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hey guys, i just replaced the front driveshaft u-joint on the passengers side and the new joint is quite a bit more stiff than the others. I wasnt sure if this is normal because its new or what. I made sure no dirt or foreign debris was in the caps and all the needles were in place as well. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Should be a little stiff but yes at same time can be too "stiff".
Did you do the ole hammer couple sockets knock the old out new one in? (just fine if you did by the way)
However in the process it wouldn't be uncommon to pinch the cup loops toward each other in attempt get the clips in.
What I do is take a skinny drift (big regular screwdriver would work) and a hammer (after clips are in place), stick it through the middle of the joint and knocking the loops toward the "outside". Done so so the new joint is not being in effect "pinched", pushed in by the cap loops on the stub shaft and main drive shaft sides both. Doing so nicely frees up the u joint when/if needed, good whack each way is all it takes.
Yes, the yoke ears sometimes are "sprung" slightly when you install the new joint. Tap the ears of the yoke and wiggle the joint - you'll be able to feel when the joint frees up. Ideally you'd want a brass hammer so you don't mar the steel - but that's totally up to you!