axle u-joint replacement gone bad

well i thought i could do this job myself seeing as i have done the rest of the u-joints on my jeep already. so to back track, when i bought the u-joints from the driveline shop, the guy that sold them to me highly recommended having him do them for $10 a piece if i brought the axles in. his reasoning was that if i bent an ear on the axle, the clips wouldnt fit anymore. i just shrugged it off since i didnt see it as any different from a driveshaft u-joint replacement. well i got to it and went to press it out, like i had done before and wouldnt you know it, i bent an ear on the drivers side inner shaft. :doh: . so im guessing the axle is now toast.



you can see where the old clip was and how i bent the end nearest the hub. ugh. looks like i wil be hitting up the junkyard and having the shop put them in for me.

it's not a big deal at all. when you install the new u-joint, just press the two ears back towards each other in the vice until they stop at the right spot. I've bent them in, bent them out, everything... not a problem

Well two questions? Do I just press them out like normal which may bend it more? How do I spread the ears back apart? I'm using a small socket on one side and a big one on the other to press it out.

well its worse now

both sides are bent inward

#1-soak the joints days before trying to remove
#2-make a spacer that fits between the ears
#3-dont make the press do all the work,while "loaded" up,hit the joint and the ears
#4-"heat is your friend"

once the u-joint is out, smack the inside of the ears with a BFH to bend the ears back out. It's okay to go a little bit too far out because the ears will get lined up again when you press the new u-joint in

well im just getting a JY shaft thats not bent and having a shop put the u-joint in for $10 a piece. and my passenger hub needs replacing as well. but i think im going to do both of them just to be done.

the last time I changed mine I used a hammer with the ears on a vice, beat the shit out of the ears to pop the ujoint out. ears got bent good, I beat the shit out them and bent them back. been driving it no problem for months

i would just rather have the piece of mind not knowing my axle was bent at one point. haha

You'd better watch them do it then, or you won't know whether the shop bent them or not.

oh i ALWAYS watch when anyone else touches my jeep. so if anything goes wrong i would know about it.

Next time or just for general info. I've bent the ears (yoke) before, no big deal that I can tell, no problems (like excessive bearing or seal wear) that I ever noticed. I have seen axle U-joints neglected too long wear out the axle seals.
Like mentioned, when they are stressed in the vice, but before they bend, a good whack with a hammer often helps jar them loose. I've also straightened the yoke back up with a BFR and a micrometer or pressed them straight again.
I cut a couple of pieces of 1/4" flat stock that fit between the ears, it helps strengthen the yoke when pressing and can also be used as a quick check for square. I have an old tool box marked "special tools", stuff like the yoke spacers and home made ball joint press adaptors.
I've notched both caps with an X using an angle grinder. Then used a small socket, then pressed the cross part of the bearing and the socket right through the cap top (most times easier than you'd think possible). Then tried to press what was left of the cap out, even filed a notch on the inner part (wall) of the cap with a file and split it with a cold chisel.
It may be my imagination, but the early Renix axle yokes seem to bend less often than the later (mid 90's) axle yoke.