U joint replacement pending

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mario8402
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:02 am
Location: Houston, TX

U joint replacement pending

Postby mario8402 » Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:37 pm

I decided to change the u joints myself. I sprayed them with pb blaster the other day just for peace of mind. I started this evening at 8:30 to see if I could even loosen the dreaded bolts everyone was talking about.... a wrench on the nut against the undercarriage to keep it from turning and a socket/breaker bar combo broke all 4 bolts rather easily, surprise surprise... since I wasn't expecting to actually get it out I didn't actually get the ujoints yet so I decided to try to remove it with the old hammer and socket trick.
I wasn't sure exactly how hard is TOO hard to hit it and I tried hitting from the back with a hammer and screwdriver against the cap but it seemed too risky; so the swap is pending tomorrow so I can swing by autozone and rent a ujoint puller and buy the actual ujoints. I would say to anyone trying this not to be too afraid to try it. I would imaging if I had the proper tools and parts I would be finished in 1.5-2hr from start to finish? :?


staynlean
Posts: 197
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:28 pm
Location: Memphis Tennessee

Postby staynlean » Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:42 pm

Very easy to do with a socket and hammer. Keep pounding away just don't hit that precious aluminum shaft. And ditch the flat head screwdriver, you don't need that at all for this procedure (except to pop the retainer pins off the top of the joints.)

mario8402
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:02 am
Location: Houston, TX

Postby mario8402 » Wed Jul 24, 2013 6:50 pm

done. get the u joint press tool from autozone, it makes it so much easier! had the first u joint completely out in about 10 minutes and didn't worry about beating anything up.
worse part of the whole thing was probably putting the driveshaft back in and tightening the rear bolts. good luck!


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