What's the trick?

[chevynut]

I've started tearing into my truck to repair/replace the transfer case and I took the driveshaft out. I found out that I have a trashed rear u-joint and the front yoke is burned and scored. I needed to replace the yoke anyhow with one of the newer nickel-plated ones to prevent the "sticking" problem they have.

But the new issue is the rear u-joint. I replaced it almost 100K miles ago and it hasn't given me any problems. It needs replaced, but I can't get it out of the driveshaft. I've pressed it from both sides and it won't push the bearings far enough to get them out. What's the deal? These are "Brute Force" u-joints from Autozone that have been highly recommended. See the pics....am I doing something wrong? The trunnion shoulder is up against the inside of the yoke.

31883189

[chevynut]

Well the damned thing just wouldn't come out so I cut it in two places with my die grinder. I think these have a lifetime warranty, so I'm wondering if Autozone will honor it since I had to cut it apart. It's obvious it was worn out. This seems like just another design flaw to me.

The interesting thing is the front u-joint is the original one and it's survived 163K miles and still feels good.

[Rick_L]

How did you get it in if it won't come out?

These things are tricky to R&R sometimes, and act like that. You didn't try hard enough.

Good luck at the Zone, they won't know what you're talking about.

[JT56]

How did you get it in if it won't come out?

These things are tricky to R&R sometimes, and act like that. You didn't try hard enough.

Good luck at the Zone, they won't know what you're talking about.


When you want another u joint they will ask you if it has a/c and power steering!!!! lol.

[chevynut]

How did you get it in if it won't come out?

These things are tricky to R&R sometimes, and act like that. You didn't try hard enough.

Good luck at the Zone, they won't know what you're talking about.


When I installed it I pressed the bearings ONTO the trunnion after locating it in the driveshaft. The problem now is the trunnion won't press them back out for some reason. It acts as if the trunnion shafts are too short or there are too large of shoulders. Putting them in is way different than taking them out. I tried several times pressing from each side until the trunnion bottomed. It just wouldn't come out. I pressed the bearing in as far as the trunnion would allow, to where it bottomed out on the inside of the yoke, then I tried to use vise grips to pull the bearing out the rest of the way...no go. So I cut the damned thing.

Autozone has a database of parts you buy...we'll see if they honor their "lifetime warranty" or not.

Looks like I'm going with a rebuilt transfer case....$1250 plus tax and a $500 core charge if I can get it locally. Found one on eBay for $1250 with no tax but a $90 shipping charge, and a potential for only half the $500 core back. So I'm leery about that one. I plugged the transfer case hole with epoxy today, filled it up up with ATF, and drove the truck around town before removing the driveshaft and there was no noise from the transfer case and it seemed to shift fine. The bushing in the tailshaft housing is toast as is the seal, and slip yoke.

I could rebuild it myself with a $400 kit, but I'm concerned that getting other parts will nickel and dime me to death, and delay fixing it. I needed the truck this weekend to go bighorn sheep scouting, but that's not going to happen now :(.

One thing I don't understand. With the rear driveshaft removed I thought I could move the truck in 4WD using the front axle. It won't move, but the transfer case output shaft spins. Did I throw the chain?

[5Clint7]

Here's the trick Cnut. You may be able to make one. Press on the cross shaft both ways with the tool until the caps pressed out as far as they will go. Then you can get the cross shaft out. Then tap the caps out the rest of the way with a punch or something similar. Here's the link to the tool. http://www.quad4x4.com/qt4008.html

http://www.trifivechevys.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3190&d=1403108071
http://www.trifivechevys.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3191&d=1403108072

[chevynut]

Thanks Clint, but that tool is for the front driveshaft. The rear one has conventional bearings with clips. I removed the original u-joint with no problem in my vise a few years ago. This Brute Force u-joint seems to be designed poorly.

[MP&C]

The cap sticking out on the left side, I'd normally twist off at this point with some channel locks, then press the remainder the other direction until that cap was out the same amount. Then center should come out.. I'd take it back to autozone and get it warrantied.. :D

[rkwhite61]

When you want another u joint they will ask you if it has a/c and power steering!!!! lol.


hahaha.. that's no lie! I confused the hell out of them when they asked what engine I had in my '99 truck. Told them a 5.7 (an LS6). They were totally lost at that point. lol

Sorry.. didn't me to hijack the thread.

[chevynut]

The cap sticking out on the left side, I'd normally twist off at this point with some channel locks, then press the remainder the other direction until that cap was out the same amount. Then center should come out..

Yes Robert, that's how it's supposed to work. :) The problem is it won't come out. I used vise grips and even hammered on them to try to get the bearings out. I think the u-joint shoulders are a little too large preventing the bearing from getting pushed out far enough to remove it. Notice the u-joint is bottomed out against the yoke, and the bearing is only about halfway out. I didn't have this problem when I replaced the original u-joint.

[567chevys]

Yes Robert, that's how it's supposed to work. :) The problem is it won't come out. I used vise grips and even hammered on them to try to get the bearings out. I think the u-joint shoulders are a little too large preventing the bearing from getting pushed out far enough to remove it. Notice the u-joint is bottomed out against the yoke, and the bearing is only about halfway out. I didn't have this problem when I replaced the original u-joint.

Nut , If the caps pushed in when new then they should push out , maybe you need to try harder next time ??:confused:


Sid

[chevynut]

No Sid, pushing them in only takes a press and a socket or some other tool and you can push them in as far as you want. Pushing them out takes the trunnion because you have to push IN on one of the bearings to get the opposite one out. Take a close look at the left picture above and you can see the trunnion is bottomed out on the inside of the yoke. There's nothing left to push on the bearing.

[chevynut]

As a late update to this thread, I finally got the new slip yoke and tried pushing the front u-joint bearing caps out. The front end had the original u-joint from GM, as far as I could tell. I know I never changed it. It wasn't really that bad even with 163K miles. I removed the snap rings and put the driveshaft in my press and pushed the bearing into the driveshaft until the trunion bottomed out on the other side. The opposite bearing STILL would not come out. I tried with vise grips to no avail. I ended up cutting a notch in the bearing cap with a die grinder and hammering it out with a cold chisel. I don't remember ever having to do this. Something is weird with the design of that driveshaft...you can get the bearings in, but you can't get them out.

[Olderthandirt]

.

One thing I don't understand. With the rear driveshaft removed I thought I could move the truck in 4WD using the front axle. It won't move, but the transfer case output shaft spins. Did I throw the chain?

The older transfer cases you could drive with just the front drive shaft. I don't know if all the newer transfer case have them, but I have found that some have spider gear in them & you need both drive shafts in to make them work.

[shua57]

Chevynut, I had a GMC truck that was the same way. Seems the design was flawed a little on some of the GM trucks. How I handled it was push them out as far as they would go. Lock the cap in my bench vice, grabbed the torch or my propane torch and heat drive shaft u-joint housing and then push the driveshaft back and forth in the vice. I get creative some times.
Josh