mmc757
Full Access Member
Replaced my front U joint on the prop shaft yesterday. Never done this job before so I learned a lot...
-Dont try to do it in place. Just take off the shaft and do it on the bench. I wasted quite a bit of time trying to avoid taking it out.
-The bench vice is solid gold for this job.
-I should have had an impact gun for the bolts holding the rear of the axle in.
-15 mm socket was just the right size to use as a punch for driving the bearing caps in and out.
-Before installing the new U joint, use a file or small grinding wheel to debur the edges of the holes. I destroyed a brand new U joint because I was stupid and tried to force something that didnt want to be forced.
-If your not sure if the needle bearings are still intact, check. It ***** to take it apart after going through the trouble of putting it in, but do it.
-A little grease in the hole helps a lot when trying to insert things. (I'm talking about bearing caps:icon_lol:
-I did the job without jacking up the vehicle. The problem with that was I found myself wanting to move the vehicle in order to turn the shaft to reach bolts better. If it were jacked up, it would have been much easier.
-Dont try to do it in place. Just take off the shaft and do it on the bench. I wasted quite a bit of time trying to avoid taking it out.
-The bench vice is solid gold for this job.
-I should have had an impact gun for the bolts holding the rear of the axle in.
-15 mm socket was just the right size to use as a punch for driving the bearing caps in and out.
-Before installing the new U joint, use a file or small grinding wheel to debur the edges of the holes. I destroyed a brand new U joint because I was stupid and tried to force something that didnt want to be forced.
-If your not sure if the needle bearings are still intact, check. It ***** to take it apart after going through the trouble of putting it in, but do it.
-A little grease in the hole helps a lot when trying to insert things. (I'm talking about bearing caps:icon_lol:
-I did the job without jacking up the vehicle. The problem with that was I found myself wanting to move the vehicle in order to turn the shaft to reach bolts better. If it were jacked up, it would have been much easier.
