Universal Joints
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,555
Likes: 8
From: Longview, TX
That sounds like its in reference to Smokiesman... His truck rolled right off the ramps and straight down the hill...
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11,286
Likes: 263
From: North of Greenville
Make sure to chock your rear tires on BOTH sides BEFORE disconnecting the driveshaft. You can also engage your e-brake as an extra measure of protection.
Forgetting that little detail above almost got me killed about 3 years ago, and I ended up with two broken bones in my left ankle before the truck came to a stop.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Make a column and label it FWIW. Under this heading, consider this: I took my drive line to a driveline shop... that's all they do, so they know their drivelines.
- The greasable ones are logical, but they still don't last as long as the OEM sealed units.
- We pulled my line and getting the old (265,000 miles) U-joints out took a hydraulic press, and even then they were stubborn.
- He put it on the spinner and my driveshaft was way out of balance - and bent (visually confirmed by me).
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 882
Likes: 11
From: Eastern CT
The way I did the old u-joints on my old F250: Get grease-able u-joints and take the grease fittings out. When you are getting ready to install the u-joints, take the caps off and pack them with grease so the needle bearings won't fall out. When you press them in to the yoke, the extra grease will come out of the grease fitting hole. Seemed to work well for me.
Red
Red
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
- There's snow on the ground. You know... under the truck.
- It's friggin' cold outside this close to the Land of Labatt
- There was a vibration in my truck and the driveline passed all the normal tests... so something more sinister was up.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,025
Likes: 0
From: ellensburg
When I did mine I just pulled the rear shaft (my rear u-joint was shot, the others were fine) put the yoke in a bench vice with a socket that was smaller than the hole in the yoke on one side, and a socket that was bigger than the cap then just tighten the vice down. Worked like a charm. I will add though that it was definitely something that gave us a little problem with the new bearings falling out. Pack them with grease, and be careful. Pretty easy job.
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Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11,286
Likes: 263
From: North of Greenville
Hotshot
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 13,484
Likes: 42
From: Stevens Point, WI
Make a column and label it FWIW. Under this heading, consider this: I took my drive line to a driveline shop... that's all they do, so they know their drivelines.
- The greasable ones are logical, but they still don't last as long as the OEM sealed units.
- We pulled my line and getting the old (265,000 miles) U-joints out took a hydraulic press, and even then they were stubborn.
- He put it on the spinner and my driveshaft was way out of balance - and bent (visually confirmed by me).
It was probably bent form the press. I use a hammer and only a hammer to change joints. I can easily say I have changed over 100 U-joints. Greasable ones are good, I like the brute force joints, no grease zerk but they last like OEM.
is a BAAAD MAN
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,738
Likes: 5
From: Winston Salem NC
When I had my driveshaft balanced I asked the shop owner if he used a press to take out the u-joints and he said "never." He always uses a hammer.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,319
Likes: 89
So the universal joint was causing this vibration? Was there any associated noise? Whine?
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,319
Likes: 89
No whine or growling. Upon removal of the U-joints, only one had... uh... bernelling or whatever it's called. It wasn't very serious. The vibration was pretty intense, though... and the work definitely took the vibration out. I assume it was the imbalance and bend in the driveshaft that was my key problem. That's not fixed with new U-joints. I have since moved on to the next three problems.
Thanks for the reponse Mr. T.
How does one check for a bad universal joint? Will it have play in it if you shake it or pry it with a pry bar?
A