I just replaced the rear u-joint on my truck. It is on a 67 Mustang drive shaft and mated to my 78 Lincoln Versailles rear-end. My question is: How tight should the u-joint fit in the yoke? My Spicer# is 5-153X with external clips. It fit in place, but it took a lot of effort to push it in far enough for the clips to clear. Then the u-joint felt very stiff when I tried to move it up and down. I think the ends of the shaft are rubbing a little inside the caps. Is this OK? Will the u-joint wear in? Or is it just going to wear out again? The width, by the way, was 82 mm. Thanks for any insight. John

 

That happened to me once, I took the ujoint off to check that I hadn't screwed up any needle bearings, but I had. Maybe you screwed some up on yours?

 

I agree with joners... It is really easy for the needle bearings to fall down and get in the way. However, it is very rare, but I have also seen where the wrong caps are placed on the u-joint. Check and make sure that the caps are the same size all the way around. Additionally, the caps should fit relatively tight in the yoke. I would be concerned if it was loose! The cap shouldn't turn within the yoke, only the joint within the cap. Check and make sure that none of the needle bearings fell down inside the cap. Good luck,
Vern

 

Thanks guys, I'll check, but I don't think any needle bearings fell. But it cant hurt to be sure. John