CV (double cardan) rebuild/goof

i replaced rear U-joints recently and figured id do the fronts just for the heck of it. they were stock with 155k on them so why not? the joint at the pinion yoke was the worste, but i decided to do them all. through the process i managed to lose the needles out of this thing:



this image is not mine. i dont know the proper name for it... but, i managed to collect 28 needles. are these all of them? the needles from the caps look to be of a different length and diameter so i cant simply use them can i? i wasnt aware there were needles in there, but looking at the design now, it makes sense. the shaft didnt make any noise so i wasnt planning on replacing this ball, but if i have to what part exactly am i looking for?

am i correct that i can just replace the ball or do i have to buy the whole assembly?

Well if they are all there there wont be any space between them when installed. Just the ball is replacable , they are pretty cheap, might as well just replace it. I don't remeber what its called I called a drive shaft shop and they new what I was talking about.

http://www.dennysdriveshaft.com/p425_jeep_cv_centering_yoke_1310_series.html

seems pretty steep. is this available at napa or autozone?

Yes, and you don't buy the whole yoke, just the ball part.

Go to NAPA, ask for a double cardan centering ball kit.

I think it's this one: https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/...0038+50038+2038049+101999&Ar=AND(P_RecType:A)

FYi- Maybe I'm just an idiot, but that center ball has a sleeve around it which presses into the yoke. I was able to pry the ball out, but I managed to destroy the yoke getting the sleeve out. i was using that napa part ^. My front ds had slop in the slip yoke anyway... I fought front vibes for 4 months.

I gave up and bought a Tom Woods shaft.

It might be worth it to buy a whole new yoke with the ball already installed. (Like the one from that dennysdriveshaft place.

Spicer recommends you rebalance the shaft anytime you change parts too. I'd advise you do it.

Not too hard a hit to buy the assembly. Easier than trying to rebuild it, that's for sure.

trust me man. buy the assembly. the extra money is well worth the aggravation and time spent messing with the ball.

Yeah, the ball pops out easy enough, but the race/sleeve took a long time breaking it up bit by bit with a small chisel.

srmitchell said:

Spicer recommends you rebalance the shaft anytime you change parts too. I'd advise you do it.

Click to expand...

i think it could use a rebalance. without the front shaft in it was like a cadillac, now i have some very minimal vibes at 70+.

ehall said:

Not too hard a hit to buy the assembly. Easier than trying to rebuild it, that's for sure.

Click to expand...

aintright said:

trust me man. buy the assembly. the extra money is well worth the aggravation and time spent messing with the ball.

Click to expand...

im no rocket scientist but i managed to get the ball assembly out. the ball popped out but the sleeve didnt. i used a die grinder to weaken 3 sides of the sleeve, then it took 2 seconds with a screw driver and it folded up and came right now. new one pressed in in seconds. all greased and ready to go.



still think $50 was a little much. this thing must be made out of unicorn horn or something. :dunno:

Removing the ball:

Clamp the yoke in a vice. Use a fairly large pry bar with a tapered end. Stick it in the center of the ball and pry it out.

Removing the outer bearing race, between the ball and the yoke:

Don't mess with cutting, chiseling, etc. You run a significant risk of wrecking the yoke. The way we did this in the shops I worked in required torches. Spot heat the race orange-red in 2-3 places and quickly quench it with water. Flip the yoke over, tap it on the bench or vise and the race will fall out.

You then have to press in a new center kit. We used a small press, but you can use a vise. The old race is the perfect tool to press the new kit in with. There will be a carboard sleeve holding the needles in place. Leave it there until the new kit is pressed in. Then remove it and pack the new center kit with grease.

FWIW, if you just buy a new yoke kit, buy a greaseable one. Grease it every oil change and the kit and center pin on your CV shaft will last a long, long time.

Geoff

its in brah, thanks. your procedure is probably safer. i made it work though.

this one should last another 150k or until a toms woods shaft is needed.

gcam said:

The way we did this in the shops I worked in required torches. Spot heat the race orange-red in 2-3 places and quickly quench it with water.

Click to expand...

heating areas of metal red hot then quenching them doesn't sound like the best of ways to remove that.

to me that just seems like you are adding stress zones to the driveshaft. just weakening it somewhat. not something i'd want to do with a ds that is going to be seeing some abuse on the trails.

that's just me though.

You aren't heating the driveshaft, you are heating the bearing race. Quickly heating and quenching a bearing race causes it to contract, and it falls out. Alternately, you can use a slide hammer. Lock the yoke in a vise, and slide hammer the bearing race out.

FWIW, I've removed tons of bearing races like this, including lots of outer races on front wheel bearings on medium duty and heavy duty trucks. It doesn't do anyhing to the the part, as you are just quickly spot heating 2-3 small points on the race. Not much heat transfers to the parent part.

Also, your concern about weakening the driveshaft with heat is kind of funny... That's how we straightened the DS tube when we straightened and balanced driveshafts. Run it in the balancer to find the high spot in the tube, taking measurements in 3 locations along the length of the tube. When you find a high spot, heat a spot the size of a dime orange hot and quench it. It will contract the steel in that spot and straighten the driveshaft tube.

We heard people a couple people say, "Heat will weaken the shaft." Well, how do we weld on driveshaft balance weights then?

I did hydraulic work and auxiliary transmission and HD transfercase rebuilds in that shop for 1.5 years, and about a year in the driveline shop. We were all expected to step in and produce in the driveline shop when needed. We probably had 25-40 passeger vehicle shafts in the small balancer each day, and up to 20 HD shafts for heavy trucks in the large balancer a day.

Heating and quenching was an acceptable practice. It was a good shop, and we did quality work.

Geoff

info sound spot on to me. seems like you know your stuff and just arent blowing smoke. kudos. im going to be rebuilding another shaft for my SYE application soon. if it gives me any fits i may try this method.

personally, when they are both done id LOVE to get them balanced just for piece of mind. whats an acceptable price to pay for 2 shafts to be done?