Broken U-Joint Please Help!!!

I was Wheeling, and I hit a whoop with the rear driveshaft and sheared the bolts on the rear u-joint, I belive the yoke at the rear diff is broken, if anyone knows about a write-up on replacing the rear yoke, I can take pics and email them out if that would help people.

Thank you very much, I am a broke college student and i am trying to do this myself, any help would be greatly apprecated

If the bolts broke and not the tabs that hold the caps in you can try to drill out the sheared bolts and reinstall a new joint using Ford style u-bolts if you are running a D-35. Not sure if it will work with a C8.25.

If it took out either of the cap retaining tabs you will have to replace the yoke. It’s best done by a mechanic because the torque on the pinion nut also controls preload on the bearings IIRC. The procedure isn't difficult, it just requires some "not in every tool bag" tools to do properly.

Bones :skull1:

yeah i think i broke one of the tabs..... crap well ok any one know of a good driveline shop in the bay area?

The special tools you will need (minimum) are an in/lbs torque wrench with a dial or a guage, a ft/lbs torque wrench that will go to at least 250, a big pipe wrench and a socket that will fit the pinion nut. Do a search for pinion seal or pinion torque or something along those lines to explain how to keep your bearing preload correct.
If you dont have or dont want to buy these tools or dont feel comfortable with it, A shop shouldnt charge alot to do this, just make sure they know what theyre doing. Make sure they understand how a colapsible spacer and bearing preload works.

93GRNXJ said:

yeah i think i broke one of the tabs..... crap well ok any one know of a good driveline shop in the bay area?

Click to expand...

Rearend Specialists in Santa Clara (off of Lafayette Street) come to mind - but I don't know how far you've got to limp to get there...

5-90

Ray H said:

The special tools you will need (minimum) are an in/lbs torque wrench with a dial or a guage, a ft/lbs torque wrench that will go to at least 250, a big pipe wrench and a socket that will fit the pinion nut. Do a search for pinion seal or pinion torque or something along those lines to explain how to keep your bearing preload correct.
If you dont have or dont want to buy these tools or dont feel comfortable with it, A shop shouldnt charge alot to do this, just make sure they know what theyre doing. Make sure they understand how a colapsible spacer and bearing preload works.

Click to expand...

I think the time I had a pinion seal replaced in my old D35 it cost about $25 in labor to have the pinion yoke and seal R&R'ed. I couldn't even acquire an in/lb torque wrench for under twice that. Let alone the spanner for the yoke and a large torque wrench. That's why I recommended taking it in to a mechanic.
Even though the procedure is simple, it's one of the few procedures that just aren’t cost effective to DIY.

As for the part about

Ray H said:

....just make sure they know what theyre doing. Make sure they understand how a colapsible spacer and bearing preload works.

Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. If the shop screws up the setting you will be replacing the gears in short order.

One recommendation I would make is that when you have the yoke replaced, use one of the Ford style yokes that secure the joint by the u-bolt straps instead of the stretch straps Jeep used. I'm not sure of the part #, but a quick call to Tom Woods or a trip to a knowledgeable parts shop should get you the right one.


Bones :skull1:

This is not the "right" way to do it, but it works for me...
You could just zap off the yoke, replace it, along with a new seal while your as it, and zap it back on. You just have to be careful not to tighten it too much or it will start to crush the crush collar and will mess up your pinion preload. You have to have a "feel" for it. The crush collar doesn't crush super easy like you might think, but if you go to town with the impact gun it will crush.

nate said:

This is not the "right" way to do it, but it works for me...
You could just zap off the yoke, replace it, along with a new seal while your as it, and zap it back on. You just have to be careful not to tighten it too much or it will start to crush the crush collar and will mess up your pinion preload. You have to have a "feel" for it. The crush collar doesn't crush super easy like you might think, but if you go to town with the impact gun it will crush.

Click to expand...

The guru at my dealership says it requires in excess of 300 foot-pounds to crush the crush sleeve. When they replace a pinion seal, they pull the yoke, install the new seal, and torque the yoke nut to about 250 foot-pounds.

Eagle said:

The guru at my dealership says it requires in excess of 300 foot-pounds to crush the crush sleeve. When they replace a pinion seal, they pull the yoke, install the new seal, and torque the yoke nut to about 250 foot-pounds.

Click to expand...

According to the FSM there is a pretty wide torque range for the pinion nut (200-350). I would torque it to about 200, start checking the bearing preload and continue gradually increasing torque until the preload is a couple in/lbs more than it was before removing the nut. I know you are supposed to check the preload without the carrier, axles, drums and so forth, but as long as you have the same conditions before and after, I think you would be ok. Its really the before and after comparison you are looking for when you put it all back together.

The pinion preload isn't going to change as long as you don't crush the crush collar more than if was before you took the pinion nut off. Just need to put the nut tight enough that it won't back off. maybe 75ft/lbs if that... I've never measured, so I'm just guessing. Just put it as tight as you can with a rachet, your not going to crush the sleeve without an impact or long breaker bar. Oh, and use Locktite on the nut.

nate said:

The pinion preload isn't going to change as long as you don't crush the crush collar more than if was before you took the pinion nut off. Just need to put the nut tight enough that it won't back off. maybe 75ft/lbs if that... I've never measured, so I'm just guessing. Just put it as tight as you can with a rachet, your not going to crush the sleeve without an impact or long breaker bar. Oh, and use Locktite on the nut.

Click to expand...

True, The only reason I would suggest going though the trouble of measuring and retorquing is because as the bearings wear and seat, the preload will decrease. When you put it back together, you should set the preload up to 5 in/lbs higher than it was. If you're not worried about it then just tighten the nut down and you're done.
I would also suggest that if you are going to set the nut torque less than factory specs that you invest in a new pinion nut (they arent cheap though). The nuts are oblong shaped so they wont back off. A fresh one will fit tighter on the threads, although Ive never used a new pinion nut when doing pinion seals, only when setting up new R&Ps.