This is turning out to be a rotten day. Pulled down the rear slip joint to lube it up, now the darn thing won't go back together. Slipped in real nice twice, but had to pull it out to realign it, it is acting like the male end has swollen or expanded. I hit it with my BFH and it is peeling the blue plastic back. Anybody every have this problem. I wiped off all the grease thinking it was hydro-locking - but still nothing. HELP!

 

After time that blue stuff works itself to fit in one spot. Are you sure you have it aligned to the same spot when you took it apart? If enough of that blue stuff comes off then there will be a gap with the splines and you will have a bad vibration. If you can get it to fit in any position ide take it.

Ive worked with driveshaft's 5" in diameter that have a grease zerk put it them so you dont have to take the slipyoke off for this very reason. Once that blue stuff comes off that part of the driveshaft is junk, because of the gap it will vibrate and wear faster then the u-joint(reason for taking driveshaft out) At 120lb's taking that driveshaft out twice is just stupid! Do it right the first time i say!

If only a little blue has come off i wouldn't worry. Check for burs on the end of the splines, take a file and file every corner down to a 45 degree angle to help with ease of installation. If it came apart without problems then it should go back together without problems. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the reply FordBronco - I did get it back together. I cleaned all the fresh grease of the slines and it slid right back on. I slid it on halfway - put the finest layer of grease on the 'top' half and worked it back and forth a few times. Works great now, no clunks. I'm surprised just how little grease I used, but it seems to work.

 

the driveshaft has one spline missing on the female end, just so the grease can come out and not be hydrolocked in there. i know that there is only one way or a few ways that the shaft can be put on because it is keyed.

 

i had the same problem too much grease = hydrolock