Here's how you change a U-Joint the easy way. With just a little patience, penetrating oil, and some simple tools, you can change an old rusty worn out Universal joint with very little effort.
One other comment- the caps are actually supposed to be a tight fit. They are designed like that. They should NOT just slide in with a push from your fingers. That indicates worn bores or (less likely) mis sized U-joint caps. If caps slide in by hand, you should think about replacing that driveshaft yoke. You should need to lightly tap them in with a hammer, at least. I've been turning wrenches since the 1980's and I can assure you that Spicer designs their yokes this way.
Thank you ! This should be be repeated. You SHOULD NOT be able to press the caps in with your fingers. The caps are an interference fit. If you want to know how to fit UJ's CORRECTLY watch some of the excellent tutorials on UJ's on RU-vid by Weber University. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v0RZVQQVMZs.htmlsi=NbwCikeWxKp5OHOg
You right i been turning wrenches sents 74 and seen lots o bad u joints jobs go bad cause of that and get joints with grease fitting and lub every 6 months and your never do it again
@@MontanaWelldigger yea, if they are that easy to press in then the yoke is junk. Ever lose a drive-shaft? On top of that, using a vise or c-clamp without properly supporting the ears will bend them, if the press fit is proper... Then you'll get lots of practice changing them, lol.. The wrong way anyhow...
Yeah, not just Spicer, but all u-joints and yokes are designed to have a pressed fit so the bearing caps don't spin. The only exception I know of is heavy duty, class 8 semi trucks... the u-joint caps are supposed to slide in by hand on those, but they use cap screws to hold the caps in place. I always use a file to clean out the rust, but I've NEVER greased the cap bores like this guy did.
When I was a kid I remember my uncle crawling under my dads old truck in the middle of nowhere replacing a u-joint. My dad always carried an extra in his glove compartment. I was amazed at how quickly he was able to do it with hardly any tools. Ingenuity from years of working in the bush. This looks much easier. Thanks for sharing.
Finally a youtuber that knows how to do the job right, and respect the fact that cleaning and prep is the key to all good maintenance actions. Patients during disassembly will save you tons of headaches in the future.
He got a few things wrong and left some info out and that is kind of disappointing in the slightest and can wreak havoc in parts at the most-est (lol).
Bustin' knuckles since the 70's here. I'll add a handy tip. When you're re-installing the caps, fill them 1/2 way with grease. As you press them back in you are back greasing them. You will see grease come out of the zerk hole, all that's left is install the zerk fitting and viola' all greased.
Some absolutely great tips! I'm a farmer and I've grown to HATE universal joints, but even after 30 years of doing them - you've given me some help! Thanks CW, Lee
I have been doing repair work for almost 60 years and this is the best training video I have seen, 😅I was taught long ago the correct way to do it, and like you say clean, patience, and some lube goes a long way way with a cool head!!
"Just keep everything all greased and oiled up" is what my dad taught me from a very young age. Its no big secret in getting these things to last a very long time, its just down to simple lubrication. Our old 1969 Ford D Series truck (the first brand new truck my father ever purchased) is still running on its original UJ's, they get a pump of grease every week. It never ceases to amaze me that most vehicle manufacturers now routinely fit non-greasable UJ's, its like they are just setting you up for an early failure and a reqular and expensive trip to one of their dealerships. David in the UK.
yes and no........I totally understand what you mean, but the u joints in this truck were non greasable and they were ORIGINAL and had 250k miles on them. What I've always been told is the non greasable joints have much better seals and last a long time........the greasable ones have seals that are meant to let grease push by them when you grease them.....so if you have greasable joints you need to keep them greased.
@@cheapwheels9828 Keeping things greased is a real passion with me, I find it theraputic pushing old grease out and replacing it with new. My grease gun is older that our oldest Ford truck, heck, its probably older than me. 250,000 miles on a set of sealed UJs sounds good, but our old Ford has done more than ten times that and still on the originals. But, having said all that, if people dont grease there grease points, its all going to go sour very quickly. Dont forget to grease your new UJs often, I send you a reminder now and then. Lol. Keep up the great work on all your channels Dave, lm an avid follower of them all. David in the UK.
Thanks for the Video. Takes me back. 40 years ago I did a ton of these. I was lucky. I had a vise. Made it even easier. Constant velocity U-joints on full size RWD GM's were a little more challenging though. Makes me feel good to see a young guy willing to work and to do it right. You are a good man Dave.
The way you give knowledge and advice is really a joy to listen to. Thanks for letting us know about this channel. It really complements your other channel. If you’re gonna live off grid, maintaining your transport yourself, is essential. Subscribed
Very concise. I was really amazed the first time I changed out U joints at how easy it actually is to do but like anything else it's really hard until you know how. I got lucky in that a good friend of mine knew what he was doing and was more than willing, for the low low price of a six pack (which we shared), to show me the first time I ever needed to do it. Thanks for a great video that brought me back some good memories at the same time.
Cleaning burrs and nicks on drive shaft where u joint is installed is definitely crucial. Great job covering this important procedure. Makes the difference in a smooth u joint.
your tip about cleaning out and polishing everything before inserting the new u joints was helpful. stupid, but nobody ever suggested this to me and I had a lot of trouble pressing in new joints. after doing what you did mine slid right in with my hands. 10x easier!
Thanks for the great video. I once replaced a set of U joints but it was a bear since I did not think to oil and clean the yoke thoroughly. I had one of those hydraulic jack presses from Harbor Freight Tools but it was still a bear in that I didn't not oil the old joint to get it out easier and like I said before did not clean the yoke. Lesson learned right here----thanks. Many machine shops that did this kind of work have closed in the last 20 years or so so this is great to be able to do it yourself.
Thanks for the "break" from the snow removal job :) This info should come in handy when refurbishing my van before my next trip out to Rapid City. Thanks, Dave! God Bless ... see you down the road
I’ve replaced quite a few U joints. Never had bearing cups slide in like that! Guess I just cleaned the bores , not sanded out. In fact, I used press .
Good stuff Dave! The retaining clips have a sharp 90 degree on one side and a curved edge on the other. Place the sharp 90 degree to the outside of the joint for better retention. Seat the clips into the groove with a punch or screwdriver to insure they bottom out into the groove. Make sure the zerk grease fitting is located in the correct position. If it is placed towards the differential on the rear joint you may not be able to get a grease gun on the fitting. I prefer to hammer out the old joints while supporting the opposite ears on the jaws of a open vise. This helps to support the ears of the yoke so they do not spread apart or twist causing alignment problems. I also put a little heavy grease into the cups to make sure the needle bearings do not fall out of place while pressing or hammering in the new cups. It’s always the little things that get you but if your aware of them you wonder what all the fuss is about. Speaking of little things, how’s Moose doing. Is he herding you around the yard yet?
Great tutorial!!! I remember replacing the driveshaft u-joints on my truck. It was my first time doing it and it was a nightmare. All the tips you gave, I didn't have or know. So needless to say after removing, installing and test driving.....the driveshaft fell off. Keep up the good work!
I did that job once myself years ago 1981 to a 1972 Dodge Dart,great car just bought it,i knew the u joints had to be replaced,wasnt to bad i remember using a Vice on my dads workbench,ran so much better,used to do so much work myself,now i get spasms on my back,sore shoulder ball joint[whatever its called],my PVC is hard to reach the whole intake has to be removed,soon going to change gaskets on VLV cover.I used to have a lift on the base,made a lot of work much easyer.At 70,dont care to much anymore,that was a good video,i like how so much is there to learn,i used to go to book stores and sit and read and take notes.
We were driving out some large rusted press fit bolts at the cement plant. After lubing it and getting it to move,we hit it back the other way a bit to spread the lube around before driving it out .It seemed counterproductive to drive it back in the wrong direction that little bit,but they came out faster that way. Love your videos, Dave.Just good common sense solutions
Great video right to the point, also a great opportunity to service the slip joint, it will dry up, seize and play havoc on the pinion, transfer case or transmission bearings.
One of the main parts that may be overlooked as we use oil change places and/or we get in hurry when we change our own oil. A loose U-joint, especially the front one is very dangerous as the front of the shaft can fall out, catch on the ground or slide around and get caught under a rear tire. There is enough tension and force from vehicle to flip it over if caught under the tire. Very good video. Wish we had these videos when I was much younger. Had 80 year old friend was trying to change his and I didn't remember how to change it. Thanks.
When I take driveshafts out of any car to do u-joints, I always mark exactly the way they were before I took them out, for some reason had vibration on like vettes and other cars, so good idea or tip, good vid btw..
I did not know you had this channel…….LOVE IT!!!!! I have the same truck, only in a crew cab, and always try to do my own work. Looking forward to watching the older videos.
This is an EXCELLENT video. I happen to be in the middle of battling a yoke with bent ears from my rotary mower. The part is obsolete and unavailable. Joy. I do have a plan for some heat and bending action on those ears. Nice one, Dave.
Very good tutorial. The first time I did it was at least 40 years before I had a computer. I used a big c clamp. It was for my 67 G10 van. Still have it.
Can't tell ya how many u joints I've changed in my life, but I still wanted to watch the video and leave a thumbs up and a comment, because I believe in what Dave is trying to do here. Thank you Dave. Your effort is noticed.
Same in a sense, but I do it all and all so emery cloth. I don't grease the yolks though because I will never be changing them again. My present f150 has 356,000 km on the originals. 1) always change all u-joint on a driveline at the same time including steady bearing. 2) wrap some electrical tape around the u-joints body to hold the two opposing caps in place so they don't accidentally fall off into the dirt. 3) try to understand why the u-joint went out in the first place, a) just wore out, b) a dent or bent in shaft, c) a weight got knocked off. And seeing as there has been some vibration going on check the transmission seal and pinion seal for any leakage. I know it's a pain to change the seals but it will save a big expense later on.
Great Job to show is weekend warriors how to do this right. I have an '87 Ford 250 and it's my proud and joy and I made my living out of it after I retired from The Bell System and always lubed and oiled it myself and she could use these new U-Joints so you made it seem so easy so the new joints are on their way~!! liked and subscribed.
It's a good practice to drive the first cup in deeper than it will end up. That way the trunion will reach further and allow the rollers in the other cup to ride on the trunion earlier, keeping them in place while pressing that cup into it's proper location, which will drive the first cup back against it.s snap ring. Not doing this procedure allows the rollers to fall out of place too easily.
@cumminsscout. That is my worry too. That is why I drive the first cup in farther than it will be later on as the trunion will be projecting out so the second cups rollers will reach their trunion shaft first, before the cup touches the yoke. That insures no rollers will be dislodged as you are only guiding them on without interference from the cup starting in it's hole. The whole works will drive in as a unit, pushing the first cup against it's snap ring. This works good on constant velocity joints too, where you have an increased complex assembly to maintain roller placement.
Sheeeit...my old ones were so seized up on there, it took a butane torch, some medieval black smith hammering and a frikkin cutting wheel. Your prep work for the new ones will come in handy...thanks!
Got here way of your wife's channel ...by way of the Bush radical channel...by way of the guitar 🎸 page and now here 😂 enjoy all of them. Enjoy your guitar playing . I have been playing country guitar for 25 years and have many many guitars.. but just wanted to say thanks and God Bless... P.s. your wife putting the shocks on her cabin and having the rope still knotted.. Had me and my wife rolling ..😂😂 .. ( I'm laughing because we have done some blonde stuff like that before..) we have learned some great tips and hints .. thanks again ...sorry it was so long ..
Maaaan....this is exactly what I have to do to my 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and my 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham coupe. This is a very informative video. Thank You.
@@cheapwheels9828 Thanks, I need it. My front right hydraulic brake line from the abs module blew out. I'll tell you what, it was an interesting drive the rest of the way home.
Awesome dave, clean wins.! I've done a couple of these. I have one to replace on a an old brush hog that blew apart yesterday. I don't know why I've never cleaned the bore..i definitely will from now on..thanks man.
Nice fix Dave, 👊 looks like that's been bad for a while. Endless repairs here in Michigan ,mud, salt , pot holes take there tol on our vehicles.You made that fix look easy!👍
Right off I was like yeah, yeah, yeah done this a hundred times. But after shutting my mouth and listening to your tutorial I learned a ton. I realize my past errors and they will not reoccur. Thanks man!!! AA+++
the mechanics that I have seen - use a socket and a vise to drive the U-Joint. so when I did mine, I purchased a big c-clamp and used it as a vice. Worked better than a vice, I as I could hammer the c-clamp if needed - to give that extra push - but not needing to drive with just a hammer/socket.
Excellent tutorial on u-joint removal and proper replacement! Not that hard to do with a few hand tools and a good C-clamp. Thanks for the cool video, Dave!
Great work, don't forget to make sure the joints are in phase,or both half of shafts are put together in the same position.If not you might have a vibration you didn't have before.
⚠️ Ding ding ding! Lots of things are glossed over, left out or wrong in this video and he didn't phase the joints! Good ol' RU-vid, this video is worth exactly what I paid for it (absolutely nothing!) BEST BET: watch a collection of videos on the subject or even better yet, crack open a technical repair manual. Those things are edited, proofread and packed full of information--they have to be good to get into print, or there'll be errors across every print edition and that's a no-no. Reputations are at stake. ⚠️
@@Hjerte_Verke It's not like you're putting chains, tensioners or gears in a Triton engine,and to be fair,to somebody who hasn't installed a u-joint before it can be helpful information.Granted it won't get you thru a C V joint,or balance a driveshaft,but it can be helpful. Sorry it wasn't a section of a 50 year old Pontiac fullsize service manual on extensive coverage of propeller shafts.
Excellent video, thank you! I'm the same as you: whenever I'm reassembling something I want everything cleaned up to perfection. One thing I'd have done differently is kept the Torx bolts, unless the hex-head ones were top quality (hardened or stainless). To access those tricky Torx heads, how about just fitting the Torx bit into a small ring spanner? I've got a 1978 Land Rover and will keep all these tips in mind for when I next change its UJs.
Been Heavy duty mechanic for 44 years, if caps go into the yolk that easily, they will start to walk and wear out your yolk in no time: they should be pressed in with resistance. I would not re use that yoke
I like a bottle style wire brush on the cordless drill. Usually wipes out the rust in the bore and groove of the yokes without removing excess material.
Always mark the driveshaft to the diff location ,can be out of Ballance if put back on in the wrong location .also a little more grease in the cups will keep the needle brgs from falling out
Great video, cleaning everything is the key,one tip you didn't mention.you should ALWAYS MARK THE DRIVE SHAFT FRONT AND BACK BECAUSE 95PERCENT ARE BALANCED MARK THE SHAFT ON ONE SIDE AND THE CORRESPONDING YOKEAND REAR END
The U-joint caps should be an interference fit at the least. I've seen it where the caps were so loose in the yoke they would start to spin instead of the needle bearings and eat the material around it causing bad vibrations. If your caps fit too loose, you can use Loctite 648 to keep the caps from spinning, works very well and easy to remove later.
Awesome info. Only thing I would add is to have the grease zerks facing the same direction. Makes greasing the u-joints easier come oil change time. Especially if you are like me, lying on your back in the garage and can't spin the drive shaft because the wheels are on the ground. 👍
Technically if you’re making enough power to really put your u joints to the test there is a proper way to install them called the “strong position” in which the zerk always faces the tubing and is to the left of the driven member while looking at the driveline. Also I would recommend a small amount of anti seize if you’re concerned about getting the u joint out next time as opposed to grease. Personally I never lube the outside of the caps but if I were to it would be on a very large joint such as a 1710-1810 series and only because by design the caps can not spin in the yoke like 1310-1480 and everything in between can. Which does happen and wreaks havoc eventually.
@@randypond7499 the one(flange/tube ) that is being driven. Hard to define can apply to multiple parts. As long as something else is in this case twisting the specified part
Not mentioned in your video, but new joints usually come with several clips. There are (I think) 3 different thicknesses of them measured in thousands of an inch. Keeps things properly tight and centered. Measure the old ones and be sure to only put the right new ones in. It is like Goldilocks, not too thin, not too thick, but just right. When done each cap should have no end play and sit exactly the same distance from the outer housing.
You look like Ronnie Dunn. It's important to make sure the zerk is positioned so it can be greased. Between one side or the other and which way it is pointed on that side.