How the hell do you get the U-joints out?

[datsunaholic]

Iesus freaking... OK, so the front U-joint on my daily ('76 King Cab) has been going "ping" for a couple months. Occasionally. But yesterday it was going "ping" starting off from every stop, and when accelerating in traffic, any time I got on the gas. And getting louder. That's not good. I thought I had a spare driveshaft... but the front U-joint on it is loose too. These aren't the staked-in or swedged in U-joint bearing cups, they're held in with C-clips. I got the driveshaft out and the C-clips out no problem.

 

Manual says "tap driveline yoke with hammer until the cups fall out". Yeah, NOT happening. I've tapped. I've hammered. I've tried driving them out with a drift pin. I've tried heat. These buggers don't move. I've also totally destroyed one bearing cup when the device I was trying to use slipped and jammed INTO the bearing.

 

I hate taking stuff like this into the machine shop, because they're gonna want to do WAY more than simply remove the old U-joint. But really, I just need the dam cups out.

[ggzilla]

Some Datsun non-replaceable Ujoints have c-clips which Nissan called the "shell type" driveshaft. They are very difficult to get out.

[datzenmike]

Tap is wrong you have to use a large hammer and smack it hard on the yoke. Do not hit and dent the tube. Hold it in your hand and smack it....

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/2329-u-joint-replacement/

[Zeusimo]

I Had To Cut The Center + Piece With A Cut Off Wheel

Then Hammered The Bearings Out With Lots Of WD40

 

Only Did This On 1.. The Other Two Came Out Just With A Hammer

[datsunaholic]

Well, there's a reason Mike is the "King Rat". I wasn't hitting it hard enough, and I wasn't holding the driveshaft (I had it set over an old stepstool). So hit it with a lot bigger hammer and the yoke end ones came right out.

 

And were very obvious what the pinging was coming from:

 

 

 

The needles had hammered themselves into the inner race. Both sides of the yoke-end bearings, the driveshaft end bearings looked perfect.

 

Now, getting the yoke end off was fine, but getting the other 2 bearing caps off took standing 2 pieces of wood on their sides and supporting the remaining middle section and whacking the driveshaft end.

 

So, i already have the new U-joint in the shaft, but it's too dark to go reinstall the driveshaft (plus I need to now add gear oil) so that's tomorrows project. Now that I know how o do this I can refurb some of my old driveshafts so I can have a ready swap spare next time. I'll need more U-joints. I had 6 (3 pairs) but only one pair was the sealed-bearing type like the original. I used that, so I'll see how that goes. Yes, i packed it full of EP2 (per the U-joint's packaging instructions).

[ggzilla]

good work

[zed]

I Had To Cut The Center + Piece With A Cut Off Wheel

Then Hammered The Bearings Out With Lots Of WD40

 

now I don't feel so bad lol. I had a hell of a battle getting mine out - also had to use a cutter. I think the secret is to not hammer/press the bearing cup so far into the yoke that it comes out of the inside yoke 'bore' - cos you won't get it back in. Press it just far enough that you can grab it with a vise grip. I also polished the inside of the yoke bores with 180grit emery paper before I pressed the new joints in

[datsunaholic]

Ahh, no more "Ping!".

 

Now on to tackling the excessive camber. Hopefully it's mostly the UCA bushings, and I have lots of those. If I can get the camber below -2° I'll be happy... it's around -4-5° now on the passenger side, and eating tires on the inner edge.