SV: Propeller Shaft U-Joints

[Bo Strander]

Hi Steve,
No big deal actually to remove and overhaul your u-joints (that is if yo?
have your axles out of the car on your working bench).
- First mark both forks with a punchmark or similar so you now how to put
them together again.
- Take away the circlips
- Use a socket that fitts inside where the circlips was placed, as large as
possible but well inside the "walls".
- With a hammer ( preferably a soft one that eliminates uneven strokes, and
hitting as perpendicular towards the bearing cage as possible) and some even
strokes on the top of the socket you should notice that the opposite bearing
cage is moving towards the flange (down towards the bench).
- When you have driven the lower bearing cage as far down as possible, you
invert the axel 180? and now by hitting the fork (not the bearing case!) you
drive the other bearing cage as far out as possible.
-You should now be able to manouvre out the u-joint from the bearing cages
and thereby separate the two axle -halves.
-You now have two bearing cages driven half way out of the fork. Use a soft
plier with soft grips or some soft cloth or plastic
in between the grips, and take out the bearing cages.
-Assembling is straightforward, no problems there: Take care when you drive
home the bearing cages that you drive them carefully, make sure not to tilt
them (if tilted they will jam). Also take care not to drive them home to
far, just enough to fit the snaprings.

When you put together the two axle-parts again make sure you follow the
markings you did at the start. Then you should have no problems with
misalignement and vibrations.

Hope you can understand my sw-english and good luck with the work.
Honestly: If you have taken out the driveshafts from your car , you should
have no problems with this job.

Good luck
Bo the swede (painting my amphi next month)



-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Fr?n: Steven D. Reich [mailto:sdreich@pacbell.net]
Skickat: den 18 augusti 2003 03:08
Till: Amphicar-Lovers
?mne: [amphicar-lovers] Propeller Shaft U-Joints


Hi-

Apparently there is a U-joint repair kit for propeller shaft U-joints
which
at ~$54 is far cheaper than a shaft assembly (~$300). I have removed
retainer rings from the four u-joint ends at the prop side. Now what?
How
do I get it apart? There are no grease fittings, so how are you supposed
to
lubricate these joints?

-Steve

'64 red (AMPHICR) in the driveway in many, many pieces
'64 red (I SWIM 2) happy to be home safely from its trip to Celina


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

[Al Heath]

For u-joints in general, another member suggested:
>> - Use a socket that fitts inside where the circlips was placed,
>> as large as possible but well inside the "walls".

On the other hand, I use the just the opposite ... a large socket that fits
onto the yoke ears and large enough such that the end bearing cap will fit
INTO the socket (Fairly large socket). I support the cross via the other
ears of this yoke by laying it on the jaws of a vice and thus when driving
the vertical ears down, the horizontal ears stay put and the end bearing
cap comes UP into the large socket. Years ago I used to drive the cross
down as previously mentioned, but seem to have better luck lately driving
the ears down and letting the end bearing cap come up instead. It'll come
up enough to grap with vice grips or the jaws of the vice to wiggle it the
rest of the way out. To re-install, after the appropriate pre-lubing to
hold the needle bearings in place in the end cap, I first will SQUEEZE the
bearing caps into position (as far as they will go) with the jaws of a
vice, and then use a small socket fitting inside the circlips and SQUEEZE
the caps into "final" position. I find less chance of getting them started
crooked this way. Then, after putting the circlips in place, I put the
yoke back on the vice as if I was going to take it apart (thus using the
large socket) and tap (medium force ... ) to set the end bearing caps back
out against the clips. When it is "just right", the joint will move free
and easily in all appropriate directions.

So, for what its worth, you have differing opinions. I'm just relaying
what works for me, Your mileage may vary.

Al in Tx

 

[nelson625@aol.com]

Re: Re: SV: Propeller Shaft U-Joints

Al -
I would second everything you said about U-joint removal and
reinstallation. It has worked well for me exactly as you described, particularly
in
your utilization of the vise. However, I would add one suggestion gleaned from
someone who does this procedure over and over. That is, after the new joint is
installed, as you mentioned it should move freely with no indication of a
bind. IF it does not, a sharp rap with a hammer (not overdoing it) on the yoke
on
both outer sides of the u-joint (the rap being in the same line as an
imaginary line from end cap to end cap) will almost always free it up
immediately. If
not, it would tend to indicate that one end cap was somehow put in slightly
crooked or cocked. It is prettty hard to get one in crooked very far without
distorting the end cap irreparably, but stranger things have happened. This is
my
two cents worth. Vic "Splash" Nelson near Daytona


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

[amphicar_reich]

Hi-

Thanks, Bo. I still don't understand the mechanics, but if you hit
the cap and/or yoke enough times in the right sequence, the whole
thing comes apart.

Now my question is, "How do you get all those little rollers back in?"

-Steve

'64 red (AMPHICR) still in the driveway, now in more pieces
'64 red (I SWIM 2) happy to be home from Celina, but feeling negected

--- In amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com, "Bo Strander" <bs@a...> wrote:
> Hi Steve,
> No big deal actually to remove and overhaul your u-joints (that is
if yo?
> have your axles out of the car on your working bench).
> - First mark both forks with a punchmark or similar so you now how
to put
> them together again.
> - Take away the circlips
> - Use a socket that fitts inside where the circlips was placed, as
large as
> possible but well inside the "walls".
> - With a hammer ( preferably a soft one that eliminates uneven
strokes, and
> hitting as perpendicular towards the bearing cage as possible) and
some even
> strokes on the top of the socket you should notice that the
opposite bearing
> cage is moving towards the flange (down towards the bench).
> - When you have driven the lower bearing cage as far down as
possible, you
> invert the axel 180? and now by hitting the fork (not the
bearing
case!) you
> drive the other bearing cage as far out as possible.
> -You should now be able to manouvre out the u-joint from the
bearing cages
> and thereby separate the two axle -halves.
> -You now have two bearing cages driven half way out of the fork.
Use a soft
> plier with soft grips or some soft cloth or plastic
> in between the grips, and take out the bearing cages.
> -Assembling is straightforward, no problems there: Take care when
you drive
> home the bearing cages that you drive them carefully, make sure not
to tilt
> them (if tilted they will jam). Also take care not to drive them
home to
> far, just enough to fit the snaprings.
>
> When you put together the two axle-parts again make sure you follow
the
> markings you did at the start. Then you should have no problems with
> misalignement and vibrations.
>
> Hope you can understand my sw-english and good luck with the
work.
> Honestly: If you have taken out the driveshafts from your car , you
should
> have no problems with this job.
>
> Good luck
> Bo the swede (painting my amphi next month)