• 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.

Stupid question... front U-joint without removing axle stub nut?

Crashsector

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Annapolis, MD
I realize this may be a stupid question. I have a very, VERY seized front axle stub nut and a bad U-joint. Is there ANY way possible to remove the stub and replace the joint without removing the nut?

I thought that maybe if I removed the three star-headed bolts holding the backing plate on the stub and backing plate would come off as one unit. It would be unwieldy replacing the joint, but probably possible. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Thanks in advance.

--Andy
 
yep, I have the same problem. just pull the whole axle out with the unit bearing and change it as you normally would change a ujoint.

tip to get the hub unit out easy: put the front most bolt back in a few turns and wedge something between the head of the bolt and the inner C, start the jeep and turn the wheel. pops em loose every time.
 
Yes. U-joint replacement takes longer that way, but it can be done.


3 replies with the same time-stamp.
 
That's not just a backing plate. You're taking out the entire unit hub assembly. That unit has to come out regardless. Quite a few people around here do change the u-joints just that way, without separating the outer stub shaft and unit hub.

If your axle nut is corroded in place, your unit hub is almost certainly in the same condition. I would NOT use a slide hammer or puller on the wheel studs, you're pulling through the rolling elements in the bearing. You can loosen those 12pt 13mm bolts and use a socket & extension, braced against the inner knuckle "C", and the power steering to pop the hub loose. BE CAREFUL doing this. Only unthread the bolts a half-dozen turns or so, keep good thread engagement, and it takes very little movement on the steering wheel to get them loose.
 
Doesn't really matter... got back under there and noticed that 2 of the 3 hub bolts and 1 of the 2 caliper bolts are completely stripped. Now I know why the U-joint wasn't replaced before.

Looks like it's going to stay the way it is.

--Andy
 
I don't know if this will help with an '89 but this is how I took care of that on my '01

To take the nut out I used this...I got it to extend about 7'
2012-03-10-09-09-36-465.jpg


To remove the hub assembly, remove the top star head bolt and then loosen the front and back bolt about 1/2", jam a 3" extension between the loosened bolt and axle. Turn your steering wheel to push out the hub assembly.
2012-03-10-09-40-47-521.jpg

2012-03-10-09-42-09-976.jpg


I hope this helps some
 
To add to USMC's plan, what I've done in the past is to remove the wheel, take off the cotter pin and castle lock, put the socket on the nut, and put the wheel back on. The socket should fit in there with the wheel on. Now, tighten the lug nuts enough to put the weight of the vehicle back on the wheel, and drop the vehicle back down. The socket will be accessible through the opening of the wheel center cap, which I hope has been removed. The vehicle should already be in park with the brake set, so now you've got a lot more to torque against. You're better off using a breaker bar instead of a ratchet handle like the picture shows, just so in case the mechanism in the ratchet were to slip or break, you don't get launched or smash your knuckles into the ground!
 
hit the you-pull and buy a new axleshaft with a decent ujoint in it. Aim for a 95 or later so you get the big joints... should run you 20-30 bucks.

Add a brand new bearing, 3 new bolts (pull them with the shaft at the junkyard, I always keep them if they're in good shape) and now you have everything you need to just weld nuts onto the stripped heads, take it out (with or without breaking bolts) and replace everything.

I usually force the unit bearing out by putting a 1/2" drive extension through the ujoint yoke ears behind the ujoint, then turning the wheel. This works even if the bolts are wrecked/broken off/cut off.
 
time for a 60.... :D

you can remove the whole knuckle if you need to in order to change the u-joint.
 
Note from DJ
Regarding the 13mm star bolts if they are rounded off try a 1/2” 12 point socket they are 12.7mm.
I have 5-90 listed as the source of this information.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the tips guys. Turns out the bolts that are rounded off are for the caliper mounting bracket, which luckily doesn't have to come off. After 4 hours of wrenching and using the power steering trick I got the hub and axle out. 2 more hours later I had the completely trashed u-joint out.

Everything went together much quicker. Also got some new rotors and pads on the front while I was at it. I may have messed up the wheel bearing tapping the hub back in... there's a slight clicking. It may just be the u-joint needing grease (my gun sucks).

I'm starting to learn that nothing comes easy on old Jeeps.

--Andy
 
It comes easy after you have done it a few times and broken all the rusty bolts free already as a result.

My hubs have been out so frequently that changing a shaft takes 15 minutes now :roflmao:
 
to get the hub back what I did is just tighten the 3 bolts that hold them in place. Also, a good cleaning of ring that holds the hub assembly and some grease helps too.

Get grease in those u-joints ASAP unless you want to have to take them out and replace again. Usually, the u-joints just have enough grease in them for shelf life.
 
Looking at mine, on the new to me 89, the 12pt 13mm bolts may be toast by the time I get them off. Does anyone have the length handy? A source?

That's not just a backing plate. You're taking out the entire unit hub assembly. That unit has to come out regardless. Quite a few people around here do change the u-joints just that way, without separating the outer stub shaft and unit hub.

If your axle nut is corroded in place, your unit hub is almost certainly in the same condition. I would NOT use a slide hammer or puller on the wheel studs, you're pulling through the rolling elements in the bearing. You can loosen those 12pt 13mm bolts and use a socket & extension, braced against the inner knuckle "C", and the power steering to pop the hub loose. BE CAREFUL doing this. Only unthread the bolts a half-dozen turns or so, keep good thread engagement, and it takes very little movement on the steering wheel to get them loose.
 
I've never had an issue with one even up here in the rust belt - aside from a set that were in an axle that had lost both lower control arm mounts to advanced rust. I doubt you'll have an issue if you use a quality socket.

Oh, I did lose one due to me being a dumbass and cross-threading it on the way back in.

Do yourself a favor and get a quality M12x1.75 tap so you can chase the threads in the unit bearing - and a pot of antiseize to put on before reassembly, too.
 
Back
Top