What's Best Way To Remove/install Driveshaft U-joints On Cj-5?

What's the best way to remove the driveshaft ujoints on my 1967 CJ-5 that has the 225 V6 engine? Bang out with hammer & pipe? Use a "c-clamp" style press? Use an attachment for an air hammer? Some other way?

What is best way to remove the c-clips that go inside the driveshaft yokes that hold some of the bearing caps to the front driveshaft? Hold driveshaft in a vice and use two screwdrivers simultaneously on both ends of the c-rings to pry them out? Is there some tool that makes removing these c-clips easy? Or yet some other way that is best?

 

Do what you gotta do, in regard to the clips. Punch them out with a chisel, for instance. Driving the cups inward a smidge first may help. You should have new clips to install the new bearings.

To remove the cups from the yokes, you can press them back and forth. A appropriately sized socket in a vise works.

But the mechanic's trick is to smack the outside of the yoke hard with a hammer, and the reciprocal inertia will quickly bring the cups up and out.

Don''t strike the bore and damage it, but on solid iron down lower nearer the shaft.

 

i usually use a ball joint press that you can rent from your FLAPS to remove and install the u-joints. sometimes you don't really need it to install but sometimes you do. i also just use a screwdriver or a small chisel to remove the c clips with a hammer. just pound on the one side with a hammer and a socket to loosen the fit of the c clip and use the screwdriver or chisel with the hammer. then do the same with the other side. when using the ball joint press give it a couple turns with a wrench or air impact then give it a good smack with a hammer as that will bust things loose so the load is not too built up.

 

Bench vise.
Drive shaft U joints are no issue. As has been stated, whack the yoke with a hammer and get the outer cir clip out. That might not work right away, might need to press it with a bench vise or press or another way. Don't try and save the cir clips or reuse them. The new U joint will come with new ones. Get a socket the size of the cup and one oversize. Put in vise and press out one side. It won't get all the way out. You will probably need to put the cup back in the vise and wrench it back and forth until it comes out. Do this process again and get the cross out.

Installation is the reverse, but be careful that the needles not fall out or get sideways while pressing the cups in. . Press one cup in, install the cir clip and then do the same for the other side. When it doesnt move freely, whack the yoke with a hammer to loosen it up.

If it doesnt fit together, you have a needle in sideways and go buy another joint cause you probably ruined the needle or cup or cross or all of the above. Don't whack the yoke where the cups go, you might wreck the yoke.

Axle shaft Ujoint are similar, but more difficult to get to fit right. The inner circlips are a PITA and I used a cold chisel to get them off under pressure in a vise. They seem to get really rusty. They have all come out in pieces for me and have gone together hard.

 

remove grease fitting . I do the vise thing . and pound them out . installing use vise to start each side . them press both sides . follow up with two sockets . one thing to remember grease fitting must face drive shaft when installed . not hard at all

 

Sad but true. BTDT

I used to do the vise/press/socket thing for cup extraction, but IMHO the "reciprocal inertia whack" is faster and easier, without fumbling three-handed manuevers, and I can change out a UJ in about a half-hour. YMMV.

 

After the U-joint is installed be sure the bearing cups and C-clips are in their outermost position. This lets the joint move freely and will allow you to get grease in the joint at a later service.

 

Go to Youtube, there are several videos on this

 

I can report that a screwdriver stuck against one end of each clip which was then whacked with a hammer did work to get the c-clips off. I had been concerned that hitting the c-clips on one end might just spin them around and not remove them, but it didn't.

I have decent sized vice and even it did not open wide enough to fit the yoke plus 2 sockets so I tried instead bracing the yoke against something and hitting one of the ujoint caps that is in the yoke really hard with a medium sledge hammer using a socket and nothing budged. So tomorrow, I'm going to use the local Autozone loan-a-tool and borrow one of their ball joint presses and see if that works.

I noticed that I goofed & forgot to remove the c-clips from the ujoint I had trouble getting out and so maybe hitting it with a hammer & socket would have worked. But I did get the loaner tool from autozone and used it after I removed the inside c-clips and that tool did work just fine.

Interesting enough though, putting all that pressure on the ujoint (because it still had c-clips holding it) in fixed the problem where it was not pivoting freely throughout its range and after I took it apart and manually greased all 4 of its bearing caps, I put it back in and it is now working just fine.

Although I spent a number of hours doing this maintenance, at least I didn't have to pay a cent for anything!

 

Hit the u-joint yoke hard on the outside, not the bearing cup. The reaction will 'lift' the cup.

Don't hit over the cup bore, it will be damaged. Hit down slightly closer to the shaft

 

Elect your nephew or niece and then take him/her for a treat later....

 

I did it recently. The problem is not to break the needles inside. look on youtube.
It is possible but can be useful to have some help.
Use a grease which keeps the needles in position or keep grease in a cold place...
The most dangerous is when reinstalling and pressing ...needles must stay in position.
keep the space clean not to loose them, these needles are very fast to hide.

 

be carefull when pressing the ears can get bent inward. if its really stuck you may have to brace it apart with a piece of pipe or something.

 

ZOMBIE THREAD!

I gotta change out my U-joints too, so instead of creating another thread I will just post what I think is a fairly decent how-to video and get your thoughts on it.

Production values are good, uses a tripod so no shaky camera, plus he addresses issues with the slip yoke and fixes them, may be a little long for some of you folks, but very little BS.



I don’t think my Craftsman vice is big enough to handle the yoke and the sockets so
I might have to get the loaner tool from a FLAPS.

 

A large C-clamp will do it. You know you want one.

Or some fairly care tapping with a hammer or mallet.

 

Very True!

 

This. I have an 8in clamp that i used to use on my 76 powerwagon (crap full time hubs that year on the heavy half ton). I got to where i could fix quick in a parking lot if needed. Yes on the whack it on the yoke method.

 

If you remove the zerk you can completely fill the new cup with grease which will hold the needle bearings in place. When you install the cup the excess grease will squirt out the zerk fitting hole. I was taught that little trick when I was about 12 years old.