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u joints gone bad ?

OL BLAZER

OL BLAZER

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Whats up everybody, just me a rookie mechanic who just changed my u joints on my 76 blazer about two weeks ago.But now the new u joints are starting to make noise too.

Anyways , I was wondering if there is anyway I could've messed up putting on the new ones ? I do know I used a hammer to get the new u joints on instead of using a press.:dunno: another thing I didnt grease them, does that matter?
 
If they are greasable you need to grease them... I believe it says such on/in the box when you open it up. (at least, everyone I've ever done says that)

If the joints you installed are making noise, they are probably not safe to use any more, time to get new joints.

You need to figure out if there are any other problems too: do your operating angles match, did you break anything during install, did contaminates get into joints, etc.

One other tip: I use a dead blow hammer (heavy rubber faced hammer) to install my joints as I dont have access to a press, easier on the joint than repeated steel to steel impact.
 
Well it looks like I'll be replacing the new u joints with some newer u joints today.As for the angles , I really dont have a big lift ,dont know just how much its lifted cause when I got the blazer it was like that already, I'm guessing like 4 to 6 inches of lift. I do know that my u bolts that hold my rear end were all loose, thats why the u joints messed up in the first place.

Another thing I was wondering was when the u joints are fresh out of the box they seemed to swivel pretty good , but as soon as I got them on the driveline they got tight, not so tight that they wouldn't swivel anymore but they where kinda tight and made me wonder if something was wrong with the way I put them on.

One last thing was the clips that hold the u joints in place.When I took them off there was only two , but in the box of new u joints there was four of those clips,are those extras? I also noticed my driveline seemed to have like a little less than quarter inch of play side to side with just two clips holding the u joints so I went ahead and put all four clips even though there was'nt a groove for the other two clips I just got them in there tight enough so they get rid of the play and keep it tight .
 
Next time you change out the ujoints, take a hammer and smake the yoke a couple times after the new joint is installed. That will loosen it up and make spin freely again. Smack it just below the cap/clip, on the meaty part of the yoke.:wink1:
 
so go ahead and hammer the new ones in , is that ok or should I stop being lazy and cross town to use a press to press them in ?
 
good ol hammer is the best way. Press is too strong imo and will warp/damage the driveline/yoke.
 
one more thing , do I put one of the clips in first , then hammer the u joints until they bottom out on the clip or do I get the u joints in first and then the clips come last?
 
Uh where did you put the other clips? There should only be 1 clip on each cap. Are you sure you have the proper size ujoint? What are the specs on the truck i.e. engine tranny tcase rear axle? Something is confusing me with the joint sliding side to side and the extra clips.

Oh they put 4 clips in the box because on shafts with a slip yoke, the joint is pressed into the yoke just like it is in the shaft so the other 2 caps need clips also.

Ira
 
OL BLAZER said:
one more thing , do I put one of the clips in first , then hammer the u joints until they bottom out on the clip or do I get the u joints in first and then the clips come last?
Click to expand...

The way I do them is put the cross in the yoke and start one cap and let the yoke sit down in it. While holding the yoke to prevent the needle bearings from falling out tap the cap into position until you can get the clip on the inside. Install the clip, then start the second cap ensuring the yoke is in the cap and all needles are standing up then slowly tap the second cap in position. Once it is started hammer that ****er home until you can get the second clip on.

It is also advised to carefully remove all 4 caps and set them upright off to the side to keep the needle bearings in place and to avoid having them fly off while you are installing the joint.

Ira
 
You can use a hammer of course. Although, its alot harder to do with a hammer and prevent needle bearings from falling over. The impacts from the hammer is what causes the bearings to fall over. Using an arbor press, I can install a u-joint in less than a minute. You just really have to pay attention with a hammer. One thing you can do if you dont have a press...squirt some grease into the cap and smear it around with your finger. That will help keep the bearings in place while you hammer on it.

Whoever said a press is too strong and will bend the yoke...Well what the hell are you pressing on the yoke for? :eek1:
 
It's basically a stock 76 blazer with a 12 bolt rear end , I have now idea what kind of tranny or trans case I got but I'd like to know. I just remember the lower u joints were good when i took the driveline down . I just changed them because I already had it down to change the ones closer to the tranny
 
OL BLAZER said:
It's basically a stock 76 blazer with a 12 bolt rear end , I have now idea what kind of tranny or trans case I got but I'd like to know. I just remember the lower u joints were good when i took the driveline down . I just changed them because I already had it down to change the ones closer to the tranny
Click to expand...

Is it a Manual or Auto. The tcase would be a 203 or 205. What are the positions on the Tcase shift lever. Are there 4 or 5 positions. Also it sounds like you have a fixed yoke 2 piece driveshaft. How did you get the ujoints for the truck? I.E. What did you tell the parts guy.

Ira
 
One more ? , the four bolts that hold the ujoints on the driveline,the ones that hold the other two caps . What I'm getting at is I tightned those four bolts as much as I could and they still dont get real tight. I still get that play I mentioned earlier , thats why I put those extra clips to try and get rid of the play .
 
KidJethro said:
Whoever said a press is too strong and will bend the yoke...Well what the hell are you pressing on the yoke for? :eek1:
Click to expand...

Used a press for removal and re install some 5-806x u joints for a dana 60 front axleshafts and bent the ears of the axleshafts removing the caps with a press and had to throw the inners away (rusted in there i guess). Ive also broke a vice trying to remove the u-joints out of same axleshaft. got new inners and when i did it with a hammer, was done with both joints in 5 minutes. I always use a hammer from now on and have had no trouble, just have to know what your doing.
 
sandawgk5 said:
Is it a Manual or Auto. The tcase would be a 203 or 205. What are the positions on the Tcase shift lever. Are there 4 or 5 positions. Also it sounds like you have a fixed yoke 2 piece driveshaft. How did you get the ujoints for the truck? I.E. What did you tell the parts guy.

Ira
Click to expand...

its a auto and as for the positions on the shift lever I can't tell its all worn out . When I got the ujoints all I did was go down to auto zone and give them my year and engine size 350.
 
There is 2 different sizes depending on your engine tranny combo. With the auto you should have a 203 according to the spec sheet on here. Is it cast iron with an aluminum rear? It sounds to me like you have the wrong size ujoint like the caps are too small and the straps are not clamping them properly. You should not need to run clips on those caps only the straps. The yoke on the Tcase should have little tabs on it just like the yoke on your axle.

I will see if I can find pics of the different cases.

Ira
 
going out to the truck right know to see if I got four or five positions.Could I 've gotten the wrong ones on there?

Looks like there's 5 positions on the shifter .What kind of trans case is that?
 
Here is what a 203 looks like
p112026_image_large.jpg



And here is what a 205 looks like.
Rebuilt205Billetrear.JPG

The billet covers and oil tube are aftermarket.:D

Which one does yours look like.

Ira
 
Ha! I worked for HAD for almost 2 years. I've installed/removed a ujoint or two and never bent or broke a yoke. :eek1:

I bet if you had given those 60 joints/yokes a few wacks with a hammer, THEN used the press, you wouldn't have bent the ears. When there old and rusted, in place you need to use hammer first, kinda like using a cheater to break loose a rusted nut before you can use the impact. That procedure worked for me when I changed out the joints on my CUCV 60. They were in there so tight, I looked to see if the caps had been welded to the yoke. No weld, but ALOT of the military carc paint. That shiit is like cement.

And why couldn't you bend them back and use them for trail spares?
 
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