Drive Shaft dissasembly

[Fozz]

I just bought a cheap 84 K5 but I need to replace the rear drive shaft. I have a good driveshaft with no slip yoke attached and a dented drive shaft with the slip yoke attached. Im not sure how to disassemble the yoke from the shaft, I think I see some pins to remove, can you guys give me some pointers, I searched online but came up with nothing. Thanks!

 

[bp71k5]

The only easy disassembly possible is to remove the ujoints. Remove the clips on each cap and press it out. Or if you have the factory plastic cap joints that need to be heated before removing, a driveshaft shop should charge very little to remove joints for you as well.

 

[Fordum]

Not sure exactly what you are asking. There is no way I know of to take the slip yoke off one driveshaft and put it on one with no slip yoke.
At least without a welder and a lathe.

The slip part will either pull off or you may have to unscrew a cap on the end. But the other part is part of the shaft.
In other words, it will have to be cut off of one and welded onto the other by a shop that does these things.

And I would not bother. Unless the slip yoke happens to be brand new, they are generally too cheap to bother cutting off a used one and welding it to another.
Most drive shaft shops will have them in stock.

J.

 

[Fozz]

When I bought the K5 the original drive shaft was removed and was laying in the back of the blazer. The previous owners had already removed the slip yoke from it. I bought a replacement shaft+yoke from the pick-n-pull but the shaft was dented when they lifted the blazer with a forklift, but the yoke looked good. I just need to take the yoke off from the junk yard shaft and put it on the original shaft. Hope this clarifies the question. I looked and didn't see any clips on the u joints, but im not sure exactly what to look for. Thanks!

 

[bp71k5]

Of there's no clips, you probably have the plastic encased joints. There should be a small c clip on the inside of each cap on the joint. Its really hard to see sometimes, but its cheap to have someone at a driveshaft shop to remove them.

 

[Fordum]

I think Brian got a little ahead of himself<G>.
If you look in the hole where the bearing cap is and don't see a clip, then look just inside the yoke and see if there is a "C" clip around the outside of the bearing cap.

If there is no clip, then you have an original factory U-Joint.
The factory puts the joints into the yoke, holds them there lined up, and injects hot plastic in through small holes on the outside.
The plastic goes in and fills grooves in the outside of the bearing cap and the inside of the yoke.
When it hardens, it locks it in place.

You can press the joints out if you press hard enough. It will shear the plastic.
It works easier if you heat the joint just about as hot as you can stand to touch, or a little hotter.

That softens the plastic and lets them come out easier.

When you buy the replacement joint, it comes with the "C" clips that Brian mentions.
Just clean out the old plastic, put in the bearings and snap in the C clips.

But, you will not find both the plastic and the clips.

When you said you were trying to remove the yoke, I thought you had a shaft with the slip joint in the shaft. Not the one you have with the slip joint going into the transfer case.

 

[bp71k5]

Hmm, when I was trying to remove mine, I had the factory plastic joints and they had small c-clips on the inside of the yoke. Are you saying there's another option gm used?

 

[Fordum]

Nope, as far as I know plastic alone was factory.

If you had plastic and clips, then more than likely they had been changed and the PO did not clean the plastic out.
Straight from the factory is plastic only.
The replacement joints come with the clips.
There is no need for clips if the plastic is holding them.

I have a friend who runs a machine shop that specializes in drive-shafts.
For a while several years back, he did a booming business on first time replaced joints.
It seems that the machined out place for the clip on a lot of shafts was not done correctly.
Since GM was not going to use that, they let their vendors get sloppy.

They would chuck the shaft up in a jig, adjust the bearing depth from side to side until it was perfectly lined up, and then inject the plastic.

The shaft ran great until the joints wore out.
Then the hapless owner would press out the joints, install the new ones, with the clips, and the cross would not be centered in the joint, because the recesses for the clips were offset.

After changing them again, and trying everything they could think of, they would bring the shaft to him.

He showed me one. The cross was installed correctly, the clips were seated, and the center of the cross was between 1/8 and 1/4 inch off center.
Maybe more. No way that shaft was ever going to run true.

He would cut off the yoke, weld on a new one, and balance the shaft.

I have not heard about that problem lately, I guess GM got their act together.

J.