Educate me on axle u-joint installation

[Mastiff]

Just ruined a brand new $40 u-joint, plus beat the snot out of my freshly cleaned and painted axle/stub...

It seemed easy enough, I pulled the caps off, inserted the cross into the stub shaft end, put the caps in as far as they would go and then tapped the caps in with a plastic mallet (other side against wood) until the slots became visible - inserted C clips.

I tried this same procedure on the axle, but after a while the caps wouldn't move with the plastic mallet. So I hit a bit harder, then got out my harbor freight "big C-clamp" tool. Long story short, I got one side in but the other would not go. I pulled it apart and found broken needle bearings in there. Some of them must have fallen away from the edge and gotten cross-ways.

How do I avoid doing this next time?

 

[tRustyK5]

Grease is your friend, use it to help 'glue' the needles to the inside of the cup. Secondly, if it ain't going the last little bit, pull apart and check for tipped needles, before breaking out the big tools.

 

[sweetk30]

first - plastic mallet back in the tool box .

second - paint up AFTER assembly for this item .

new joint from box .

pop off caps .

put 1 pump of grease in each cap if NOT spicer life series u-joints.

take pinky finger and press grease in needles creating a grease bowl effect. this will hold needles in cap 10x better.

cross in 1 shaft at a time. and correct zerk fitting position if greaseable u-joint. so you can grease it later with easy .

1 cap in and tapped home with clip on .

next hold 2nd cap in place and cross half way up in / out of both caps if you can do this easy . this helps hold needles in place. tap it home and clip it.

next shaft and same order for caps .

once all 4 clips in place take hammer and wack the yoke section by the caps all 4 to release tension from install. don't belive me first flex the joint . stiff and binding a bit. now wack all 4 and reflex it . it will be a LOT smother .

also the hammer to use is 3-4 lbs mini sludge for good firm quick hits if need be . no girly hammers.

also a good vise with small anvil pad on the back end is your friend.

dam I need to get the u-joint pic thread built for times like this . soon my friends soon

 

[Mastiff]

Thanks. I am using the life joints by the way. So the main mistake I made, I think, is trying to sort of do both caps simultaneously instead of doing one first, maybe? Trying to baby it probably didn't hurt anything, and I got away with it on the first pair.

I guess I'll go try again. I have one joint left.

 

[rebelgregory]

next hold 2nd cap in place and cross half way up in / out of both caps if you can do this easy . this helps hold needles in place. tap it home and clip it.

This is the key if spicer life series. Once you get the first cap on and put the second cap in by hand, if you can slide the cross all the way up and down, you should be good to go. Hammer away.

 

[Mastiff]

Okay, got it to go this time.

I think the life series makes things a bit more complicated. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but after the first cap is installed, the seals latch onto the joint so you don't really have the ability to move it up and down and ensure the other cap is lining up right and sliding freely.

This time I also found the crumpled piece of paper in the box saying that the caps need to go back on in the same order. It's hard to believe it's that critical, but I marked them to be sure.

Right now I feel a bit more resistance in one dimension than the other. Must be that the yoke C is a bit smaller and pressing the cross into the end of the caps? Or just the press fit on the caps holding it closed harder? I tried pounding the yoke to loosen it up with no success yet. I'll give it another shot... I wouldn't be surprised if the seals on these joints have some resistance for a while, but I have no experience with them.

EDIT: Got them to loosen up. Maybe this is what you meant, but hitting the yoke side on at the base of the "C" (while flat on the bench) is what did the trick for me.

 

[sweetk30]

life series are more fun .

reason for caps in same place is no extra greasze is used . and all greasze is in each cap/trunion . so if you mix them up chances are some get more than others .

I have read were some one tried to add a little grease to a non greaseable life series and blew out the seal.