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Bent Ujoint ears... now what?

Metalhead47

Metalhead47

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I'm really starting to hate Ujoints. Bent the ears doing the joints on my Samurai using a press, so tried the sockets & BFH bit on my front axleshafts. Finally got the old joints out after getting a torch, now I've got bent yoke ears AGAIN. All four yokes are about 1/10" too small now. Tried beating them open with the BFH, no luck. Tried rigging one up in a press & heating it up as much as I could with just a propane torch, still no luck. Opened it up a little bit but still can't get both snap rings in.

Anyone else have any ideas I can try? I reeeeeeeealy don't want to have to get new axleshafts. This whole fiasco started as a brake job.:surepal: I'm already into it for all new bearings, seals, & ujoints.
 
Had to do this on my front shaft that came from a truck that was absolutely trashed after being stolen.

Used an acetylene torch, huge bolt, washers, and nuts. Took two of us, but heated up the yoke "ears", and expanded the yoke by turning the nuts against the ears until it was wide enough. It took a couple tries, and the metal was springy enough that we needed to go beyond the right distance, but we got it. Use some dial calipers or something to get your baseline from a known point, and use that to measure your progress in expanding the yoke ears.
 
old u-joints, or ones that I am replacing no longer get hammered or pressed after I did the same thing to a 10b axle shaft. I cut them out now with sawzall or cut off wheel and the just knock the caps through. I like dyeager's idea of using the bolt and nuts. if it is only 1/10 of an inch could you just grind off a little of whats in the way and make it fit? Just an idea 'cause heck its already messed up.
 
Acetylene torch is beyond me, I even had to rush out & get a proper propane torch. I see yer in Seattle, how much to fix 'em for me?:D

dyeager535 said:
Had to do this on my front shaft that came from a truck that was absolutely trashed after being stolen.

Used an acetylene torch, huge bolt, washers, and nuts. Took two of us, but heated up the yoke "ears", and expanded the yoke by turning the nuts against the ears until it was wide enough. It took a couple tries, and the metal was springy enough that we needed to go beyond the right distance, but we got it. Use some dial calipers or something to get your baseline from a known point, and use that to measure your progress in expanding the yoke ears.
Click to expand...
 
I think heat's a bad idea, it will mess with the heat treatment of the shaft.

I wouldn't reuse a shaft with a bent yoke. The fact that it stayed bent means you exceeded its yield strength, if you get it bent back it will be significantly weaker than it was (and the ears are already a weak point on most axles).

For future use for people installing/removing joints: put some kind of spacer in between the two ears (even a bolt cut to exactly the right length and lightly tapped in between the ears). This keeps the ears from deforming.
 
That's the part that really twists me. One joint, I DID cut it apart first! Still ended up bending the SOB somehow. I think next time it's Ujoint time I'll beg/borrow/steal a welder and weld something between the dem ears to keep them apart. You've got a point about grinding it down, guess that's one advantage to these half-circle snap rings. But won't grinding down make the joint off-center?
Just checking online for replacement axleshafts, Ebay is the only place I've found stock replacements (30 spline), everyone & their mother wants to sell me unbreakable chromo uberparts that would just be overkill even if I didn't mind dropping half my paycheck on 'em:eek1:

454k30 said:
old u-joints, or ones that I am replacing no longer get hammered or pressed after I did the same thing to a 10b axle shaft. I cut them out now with sawzall or cut off wheel and the just knock the caps through. I like dyeager's idea of using the bolt and nuts. if it is only 1/10 of an inch could you just grind off a little of whats in the way and make it fit? Just an idea 'cause heck its already messed up.
Click to expand...
 
38377k5 said:
For future use for people installing/removing joints: put some kind of spacer in between the two ears (even a bolt cut to exactly the right length and lightly tapped in between the ears). This keeps the ears from deforming.
Click to expand...

:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:

Trouble is, people need to know this BEFORE they tackle the parts. Took me TWO bad Ujoints trips to learn this. All the posts you see BEFORE you try it say things like, "oh joints are so eeeeeasy just use my tried & true method and they pop right out! But don't use THAT guy's method or you'll bend your ears!":doah:
 
Do they actually heat treat cast? Those yokes are cast aren't they?

I agree though, if it messes with the heat treat, and you use the parts hard, probably not a good idea. I did it on mine solely because it's the front, I don't use it much at all, and if it DID let go, it's not going to cause a life threatening situation.
 
Well to clarify, these are the front axleshafts, dunno if those would be heat treated or not. This rig will never see any real strenuous beat-it-against-every-rock wheeling (that's what the Sami is for), and at the most will only see 35" tires and a limited slip in front.

dyeager535 said:
Do they actually heat treat cast? Those yokes are cast aren't they?

I agree though, if it messes with the heat treat, and you use the parts hard, probably not a good idea. I did it on mine solely because it's the front, I don't use it much at all, and if it DID let go, it's not going to cause a life threatening situation.
Click to expand...
 
Well, I went back to double check my info and even stock (Spicer) shafts are induction hardened but apparently the yoke does not generally go through this process. If that is the case, heating the yoke probably doesn't matter much (on stock shafts).

Some reading here.
 
Heh, sorry, not anywhere near home to help.

I'm going to end up doing my axleshaft u-joints as well, I can only hope I don't have the problems many do.
 
dyeager535 said:
Do they actually heat treat cast? Those yokes are cast aren't they?

I agree though, if it messes with the heat treat, and you use the parts hard, probably not a good idea. I did it on mine solely because it's the front, I don't use it much at all, and if it DID let go, it's not going to cause a life threatening situation.
Click to expand...

they do not heat treat the yokes on axles shafts only the splines and actuall shaft get induction heat treated
 
You more than likely will not hurt the yokes as long as you cool them in OIL. The oil quenches the metal as it cools it, and lessons the chances of changing the structural integrity of the metal.
 
dbabicky said:
You more than likely will not hurt the yokes as long as you cool them in OIL. The oil quenches the metal as it cools it, and lessons the chances of changing the structural integrity of the metal.
Click to expand...

oil quenching will make the material harder and more brittle, the best way is to let it cool at room tempature
 
I've also heard it's easy to replace the u-joints, but that's one thing I've never been able to do. It's way easier to drive over to the driveline shop and pay the guy $25 to replace them. That includes the cost of the joint.
 
oil quenching will make the material harder and more brittle, the best way is to let it cool at room tempature
Click to expand...

x2

Quenching hot steel in oil or water hardens it, but also makes it more brittle.

A slow cool in air will not harden or embrittle steel, but will remove any previous heat treatment.
 
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