mhopton
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Marietta, GA
In an effort to figure out what my high speed groan is all about, I pulled the front drive-shaft to eliminate that as the issue. Although it wasn't the problem, I did find that all the joints were stiff and dry and most certainly needed to be serviced.
Off to NAPA I went to pick up 3 heavy duty u-joints and a rebuild kit for the cardan yoke (ball, spring, seal and retainer). I found out that NAPA no longer sells Spicer/Dana, but instead sell their own house brand, I think made by Precision. No problem, they're greasable and have a lifetime warranty, so good to go. At the recommendation of the write-up on stu-offroad.com, I stopped by Harbor Freight and picked up their low-end u-joint/ball-joint press. This thing made pressing in/out u-joints a breeze - I never will use sockets and a hammer again. http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-ball-joint-u-joint-c-frame-press-service-kit-38335.html
I disassembled everything with no problems - the press really made it go quick. After pulling everything apart I separated the ball and retainer from the cardan yoke, cleaned and commenced putting it back together with fresh grease. I re-assembled the two u-joints (inner first, outer second) and grasped the cardan joint and moved it around. I don't recall how much it moved fore/aft/side/side before I disassembled, but when rotating, I met resistance at several spots - it seems very stiff and notchy almost. I took off the outer u-joint and checked that the needle bearings were in place and that the spring was in place, which it was. The grease seal was seated nicely - all appears to be correct. The ball moved freely in its cup, etc. When I re-installed the outer u-joint, it just doesn't feel right.
Does anyone have one off their Jeep that they can put their hands on and describe how it feels when manipulating both u-joints in the cardan end of the shaft? It's no problem to pull it apart again and start over, which I may do anyway. It just doesn't seem like I should feel resistance when twisting/turning the joint(s). Thing is, I don't know if I'm trying to turn/rotate the joint in a direction, or manner that it won't be subjected to on the Jeep.
The damn thing is so simple, I just don't see how it can be messed up![Eek! :eek: :eek:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
thanks,
Mike
Off to NAPA I went to pick up 3 heavy duty u-joints and a rebuild kit for the cardan yoke (ball, spring, seal and retainer). I found out that NAPA no longer sells Spicer/Dana, but instead sell their own house brand, I think made by Precision. No problem, they're greasable and have a lifetime warranty, so good to go. At the recommendation of the write-up on stu-offroad.com, I stopped by Harbor Freight and picked up their low-end u-joint/ball-joint press. This thing made pressing in/out u-joints a breeze - I never will use sockets and a hammer again. http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-ball-joint-u-joint-c-frame-press-service-kit-38335.html
I disassembled everything with no problems - the press really made it go quick. After pulling everything apart I separated the ball and retainer from the cardan yoke, cleaned and commenced putting it back together with fresh grease. I re-assembled the two u-joints (inner first, outer second) and grasped the cardan joint and moved it around. I don't recall how much it moved fore/aft/side/side before I disassembled, but when rotating, I met resistance at several spots - it seems very stiff and notchy almost. I took off the outer u-joint and checked that the needle bearings were in place and that the spring was in place, which it was. The grease seal was seated nicely - all appears to be correct. The ball moved freely in its cup, etc. When I re-installed the outer u-joint, it just doesn't feel right.
Does anyone have one off their Jeep that they can put their hands on and describe how it feels when manipulating both u-joints in the cardan end of the shaft? It's no problem to pull it apart again and start over, which I may do anyway. It just doesn't seem like I should feel resistance when twisting/turning the joint(s). Thing is, I don't know if I'm trying to turn/rotate the joint in a direction, or manner that it won't be subjected to on the Jeep.
The damn thing is so simple, I just don't see how it can be messed up
thanks,
Mike