Front axle U joint help
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 169
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Front axle U joint help
so i pulled my truck into work tonight and discovered that my front passenger side u-joint(the one that is right in the steering knuckle) is just about gone, no needle bearings left and about 1-2" of play in it. so i immediatly disengaged my hubs and and trying to not drive it very much.
- now my question is, do i just need the $30 u joint and thats it? are there any seals i would need?
- and has anyone done one and if so, how hard was it/how long did it take
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 3
From: Montreal
You need to remove the axle shaft and the hub assembly, so you will be disturbing the knuckle seal, if it stays in tact I think you could re-use it, but I'd put in a new one if I had it apart anyway. There's a dust seal where the axle shaft goes into the tube, if it's gone this would be a good time, and a yellow o-ring for the hub assembly itself, it might still be good but again, if it's apart... Tearing it down to do the u-joint gets you very close to the ball joints, so check 'em before hand and maybe save yourself from tearing it apart again.
I did mine at the same time as ball joints so can't really give you a time, but surprisingly the u-joints were the most time consuming part of the job.
I did mine at the same time as ball joints so can't really give you a time, but surprisingly the u-joints were the most time consuming part of the job.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,815
Likes: 24
From: Houston
Another note: If that u-joint is in there as tight as mine was you will end up pressing it out. When you do be sure to support the ears of the shaft from the inside or you will bend them and your new u-joint won't go in and you'll be looking for a new shaft...ask me how I know.
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 12
From: Greenbush, Minnesota
It's not an overly tough job. But, as was mentioned before, if your going to tear it down that far, you might as well replace the seals. When I replaced my Ujoint I went ahead and replaced all the seals. That large seal behind the bearing assembly would be tough to get out without damaging it.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,450
Likes: 70
From: South Jersey
like 89lx306 said they are in there really good. i sprayed mine for three days morning and night with wd40 and i bent the ears slightly with my shop press. i didn't realize it until i tried to put the new ones in, i took a measurement of the other axle shaft and i got my brass sledge hammer and knocked the ears back to where they should be. i have about 2000 miles on the joints since i did them and everything is fine.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
Likes: 1,679
From: Stephensville WI
You might want to look at this.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ll-joints.html
Yes, I know it is about changing ball joints, but it also shows how to tear down the front end, complete with pictures. Just stop when you get to the U-joints on the axle shafts.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ll-joints.html
Yes, I know it is about changing ball joints, but it also shows how to tear down the front end, complete with pictures. Just stop when you get to the U-joints on the axle shafts.
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