Thread: u-joints

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I'm installing u-joints in an 87 g-body. Had to heat them to get them out which is normal from what I'm reading.New ones are the same size as the old ones but after they are installed there is no room for the clips.Do I have the wrong ones or what? Thanks

take them back apart and make sure one of the roller needles did`nt fall into the end cap .. happens to me a lot ..

I hope you didn't beat them into place as you may have damaged a needle bearing. I finally bought a ball joint press with u-joint adapters just for better control

Originally Posted by IC2

I hope you didn't beat them into place as you may have damaged a needle bearing. I finally bought a ball joint press with u-joint adapters just for better control

I thought the same thing, Dave. Usually when I have had a bearing fall out of the group it has ruined the cap or the needle bearing due to pressing or beating too hard, trying to get the cap that last little bit

Beating too hard????

You can crack a cap too. Did you save the old one to make sure they are the same size?

Beating will destroy the drive shaft yokes----will knock them out of alignment

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Beating will destroy the drive shaft yokes----will knock them out of alignment

Yeah Jerry, but that's how I along with many (most?) others learned/was taught. All that was required was your biggest hammer and a junk socket. Heck, I was even "taught" that in Uncle Sammy's Army

Yep---always used 2 sockets, one that fit thru and one that fit over(wasn't that the reason they developed deep sockets???

Before we had a vise---used the draw bar hitch on the tractor for anything that needed pounding on---sometimes if you didn't need a hole, a short piece of railroad rail(they were always a valued highly prized possession as they couldn't be boughten or sold)

Thanks guys for your input. All of you were totally right.My problem was (being not having done this before) I had room for one clip just not the other.All it needed was a couple more hits with a bigger FH!! Thanks again.

Originally Posted by richyrich

Thanks guys for your input. All of you were totally right.My problem was (being not having done this before) I had room for one clip just not the other.All it needed was a couple more hits with a bigger FH!! Thanks again.

For the future, if you don't have the press Dave mentioned a good bench vice and a socket that just fits into the hole in the yoke presses that cup in place without the risk of tweaking the yoke. They're stout, but like Jerry says,

Originally Posted by Jerry Clayton

Beating will destroy the drive shaft yokes----will knock them out of alignment.

And Jerry,

Originally Posted by Jerry Clayton

Beating too hard??

Sorry, but I was a Navy Aviation Mech and they always said we only had two things in our toolbox, and one was a big hammer, and "If you can't fix it, ......", well, you get the idea

....and speaking about u-joints, the snow blower drive shaft on my tractor just blew the caps off one cross shaft. It still works, but is slowly beating itself to death in the yokes. Just hope I can find one tomorrow - it's only Feb and the foot of heavy snow we got today may just be the beginningThink the Blizzard of March 11, 1888. It also blew a shear pin errrr 5/16 bolt which was the hidden one of the two

I'm hoping you weren't around in 1888.

Originally Posted by Trjohn57

I'm hoping you weren't around in 1888.

them people from the " boonies " live forever

Originally Posted by Trjohn57

I'm hoping you weren't around in 1888.

Heck good livin', good women, good likker, fast cars - and you too can be ancient and almost as old as dirt

What was bad 'way back then' when it snowed was the snow blower that took a couple hours to build up a good head of steam once you got the coal fire started and the water boiling