Pressing u-joints

[ilikefunkymusic]

Hey y'all, I pulled my rear driveshaft and the main prop shaft today and found that the sides of the yokes are not parallel.

Trying to operate a ball joint press on opposing sides that are shaped like this     "     \ /      "

instead of this        "     | |       "

Is seemingly impossible. I pressed out one side on one, and then realized that it either bent the u joint, or worse, one of the receiving ends on the yoke.

 

Tips or tricks here?

I tried fabricobbling a spacer out of two of the clips to fill the void, but could not get it to work out.

 

Cheers

[datzenmike]

Could very well have come down on solid rock and bent the yoke and the U joint inside. Probably vibrates right? You may have to cut what's left of the u joint out to get at the pinion nut and replace the yoke. 

[ilikefunkymusic]

Well I undertook the u joint replacement for both shafts today because I suspect they are the reason I have been experiencing vibrations.

 

I started the angle grinder this afternoon to cut them out, but realized that I would still need to press the replacements in, so I stopped.

 

 

[datzenmike]

They are very precisely machined parts. If the yoke is off a couple of thousandths the entire driveshaft is off by that much at one end. A considerable amount of weight.

 

Is there any noticeable damage on the yoke?

[ilikefunkymusic]

No damage that I can tell, I believe that I stopped before things really got out of hand.

 

Still begs the question... How are these joints pressed out if each side of the yokes are manufactured not parallel?

 

I'm planning to take both shafts to a driveline shop here tomorrow and have them check balance, and finish the job. Unfortunately.

[Stinky]

Phil's in Hotchkiss has a 4x4 standard cab 720.  He also has some other 720s.  They all didn't have motors and I don't remember about the drivelines....if yours is not saveable.

[datzenmike]

1 hour ago, ilikefunkymusic said:

No damage that I can tell, I believe that I stopped before things really got out of hand.

 

Still begs the question... How are these joints pressed out if each side of the yokes are manufactured not parallel?

 

I'm planning to take both shafts to a driveline shop here tomorrow and have them check balance, and finish the job. Unfortunately.

 

They are not made not parallel. Either damaged from hitting something or damaged while pressing it out.

[ilikefunkymusic]

I'm not explaining this correctly.

 

The yokes hold the u joints just fine and nothing is damaged.

 

The metal of the yokes, on the outside... the portion that holds each cap of the u joint. Specifically where the press will rest... half of that lip is at one height, and it tapers up. Go look at your yokes man. This is how it was produced. They are not flat areas... 

 

If I could post a picture directly it would help explain

Edited August 26, 2021 by ilikefunkymusic

[ilikefunkymusic]

Hot damn all of a sudden I see I'm able to post pictures. I'll update my intro thread with pics of the truck but for now here is what I have been trying to describe. How do you get a press to set level on something that isnt?

Edited August 26, 2021 by ilikefunkymusic

[ilikefunkymusic]

9 hours ago, Stinky said:

Phil's in Hotchkiss has a 4x4 standard cab 720.  He also has some other 720s.  They all didn't have motors and I don't remember about the drivelines....if yours is not saveable.

Stinky thanks for the hot tip! Even if I don't wind up needing shafts, there are a couple of odd things I'll reach out and see if they have (driver side window regulator for example) 

 

Cheers!

[datzenmike]

Hmmmm I just remove the snap rings and holding in my hand hit the thick part of the yoke with a hammer but NOT the tube!!!. The sudden shock drives the yoke away but the U joint's inertia will resist this and it will slowly appear to be lifting up and out of the yoke. Doesn't hurt to lube beforehand with penetrating oil.

[ilikefunkymusic]

Wow I wish these were that easy. The one side I did press required a hefty amount of force before you heard the first pop of the release. 

Tried with yoke in vise, drift punch on the u joint cap and hammering but no movement.

Appreciate the time and effort here fellas

[jagman]

Take the circlips off of the inside o9f the cups. Use two sockets, one larger than the outer diameter and one smaller than the cup.  Use a vice to press the ujoint out one side at a time.

[ilikefunkymusic]

Well I did remove all the clips before attempting to press anything.

Been using a hefty C shape ball joint press, not much different than a vise, but I'll have a go

[datzenmike]

I wouldn't hammer directly on the caps they will swell or expand. I see what you mean about the taper.

 

[ilikefunkymusic]

What I need to do is get a cheap impact socket for the receiving end, and grind away material on it to match the rake of the yoke.

 

[Charlie69]

I spray liberally with WD40 remove circlips, take a brass drift and a 2lb hammer support the the ujoint end on a flat surface (This takes 2 people and I use a 2 x 4 on top of the flat area on my vice) hammer all 4 caps until each cap moves in and out, respray with WD40 and then use my vise and the method jagman described with the 2 sockets to press out the joints. Reverse the pressing to install new joints.

 

The brass drift and the 2 x 4  help to not damage anything, but you still need to pay attention.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

The tight fit means that when they rust over time, you need one helluva lot of pressure to get them moving again. I use a hammer and vise for u-joints, but when they become difficult, I resort to the press.  Heat can also help and penetrating oil too. I heat then squirt with penetrating oil. Be careful of the fumes though.

 

I've had them in the press with tons of pressure on them and heated up and not budging, so what to do then? Walk away and let the heat/penetrating oil/cooling do it's magic. Obviously you need to support the shaft somehow so it isn't dangling, but with the shaft supported, you can leave it there and you might just hear a loud pop later in the day.

 

I wouldn't be concerned with hurting the caps by hitting them with a hammer. Presumably you're going to replace them, so smack away. I have never had them swell by hitting them too hard. Crack? yes, but not swell.

 

I do, however, worry about damaging the yoke ears. They need proper support or you could booger them up or even bend them. Instead of a socket to support the bottom of the yoke, use a thick piece of steel pipe. You can even grind it slightly so it fits the forged contour and won't slip.

 

There's no on-tool-fits-all for this job. Sometimes you need to throw everything you've got at it.

[bottomwatcher]

This works.