• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

front axle u-joint replacement question

heavyhopper

NAXJA Forum User
Location
bc canada
i know its been asked a million times before, but alot of the responses are different, so here it is dana30, u joints are shot, they have never been done to my knowledge its a 92 with 220kms, start to finish what is the best procedure, do i have to pull axles shafts, or can the u-joint be replaced while still on the vehicle, thanks
 
the axle shafts have to be pulled. on mine i could not get the bearing retainers to come off so i had to pop the knuckle in order to remove the axle shaft.
 
Chances are at that mileage you may need to just overhaul the axle or look for a lower mileage unit. The u-joints themselves are not a bad job but most likely you are going to run into worn axle seals, worn ball joints, and worn out unit bearings.

If you do the u-joints, here is the procedure.

Remove diff cover and drain
Remove the brake calipers and tie them up out of the way
Remove cotter pin and lock ring from the end of the axle
Remove the 36mm nut
Loosen the 3 12mm(or is it 13mm?) 12 point head bolts to the unit bearing, using an old socket, pound on the head of the bolts until the unit bearing comes out(sometimes they fall out other times they fight you to the finish!)
Pull out the shafts

(At this point you can pull the carrier and replace the axle seals and remove the knuckles and press out/re-install new ball joints)

Replace u-joints by removing the "internal" lock rings and then press the joints out with a vise or press
Reinstall in reverse procedure,

A couple of tips;
I lube the end of the axle shafts with some gear lube to reduce seal damage on install

Follow all torque specs on install, especially the axle nut. If its not torqued properly you will kill the unit bearings fast.

This is a good opertunity to clean the diff up good, I spray the inside of the hogs head with brake cleaner(usually takes 3 cans) and then dry it out good before sealing it up.
 
On some D30s, you will have to remove a c-clip from the axle, but it's not necessary as the rest of the assembly is held in place by the brake assembly and bearing.

As an edit to xjtrailrider's list, you don't have to loosen or remove the 36mm nut unless you are replacing the hub. The entire assembly is held in place by those three 12mm (or 13mm? I don't recall either) nuts, and once they are off you can remove the entire axleshaft assembly in one piece, with attached bearing.

Jim www.yuccaman.com
Member #2158
 
If all you truly want to do is change your u-joints, there's no need to drain your differential and after you pull off your brakes just remove the three bolts that hold the hub assembly in place and remove your axles.
 
sigmund said:
If all you truly want to do is change your u-joints, there's no need to drain your differential and after you pull off your brakes just remove the three bolts that hold the hub assembly in place and remove your axles.

I do for 2 reasons;

1. the diff lube will run out into the housing tubes and drip for a few days.

2. its a good time to inspect/clean the diff and replace the axle seals if needed

I always remove the unit bearings(hubs) when I swap the axle u-joints. I use my press to swap out the joints and the bearing/hub gets in the way.

This is also a good time to inspect or replace the unit bearing/hub.
 
When I did ujoints, I did a complete overhaul (seals, wheel bearings, ball joints, etc). It saves a lot of time to do it all at once.
 
Yucca-Man said:
On some D30s, you will have to remove a c-clip from the axle, but it's not necessary as the rest of the assembly is held in place by the brake assembly and bearing.

As an edit to xjtrailrider's list, you don't have to loosen or remove the 36mm nut unless you are replacing the hub. The entire assembly is held in place by those three 12mm (or 13mm? I don't recall either) nuts, and once they are off you can remove the entire axleshaft assembly in one piece, with attached bearing.

Jim www.yuccaman.com
Member #2158

You don't have to drain any fluid or open the diff cover. I don't have the issue with drainage that is discussed here. I clean the inside of the tubes before reassembly to prevent dragging dirt into the diff and also lubricate the seal surface before installing the shaft.

No C-clip will impair you from removing the front axle shafts on any model XJ, only the inner shaft, which does not need to be removed, on the old disco models. However, on those models, you may need to remove the shift motor when doing the pass side to make sure the collar lines up OK.

You probably don't have to remove the hub to do u-joints if you have a u-joint press, but it sure is easier to do without that clunkly hub attached to it !

There are no nuts holding the hub to the knuckle, but three long bolts with a reverse torx end, 13mm 12pts should remove them.

Yes, the main nut is 36mm and if you are using a long bar, loosen it on the ground before jacking up the truck.

I recomend use of a U-joint press. Get the 4WD ball joint tool from Harbor Freight and use the C clamp part of the tool to press out the u-joints. Dissasembly and assembly goes much easier !


Ron
 
Last edited:
Back
Top