]

Yeah, I cleaned them with some sandpaper. It looks like I took off more than what I actually did. I just removed the rust that was on there, but I had the fit problem before I ever touched it with the sand paper. Even with the rust in the yoke bore I could still slide the U-joint in without much resistance. So I think the consensus is that I can run with these shafts? I do have the 4.0 liter in my B2, so they will see maybe a little more torque.

 

[Todd]

Is the front end locked? If so then I would try to either get some other shafts or beat the yoke so the cap press fits in.

The reason I bring this up is that I ran a few egged yokes with full rings. The caps didnt spit out but did crack due to the slop in the yoke. Now I just weld all my joints in.

 

[rickcdewitt]

maybe its the picture but it does look like one of the yokes is bent.using a hammer to shock the joints out seems to have less chances of bending the yoke and its faster.since the yokes are questionable maybe you want to weld them in like todd said.

 

[projectnitemare]

You could try peening the ends of the yokes; I've done that before. If they are still loose tack weld the caps in a few places. I've done that a few times as well. I've broken most of the shafts before the u-joints went bad but if they shafts hold up long enough for the joint to wear out grind the tack welds off and press them back out.

Matt

 

[Blur2u]

Is the front end locked? If so then I would try to either get some other shafts or beat the yoke so the cap press fits in.

The reason I bring this up is that I ran a few egged yokes with full rings. The caps didnt spit out but did crack due to the slop in the yoke. Now I just weld all my joints in.

Yep, I have lockright lockers in the front and rear.

I thought that I read that welding them could cause problems due to the heat the needle bearings see?

I wish I could just get some new ones, but I already have about $100 in all of these and can't really afford to put more in....but then again I don't want to F up a $25 U-joint with bad yokes.

 

[brendank]

Yep, I have lockright lockers in the front and rear.

I thought that I read that welding them could cause problems due to the heat the needle bearings see?

Yeah, if you put down a bead. We're talking about a tack.

I'm sure you'll be fine either way. I doubt your rig sees what Todd's does.

 

[AllanD]

if I don't need to press a cap into place in the yoke I scrap the shaft.

Either that or install greasable u-joints in the shaft and WELD the caps to the yoke.

C-clip? we don't need no stinkin' C-clip!

If you NEED a full circle clip to hold the cap in the yoke
the shaft is already junk...


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[Todd]

I thought that I read that welding them could cause problems due to the heat the needle bearings see?

Ya, a few tacks, not a bead.

Also for me I usually blow a shaft or crack a cap due to crushing needles before I wear out a joint even if I burn some of the grease out from welding the caps in.

 

[4x4junkie]

C-clip? we don't need no stinkin' C-clip!

If you NEED a full circle clip to hold the cap in the yoke
the shaft is already junk...


AD

That's contradictory... Either you need the full circle clip, or you don't (in which case you'd need the C-clip)

BTW, I had a cap spit the clip and walk out of a FACTORY OE shaft & joint once. Its MORE than possible for them to spin and spit clips on perfectly good shafts under the stress that lockers put on them.