loose U-joint
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loose U-joint
first off, i have an 85 F-250 4x4 with an I-6 engine and manual locking hubs. the U-joint on the front, passanger side axel shaft is pretty loose and i can move it around about a quarter inch. the drivers side one however is totaly solid and doesnt budge. any time i go over bumps in the road i can hear it rattleing around, wich is why i checked it out. ive locked up the hubs and went off roading a little while ago and it didnt seem to affect anything, but it cant be good either. any suggestions on what i should do? is the passanger side one suppost to be that loose? my friends told me that they could hear a popping sound comeing from the front end when ever i would take corners (in the dirt 4x4ing).
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by Psyte
any suggestions on what i should do? is the passanger side one suppost to be that loose?
There shouldn't be any lateral play in the u-joint itself.
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From: Conyers
Stranded? You're talking like the truck is a front wheel drive. Just replace the u-joint the first chance you get...until that time, try not to use 4wd and be VERY careful if you do have to, that is unless you're looking for a reason to upgrade. 
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by wildjon300ci
Stranded? You're talking like the truck is a front wheel drive.
Last edited by IB Tim; Dec 16, 2004 at 12:11 PM. Reason: Language
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hmm.... i hope i didnt damage it more last weekend. how exactly do i fix it? it looks like some bearings or bushings fell out or something, is there some kind of u-joint rebuild kit for these trucks? or do i have to replace the whole shaft? does the whole shaft have to be removed from the dif and wheel to be repaired?
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From: Spokane, WA
I just replaced a U-joint today. $13 at Napa. You won't have to replace the whole shaft. If you don't have a Haynes manual already go pick one up. They're only about $15 and will explain in detail how to disassemble everything in order to replace the U-joint. Crossman is right about the wheel bearings, good time to get it all checked out while you have it apart.
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From: Centerville, Iowa
My question/theory on U-joints: Does the old adage of "Break it to build it" hold true with Ujoints. I mean, you blow out your D44 and you stuff a D60 under there. Snap your 208, replace it with the geared 205 (fishy ^_^ ). But with U-joints, aren't they made to play the whipping boy in the driveline? I mean...you buff out your U-joint and instead of breaking a 15 dollar part and spending a couple hours on your butt, you're vehicle is down for several days and you're out a few hundred bucks.
What's your verdict? I suppose this also depends on whether you are DD/Weekend Warrior vs a pretty much dedicated rig like yours Ivan (save the occasional mall-crawling
).
What's your verdict? I suppose this also depends on whether you are DD/Weekend Warrior vs a pretty much dedicated rig like yours Ivan (save the occasional mall-crawling
).
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From: Spokane, WA
I'd be in tears if I had to spend more than 2 days away from the mall because of busted parts.
Sometimes if you're REALLY getting on it a U-joint will just flat out snap. There's not a whole lot you can do about this except upgrade to CTM's but I've only got 1 kidney left and it's worth less than my liver so that won't be happening anytime soon. I feel that a U-joint is one of those parts that you need to replace as soon as you find that it's faulty. I'm not by any means a mantainence kind of guy but U-joints are dirt cheap, easy to replace, and can save you a lot of time and money down the road for other parts that break.
Sometimes if you're REALLY getting on it a U-joint will just flat out snap. There's not a whole lot you can do about this except upgrade to CTM's but I've only got 1 kidney left and it's worth less than my liver so that won't be happening anytime soon. I feel that a U-joint is one of those parts that you need to replace as soon as you find that it's faulty. I'm not by any means a mantainence kind of guy but U-joints are dirt cheap, easy to replace, and can save you a lot of time and money down the road for other parts that break.
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From: NW Ohio
You are better off to replace it then to have it really start messing things up. Mine driver side popped a cap off when I was out wheeling and totally destroyed my axle shaft and the hub shaft. I was out about $100 and about 3 weeks with my truck on jackstands in my garage, but luckily mine is only a weekend warrior. I also did the rest of the u-joints during my downtime so I didn't have to worry about it, better to be safe than sorry and have to spend more money when the u-joint went exploder on the passenger side.
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alright well, i guess now that its saturday i have no reason not to replace it. but i have a bad feeling that u-joint is gona be more like $50 canadian at my local auto parts store. they tend to mark everything up retardedly high (lordco). the axel clinking around is getting really annoying anyway.
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From: Spokane, WA
The U-joint should not be close to $50 . . . even Canadian. I'd say $30 top. Why don't you call ahead and check the price? To be on the safe side I always take the old U-joint in with me when I get a new one. For some reason the parts books don't always agree with what Ford did. It sucks to get home and then find out that the caps don't fit. 
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ok.... ive got a bit of a problem now. ive spent the last few hours trying to get the old u-joint off and it seems impossible. the haynes manual is extreamly un-helpfull with this type of u-joint. it only covers the outer snap ring style u-joints and barely talks about the other kind. it mentioned something about a plastic injected u-joint. i dont have the outer snap ring, this one looks like it has to be pressed in(or out) of the axels with some kind of special tool. what exactly do i need to do to get this u-joint out? as far as i know, i have a dana44HD IFS front axel, its an 85 f250 4x4 with an I6 engine.
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From: Spokane, WA
Two options. You can be total redneck and use a socket smaller than the U-joint cap and bang it out with a hammer or you can be a partial redneck and use a C-clamp and a small socket to push the cap out. 
I used a hammer to remove mine and a C-clamp to install then new joint so I didn't destroy it. You can also use a bench vise if you have one. Put a BIG socket on the backside so the cap can fit inside it as it pushes through.
I used a hammer to remove mine and a C-clamp to install then new joint so I didn't destroy it. You can also use a bench vise if you have one. Put a BIG socket on the backside so the cap can fit inside it as it pushes through.