How hard is it to replace the u-joints
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Bescurred
BOOSTED SHAMU v2.0
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Gotta be pressed in.
FastRegalWE2
Wish I had another Buick!
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actually its not that hard. If they are the original GM units, they have a safety "band" that was poured inside the yolks at the factory. If you look at it you will see a green or maybe blueish colored "wire" sticking out the side of th eyoke. If you heat that with a propane torch, it will start to come out of there like a snake out of a hole. You will def know when it starts. Keep heating until no more comes out of the hole. After that, you get 2 1/2" drive sockets, 1 bigger than the cap of the u-joint and 1 the same size as the cap. 1 will drive the u-joint and 1 will recieve the other end. You can do this 2 ways now. Use a bench vise and put the dshaft in it. Have the smaller socket (pusher) to the outside and the larger ()reciever) socket on the opposite side as the shaft is laying in the vise. Then you tighten the vise handle down and it wil press out the u-joint. It will stop at some point and then just roll the shaft over and do the same to the other 2 remaining caps on this end. You may need to tap a little to get it all the way out but it wont be hard at this point. Another was is the same socket method only using a BFH (big f*%king hammer) on the ground. It sucks that way but it works. PS DONT HIT THE D-SHAFT with the BFH.
salvageV6
Daily Driver
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- May 25, 2001
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I can't see anyone charging you more than 1 hour labor to do the whole job, plus parts, unless you already have them.
Probably 1/2 hour labor if you showed up with the driveshaft and U joints.
Probably 1/2 hour labor if you showed up with the driveshaft and U joints.
turbot2496
New Member
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Take my advice
Take the driveshaft to someone with experience and have it done if the u-joints are the stock ones. WSformula650's method with the vice is correct but.... they can come out easy or they can be a bitch. Mine were a bitch. Took mine up to the shop at work and used the torch. You heat them till they pop and it will scare the crap outta you the first time they do if your not ready for it. Nobody told me LOL. It took us an hour with an industrial size vise and acetylene torch to do mine and it sucked. We had to keep heating the damn thing up and try to keep from burning ourselves. They were seized and did not want to come out. If I had to do it over, I would just drop it off somewhere. If you do decide to do it yourself, take your time and use heat. If you just pound on that vice you'll break the ears off or whatever there called. And like 650 said DON'T HIT THE DRIVESHAFT. Luckily I had someone there with experience to prevent me from doing this to mine and destroying it.
I was told they were no problem also before I did mine. Geez it sucked. Good Luck.
Take the driveshaft to someone with experience and have it done if the u-joints are the stock ones. WSformula650's method with the vice is correct but.... they can come out easy or they can be a bitch. Mine were a bitch. Took mine up to the shop at work and used the torch. You heat them till they pop and it will scare the crap outta you the first time they do if your not ready for it. Nobody told me LOL. It took us an hour with an industrial size vise and acetylene torch to do mine and it sucked. We had to keep heating the damn thing up and try to keep from burning ourselves. They were seized and did not want to come out. If I had to do it over, I would just drop it off somewhere. If you do decide to do it yourself, take your time and use heat. If you just pound on that vice you'll break the ears off or whatever there called. And like 650 said DON'T HIT THE DRIVESHAFT. Luckily I had someone there with experience to prevent me from doing this to mine and destroying it.
I was told they were no problem also before I did mine. Geez it sucked. Good Luck.
If you're talking about the clunking sound it makes when putting it in Drive...just learn to live with it...not all but many TR's/GN's do this...never figured out what it is but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems...my GN has been doing it since I bought it new in 87...I replaced both u-joints...the front yoke and it still does it...just another interesting characteristic of these cars...
A few notes:
If you have stockers you have to use heat to melt out the injected plastic retainers, this was mentiond. Enough heat will cause the grease to expand and it will blow the cup right out of the DS yoke. This was mentiond, but not exactly to that level. I learned when a cup missed my face by a few inches, still ended up with hot grease on my face. Thought it was worth a second mention.
As mentioned, use various sockets, boards, etc to support the DS and drive out the old joint. Drive it through one side till a cup comes out, tap the exposed arm to drive the oppisite cup through a little, swing out the center of the joint, use a drift or long rod to drive the remaining cup out from the inside. Dont hit the DS, watch so as not to drive the old U-joint body into the inside of the yoke arms. This will burr them. It could tear up the new cup or seals when they are installed or make it impossable to install the retainers latter.
To install: Pull the cups from the new joint and lay them aside where they will stay clean. Drop the joint center into the DS yoke, poke one of the arms all of the way through and place a cap on it. Hold the center section up into the cup, this keeps the needle bearings in place, and tap the cup in. Shift the center to poke out the other side and do the same thing. Make sure you keep the arms at least partialy inserted in the cups, this again keeps the needle bearing in place. Once in install the retainers included with the joints. Don't forget this part!!! They should be wire C-clips that snap on the cups just inside of the yoke.
Before you take it apart mark the DS in relation to the trans yoke and rear end yoke. Reinstall them so that you keep that orintation. IE, don't trun the trans yoke 180 out. Don't remount the DS backwords. Flipping things around may cause a vibration.
If you get greasable joints then pay attention to the rotation of the DS when in drive. Make sure the trans yoke turns "into" the fitting. Make sure the DS turn "into" the fitting at the rear end. The idea is the torque will push this "driven" arm of the joint into the fitting, sort of holding the hole for the fitting closed around the fitting. If the fitting is behind this "driven" arm the torque will spread the hole open, potentialy causing a failure. You milage may vary on that one, but I like to install them that way no matter the power of the motor just to be safe.
All in all, a little work, but not that bad, just pay attention. I have done several with sockets, hammers, and various boards to use as spacers off the ground. If working alone I have to do it on the ground so that I can put a leg or foot onthe DS while I beat the u-jounts out or in. I have a shop press now
Brent
If you have stockers you have to use heat to melt out the injected plastic retainers, this was mentiond. Enough heat will cause the grease to expand and it will blow the cup right out of the DS yoke. This was mentiond, but not exactly to that level. I learned when a cup missed my face by a few inches, still ended up with hot grease on my face. Thought it was worth a second mention.
As mentioned, use various sockets, boards, etc to support the DS and drive out the old joint. Drive it through one side till a cup comes out, tap the exposed arm to drive the oppisite cup through a little, swing out the center of the joint, use a drift or long rod to drive the remaining cup out from the inside. Dont hit the DS, watch so as not to drive the old U-joint body into the inside of the yoke arms. This will burr them. It could tear up the new cup or seals when they are installed or make it impossable to install the retainers latter.
To install: Pull the cups from the new joint and lay them aside where they will stay clean. Drop the joint center into the DS yoke, poke one of the arms all of the way through and place a cap on it. Hold the center section up into the cup, this keeps the needle bearings in place, and tap the cup in. Shift the center to poke out the other side and do the same thing. Make sure you keep the arms at least partialy inserted in the cups, this again keeps the needle bearing in place. Once in install the retainers included with the joints. Don't forget this part!!! They should be wire C-clips that snap on the cups just inside of the yoke.
Before you take it apart mark the DS in relation to the trans yoke and rear end yoke. Reinstall them so that you keep that orintation. IE, don't trun the trans yoke 180 out. Don't remount the DS backwords. Flipping things around may cause a vibration.
If you get greasable joints then pay attention to the rotation of the DS when in drive. Make sure the trans yoke turns "into" the fitting. Make sure the DS turn "into" the fitting at the rear end. The idea is the torque will push this "driven" arm of the joint into the fitting, sort of holding the hole for the fitting closed around the fitting. If the fitting is behind this "driven" arm the torque will spread the hole open, potentialy causing a failure. You milage may vary on that one, but I like to install them that way no matter the power of the motor just to be safe.
All in all, a little work, but not that bad, just pay attention. I have done several with sockets, hammers, and various boards to use as spacers off the ground. If working alone I have to do it on the ground so that I can put a leg or foot onthe DS while I beat the u-jounts out or in. I have a shop press now
Brent
I removed the u-joints with a hammer, it was very easy lots of hammering, but since i had it rebuilt before it came out no problem... but the ones that i bought from NAPA heavy duty u-joints did not fit so i going to take it to a professional to have them replaced with hd ones..Thanks for the help and info
TTA583, yeah i live around the Outer Loop area... stop by sometime
TTA583, yeah i live around the Outer Loop area... stop by sometime
Yeah, Mine makes the clunk noise too. I just got used to it too!
If you don't want to deal with the mess yourself, take it to Republic Diesel in downtown Louisville. They do driveshafts all the time. They also rebalance them. I've had them do rebalances several times over the years. They do great work!
BTW, It's good to hear from the hometown boys!! I live in Fern Creek. Give me a shout sometime! tapryor@concentric.net
Keep the faith!!
If you don't want to deal with the mess yourself, take it to Republic Diesel in downtown Louisville. They do driveshafts all the time. They also rebalance them. I've had them do rebalances several times over the years. They do great work!
BTW, It's good to hear from the hometown boys!! I live in Fern Creek. Give me a shout sometime! tapryor@concentric.net
Keep the faith!!
Man, with all of the Lousiville people on here I don't see much room for anyone else!!! We just keep coming out of the woodwork.
Republic Deisel is a good shop. Picked up a stack of spicer u-joints from them a few weeks ago when I did the rear DS in my f-350.
I am out of Dixie, PRP area, not far at all. As a matter of fact I plan on looking at a house over off the Outer loop tomorrow.
You guys need to keep tabs on my car club site:
http://www.goattraks.com
The Lousiville Pontiac and GTO club's page, I run it for them. I hang out there quite a bit in our forums, stop in, say hi. You don't have to be in the club to register. We can get together or you can get the low down on our monthly cruises when the restart. We always have a big turn out, Pontiac not required. I good GN buddy I tend to drag along. Now that I think about it the club president even has a GN, man I am surounded.
Brent
Republic Deisel is a good shop. Picked up a stack of spicer u-joints from them a few weeks ago when I did the rear DS in my f-350.
I am out of Dixie, PRP area, not far at all. As a matter of fact I plan on looking at a house over off the Outer loop tomorrow.
You guys need to keep tabs on my car club site:
http://www.goattraks.com
The Lousiville Pontiac and GTO club's page, I run it for them. I hang out there quite a bit in our forums, stop in, say hi. You don't have to be in the club to register. We can get together or you can get the low down on our monthly cruises when the restart. We always have a big turn out, Pontiac not required. I good GN buddy I tend to drag along. Now that I think about it the club president even has a GN, man I am surounded.
Brent
turbot2496
New Member
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- Mar 16, 2003
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Excellent set of Instructions tta53. You da man!
). protect from marring with peice of wood or sumin.Yeah, there's more Louisville guys on here than you'd think. I lay low and absorb information .
Thanks for the e-mail Y-hate. We all should get together and make the cruise circuit this year. I'm single again and can make more events this year! A co-worker just bought a GN and he's itchin' to get out too. Gonna be a good year!
I need to hook up some spicer u-joints for mine just for insurance. You never know!
.Thanks for the e-mail Y-hate. We all should get together and make the cruise circuit this year. I'm single again and can make more events this year! A co-worker just bought a GN and he's itchin' to get out too. Gonna be a good year!
I need to hook up some spicer u-joints for mine just for insurance. You never know!
