I am trying to replace the universal joints in my truck. I bought the truck about a year ago and they definitely needed some work. I noticed that the rear universal joint connecting the driveshaft to the rear end had washers welded to it inside the yoke.

I have a 2002 F350 4x4 Dually. The rear end is a Dana 80 with numbers matching the truck. I might be missing something or something may have been changed because I cannot find a universal joint that will fit from the rear drive shaft to the rear end. I replaced ALL the other u-joints with no problems but the rear ones leave a gap...hence why the previous owner had washers in there. Am I missing something? I have been everywhere looking for a u-joint and no one has one that will fit.

Thanks,
Joe

 

You are gonna have to mic the cap diameter on both axis of the joint. And also measure the spread of the yoke (the o.d. of the joint with the washers included if you will) but measure the actual yoke. Then do the same on the prop shaft. With this information at hand, any real counterman should be able to find you a solution...

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I am not a mechanic but I did go in there with some general measurements. The caps seem to be the same for the yoke and the shaft, however, its the length of the u-joint from cap-to-cap that is different. It will need to have one side (cap-to-cap) longer than the other. Is that something that they should carry at most part stores? The people at Carquest and Advance didn't have a clue.

 

Advance doesnt' surprise me, CQ is a lil disturbing. If they are still looking it up by application after the first time then you have the wrong counterman. Ford "ujoints" have had inconsistencies in aftermarket "look-up" for years. It didnt get any better in 97+ either. You need a guy that knows his parts books. I'm outta the game now, otherwise i could help. Have you tried NAPA? Post your dimensions here, some of these guys are good at finding that info online. Maybe get you a Neepco or Precision # to cross.

 

I will get them tomorrow...actually accurate ones. Thanks again for your help.

 

Roger that.....

 

I do know this right now though:

I used Spicer 5-160x U-joints. Outside to outside dimension: 4.188 inch
Bearing cup size: 1.188 inch.

They worked and fit perfectly on drive shaft. When I put the u-joint into the yoke in the rear axle that is where I have the space a washer can fit in...roughly a quarter of an inch. I will get exact measurements tomorrow. However, it seems that the cup size is still correct because I don't get any movement that way...it fits snug but it slides back and forth because of the width from cap-to-cap.

 

i think this is going to be one of those deals where you need to go to a ford parts counter with your vin to get the proper parts.
auto store counter monkey are only as good as the info they put into the computer, and 99.9% of the time they enter the wrong info so you end up with the wrong parts.
i got so fed up with my driveshaft problems on my 02 that i went to ford and spent the $350 for a new rear driveshaft just to get rid of all the abortions the previous owner did to it.

 

So the u joint fits the driveshaft properly, but not the pinion yoke? What are the chances the pinion yoke was replaced with the wrong part at some point?

 

That would be a half a 1410 joint if you will. Then bigger on the cross is not possible, i dont believe.... i would look into the possibility of your yoke being incorrect.

 

they do make large/small universals, but i don't ever remember them being used in stock setups.

 

I finally figured out the issue. After getting under there and pulling the yoke and cleaning it thoroughly I realized the yoke was physically damaged. One of the ears that holds the universal in place was actually shaved off....exactly the width of two washers. So, the previous owner damaged the yoke and instead of getting a new one they simply welded washers to the universal joint. That is where my vibration was coming from. They didn't center it they put a washer on each side when both washers needed to be on a single side.

I didn't see it at first because of all the dirt and being under the truck on my back I couldn't look at the yoke at the correct angle to see that one of the nubs was sheared like that.

Solution: I just ordered a new yoke to replace the damaged one. I want to thank everyone that attempted to help me with the issue.

 

i hate when that happens.
that is why i replaced my driveshaft.
instead of fixing it properly they welded the universal caps to the shaft.
i think they got the wrong universals and could not be bothered getting the proper ones, so they used what they had and welded them in.
maybe our trucks both went to the same butcher in their former owners existence.

 

POG,


If there is a tag on your rear axle, do some research and see if it's the correct axle (not just ratio!!) Bet it's not.


If you read my last few posts on vibration, you'll find that I had an exact problem. Some genius even dropped a bead of weld in the yoke so the Ujoint wouldn't dick around and get off center. It ended up being overworked because of the fit and failed miserably. Took me forever to find it. (and a lot of bucks).


The correct fix is to pull the yoke and replace it. This will involve resetting the lash of the carrier to get it in spec. Sucks, but it's your only hope for a nights sleep. You can oversize this and undersize that but in the grand scheme of things, do it right and walk away. That joint has to be exactly centered or you'll end up trashing the entire rear driveline and could even crack your aluminum housings on the trans or tx case.


I would also replace the carrier bearing and race while at it. I guarantee they are toast or stale due to the hodgepodge from the past.


Need info PM me.


Denny

 

That is what I did. I looked up the tag an the rear end IS correct to the truck. The yoke was physically damaged so I ordered a new one from Ford.

I replaced all the universal joints, checked the drive shafts, replaced the carrier bearing, and bought the stuff to re-grease and re-seal the rear end. I hope everything will be good after I replace the yoke. If I have any problems I will definitely contact you. Thanks for the info!