so i broke a U-joint

[pughman]

but it was fun ! ... any way, whats the best way to change them...


pic of fun...:

 

[schmidlkofer]

not to be a dick but looks like u climbed a dirt hill....i think my 2wd dodge could make it up there.

 

[DeRocha]

There are 8 U-joints on your explorer which one did you break? If it is a stub axle U-joint then you'll need to remove the Spindle and pull the shaft... See links in my sig on using the "C" clamp press tool to press in/out U-joints.

 

[Mud Bug 94]

hes only 2wd im bettin it was the one on the rear diff.

 

[FROADER]

not to be a dick but looks like u climbed a dirt hill....i think my 2wd dodge could make it up there.

Good job with that...

 

[pughman]

hes only 2wd im bettin it was the one on the rear diff.

yes it is the back one...

and hay FROADER, in your avatar it looks like you climbed a dirt hill, not to be a dick but i could do that with my feet man. your truck is a heep... (i'm being sarcastic)

 

[FROADER]

 

[Arthur]

dude dirt hill or not... still looks cool...

how the hell did u break a U-joint just doing that?

 

[sn0border88]

ya, must of been a bad joint. Ive thrashed mine and no problems.

 

[bikeboarder]

i broke mine on a speed bump. the front tires went over fine but when i lost traction with the rears due to the speed bump, my left foot finding its way on to the brake pedel and my right foot finding the gas. they smoked then i let off the brake, cought tracton then SNAP...THUMP THUMP THUMP. i drove around with a front wheel drive explorer for a day. lol

auto zone had 3 differant sizes listed for my 91, none of then fit. so i went to napa and there 91 u-joints diden't fit. so i had to use one for a 92.

 

[pughman]

its steeper than it looks, and when i got to the top at about 15 mph the front wheels came off the ground ! lol. and holding it there for the pics didnt do it any good eather..but ya id say they was on there way out anyways...

 

[pughman]

auto zone had 3 differant sizes listed for my 91, none of then fit. so i went to napa and there 91 u-joints diden't fit. so i had to use one for a 92.

the guy at napa told me that also, sead sometimes people had to come back and get other sizes... im puting them in this weekend so we will see...

 

[bikeboarder]

good luck. i used a socket that fit inside the same hole as the u juint and used a hammer to pound it out. if i had a C clamp i would have used that to press it out. if you put some oil on the inside of the hole the new ones go in much easier.

 

[sn0border88]

Thats odd did you break the t case joint or the flange joint.

 

[pughman]

im 2wd as of right now, working on sas soon....or rockwell axles and sprayer tires.....

 

[Mud Bug 94]

ive had caps fly out but not really break....

 

[Bwana Bob]

U joint replacement

If its the rear driveshaft, you will need a 12-point metric box wrench to remove the flange bolts. I think they are 12 mm. Spray the bolts with penetrating oil and let them soak. I used Castle's "Liquid Torch". Mark the driveshaft and flanges, so you can put it back in the same way, so it will be properly balanced. The rear driveshaft drops out easily.

To press the U joints out we used a really big vise, with an extension bar on the handle and sockets. It took two guys, one to hold the vise and one to crank it. Pressing the joints out of the yoke was a bit scary. We would crank and crank on the vise, nothing would happen, then SNAP, the joint would give a little. Crank some more, nothing, then SNAP again and it would shift some more.

I used NAPA U joints and had no trouble getting them to fit. This from the Haynes Manual: To get the C clips to seat, give the yoke a sharp rap with a hammer (not too hard). This will spring the yoke a little and allow the joint to seat properly. Likewise, if they are tight and don't swing freely, rap the yoke a little.

A long as you have the driveshaft out, you might as well lubricate the slip yoke. You will have to cut the boot bands off, but just buy a couple of CV joint boot bands. We used tile cutting pliers to crimp the bands.

Don't forget to Loctite the bolts when you reinstall the driveshaft.

I recommend 2 persons to do this job, mainly because of the force required to press the joints out, and if this is your first time doing this job (as it was with me), two heads are always better than one.

Bob

 

[410Fortune]

You can rent a ball joint/u joint press from Autozone for free (leave a deposit) makes it REALLY easy
Its likely time to replace your CV joint as well

 

[pughman]

i just went and got the u joint press, going to get it and my new dual outlet flowmaster and echo tips out the back on...

 

[410Fortune]

FYI thats not a mall