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Ball Joint Press for U-joint work

W

workgoats

NAXJA Forum User
Location
College Station, Texas
I have found that there is a much easier way to remove and install u-joints than with a hammer, a bolt and a large socket like I have been doing for decades.

I bought a ball joint press from the low dollar store (Harbor Freight) to actually do a ball joint. I have, however, used it much more working on the u-joints for my current project.

I lost the audio on this video when I down-sized it but you haven't missed anything. The drive shaft if from an 89 Cherokee and it was a relatively new U-joint. I pulled it because the drive shaft has to be replaced after some alterations.

Installation is almost as easy.

vimeo.com/55690996
 
Some of use have carried those presses as trail tools for decades.
 
I've only had mine for one decade. You must be old, Jeff. :laugh3:
 
A vise, deep impact socket (to use as a punch, not to receive the ujoint cap), flat blade screwdriver, and BFH are all I need. With all the rust packed in there it is usually easier to shock them out than it is to press them out, at least for me.

I need to build a 2" receiver mount for my vise, then put a 2" receiver on my workbench.



Drive each cap out using this method... pull the trunnion out... install new joint.
 
When we dropped 3 driveshafts in a matter of minutes at the Crawl this summer, the HF ball joint kit made quick work of replacing the destroyed u-joints back at camp.

My days of flattening the ends of sockets with a BFH are over!
 
I just use a vice and a hammer.

Never any sockets...? At least for removal.

When installing I do use a hammer.

But if you have to bash hard enough to mangle the end of the socket, something is bound up.
 
MoparManiac said:
I just use a vice and a hammer.

Never any sockets...?
Click to expand...
:shhh:

I am a doofus and got the vise+hammer and two sockets+hammer methods confused because I ended up using both last time.
 
I typically recommend that a press / C-Clip press, or vise not be used. With mild steel stock shafts, its very common to distort the ears and press them inward, making the cclip groove not line up well or at all at times.

The hammer method shocks the caps as its driving them out and is hard to distort the ears on the shaft yoke.

Just IMO and experience.
 
Tension with the press and a shock with the hammer makes it quick and easy with reduced risk of bending the ears.
 
chpmnsws6 said:
Tension with the press and a shock with the hammer makes it quick and easy with reduced risk of bending the ears.
Click to expand...

Yes it does.

But if you have the hammer out to hammer, when just use it.. :)
 
I'm the ultimate in lazy. I use the press on the trail but I even have an impact wrench hooked to my CO2 bottle. Once the shaft is out, it takes maybe 5 minutes to change one.
 
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