How bad is it to grind on axle yokes to fit c-clips?

[STARFISH]

Had a neighbor with a press put in some new spicer x760's in my 99's D30hp. The old UJ's were very hard to get out. One of them came out in peaces. Anyway the c-clips would not go in. So he ground on the ends of the yokes just enough to get them in. Oh man I should have just taken the shafts to a shop.... The shafts seem tight and smooth..... So are my axles junk now?

 

[CaliXJ]

First off.. Welcome to

Grinding the ears is perfectly acceptable. (just don't get out of hand with it)Most usually do it to add full circle clips though. Not sure why you had so much trouble with C clips. Should have been pretty easy to replace like for like. Are you sure a pin didn't fall over in the cap? Not allowing the ujoint cap to be fully seated?

Any pics of where he had to grind?

 

[STARFISH]

Thanks glad to be here. I was a member on another jeepish forum for years but it's gotten hard to get real answers there. Mostly just yappy-snappy-rude comments on there nowadays. Not enough real info in the tech forums. Every time I use google looking for answers for my XJ issues NAXJ comes up. So here I am. Hopefully I can learn and help other on here. God knows I've had all sorts of weird XJ problems I've had to solve.
We checked for louse bearings in the cap ends. We had this problem with all the caps not just one. The guy was really careful with the grinding. I'm wondering if maybe this happened because I used 760x and not 297x. Or maybe because I used a lot of grease as you can see from the pics. http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii15/svt4you/d302.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii15/svt4you/d301.jpg

 

[CaliXJ]

IIRC the only differance between the 297 and 760 is the actual u joint body. The caps are identical. Looks like he just shaved it so you should be good. Maybe bent the ears a little getting old ones out caused it? Hard to say. Did you use SPICER brand u joints or some other brand? Usually in a u joint that doesn't have zirk fittings, they have pre lubed them with all the grease it should need.

Use the search function and you should be able to find damn near every problem/solution you can think of.

 

[weebur]

Had a neighbor with a press put in some new spicer x760's in my 99's D30hp. The old UJ's were very hard to get out. One of them came out in peaces. Anyway the c-clips would not go in. So he ground on the ends of the yokes just enough to get them in. Oh man I should have just taken the shafts to a shop.... The shafts seem tight and smooth..... So are my axles junk now?

I just went through that. I replaced my AZ junk (that were pressed in by a local speed shop) and found that I couldn't get one c-clip in. Using an inside caliper I found that one of the ears was bent inward about a 32nd of an inch. I actually broke a brand new joint trying to force it. My only option was to carefully grind the inside surface of one of the ears with a die grinder and carbide bit and using a flat file I worked hard at taking off just enough metal to get the c-clip in. The inside of the holes in the ears were scuffed up pretty bad so I used a wheel cylinder hone and cleaned them up and used plenty of anti-seize. I used a ball joint press to get them in and out, not the BFH method. I guess taking them to a shop doesn't mean they will be installed without damaging the ears.

I've got my fingers crossed, but I think it will be fine and so should yours.

 

[souske]

For stock shafts, I just treat them as disposable. An entire assembly costs a couple bucks more than a new u-joint, so why even mess with it?

 

[GrimmJeeper]

Usually in a u joint that doesn't have zirk fittings, they have pre lubed them with all the grease it should need.

this is not true, they are only packed with enough grease to keep the needle bearings in on the assembly line. you still need to pack the body with grease unless the package specifically says that it is pre greased.

 

[CaliXJ]

this is not true, they are only packed with enough grease to keep the needle bearings in on the assembly line. you still need to pack the body with grease unless the package specifically says that it is pre greased.

Thanks for clarifying Grimm... All the ujoint i have had, had the little slip in them saying "not to add grease". My assumption was they were all this way.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

as long as it says not to, dont. otherwise err on the side of caution :cheers: you pack them pretty much the same way you pack a bearing. just put some grease in the palm of your hand and take the caps off, push the joint into the grease till it starts coming out the opposite side of the cross, then do the other direction and you're done.

 

[STARFISH]

Yes they were Dana/Spicer brand 760x's.

 

[rckymtnguy]

For stock shafts, I just treat them as disposable. An entire assembly costs a couple bucks more than a new u-joint, so why even mess with it?

Where are you getting stock shafts assembly's for a few bucks more than a u-joint?

 

[souske]

The Junkyard. As long as the u joint moves smoothly, no slop, etc, it will last quite a long time. Never had a U-joint fail due to wear, the darn yoke ears always rip out first.

 

[kastein]

1. if it's bent in enough to need grinding to fit a clip in, don't expect it to handle wheeling very well. Also, this means the cap will be somewhat angled, putting heavy pressure on the needle bearings in some places and none in others, so it may wear out a lot faster.
2. if it's not bent and you grind to fit the clip in, you're going to likely have durability issues.
3. 297 and 760 ujoints are in fact the same externally dimension-wise. IIRC, if you order 297s now, they send 760s anyways. Neither is the same as a 260 size joint, obviously.

I personally would pick up a new shaft and use the hammer+socket method instead of a press, much less chance of bending the ears.