Possible Candidate for the FAQ

Throughout the years I have shared here tips and shortcuts and here is another one:

If you need to change the u-joints on the front axle shafts your life would be much easier if you cut a piece metal to size and and wedge it between the yoke lobes prior to pressing out the old u-joints. This would prevent bending and you will be using a lot less force and time to take out the old joint.

What happens is, as soon as you start pressing the old joint will start moving out the side that is supported, but not from the side you are pressing. That side will start bending first, before the joint gets going.

This is the second time when I needed to change my u-joints, first time I just bent everything back, now I wedged the piece of metal and both sides of the old u-joint freed up at the same time.

Hope this helps

That is an excellent tip. Years ago I did just that, bent
the U-joint yoke. It wasn't apparent until the new
U-joint was installed and it was binding.

How about pics of the procedure?

I did not take a picture at the time, but went and crawled up under the car with a camera in hand.

I used the rectangular piece of old leaf spring. I am holding it just to illustrate the concept.

The press used in this experiment was rented from the advanced auto:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...it-648602/10451214-P?searchTerm=u-joint+press

Lets use this this press image for clarity:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...l-otc7248/17632014-P?searchTerm=u-joint+press

Picture the shaft from above in the press. The force is applied to the u-joint from left to right. Without the piece wedged between both "legs" of the yoke lobe, the right leg would stay stationary, because it rests against the right leg of the press, but the left will not. What would happen is this:

The u-joint will get going through the hole of the right leg, but it will take a little while for the left leg side to get "unstuck". During that time, the left leg bends to the right.

By wedging that piece, one ensures that the left leg does not bend.

Hope this helps.

Best

Boris

That's a real smoooth looking method for removal. Never did it in the past, but your post gives me food for thought. Checked out the price of the removal tool link you provided, and it's $133.19 to my zip location.

In the past, for old big Cherokee, (mod.17), Chevy P/U, etc., I've used, (with, or without a vise), a big hammer, sockets, for removal without any troubles, dozens of times. Could it be that the fast hammering/tapping loosens up the rusted connection between the lobes, and the caps, and therefore dislodges the U-Joints efficiently? I think so, as hammering will break up rusted connections fairly well enough as a procedure prior to task at hand. Never spent more than 15 minutes tapping out the bad caps/u-joints. (a little Kroil goes a long way too). However, it seems the rust bond while using the slower process of trying to force them, (caps), through, (lobes), with the use of a forcing-screw-tool would thereby take the non-supported lobe along with the rust frozen cap, and your simple 'trick' would prevent that. Cudos! However, my hammer had cost me no where near $133.19, and I have no readily available spring to cut up for said wedge. Just what is the thickness of your piece? Might be useful information for those who have other pieces of metal laying around, and want to get it as correctly accomplished as you did. Again, I think your method is an impressive 'tip', (or a reminder for those who have done such before), and can save a lot of people a bunch of grief.., in the slower forcing process.