North American Turbocoupe Organization



U Joint repair - without pulling shaft from tran??
ridgeback Offline
Member
#1
Is it even possible to replace the U Joint without pulling the drive shaft from the trans? I am trying to avoid another mess in my drive way and also a tran oil top off.

Not sure why I replaced it many years back, maybe cause the original was pushing 100k, I don't know but I do know that once I replaced it that I had vibrations at higher speeds, especially when coasting in nuetral with no load on the drivetrain. May have been installed to tight or simply f'ck it up, so its time to redo it, and do it the easiest and quickest way

Ron

Black 87 TC, 2nd owner since 1990@21k, now@109k.
Current Mods: Gillis valve @18psi. K&N Cone. Removed AC components, New: Esslinger Aux. Shaft, Seals, Melling Oil Pump, Heater core. Ranger cam & rollers, new tower bearings, Walbro 255 fuel pump
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T`s ol fords Offline
Junior Member
#2
ron,they make a cheap plastic sleeve that slides in where your driveshaft goes into the trans. I`m pretty sure I saw them at harbor freight but I would think autozone,advance auto,etc. would have them.this keeps the fluid in while you change your u-joints......t`s ol fords
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Pete D Offline
Administrator
#3
I've heard people talk about needing to mark the DS relative to what it connects to in order to get it back together balanced. Don't know if it's required or not but maybe someone in the know will chime in.
Pete Dunham


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Jeff K Offline
Administrator
#4
I have always marked the DS and put it back with the same orientation. Better safe than sorry.

If you jack up the rear of the car pretty high, which you need to do anyway to unbolt the companion flange from the pinion shaft, virtually no fluid will leak out of the tranny.
Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 24 psi, forced air IC, water injection, BPV, Ranger cam, subframes, etc., etc.
86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP N2O, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.
11 Crown Vic Interceptor
14 Toyota Camry (wifes car)
95 Taurus GL Vulcan winter beater
67 Honda 450 Super Sport - completely customized
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T`s ol fords Offline
Junior Member
#5
the driveshafts at the factory are balanced with the slipyoke and both u joints attached as long as those components stay in the same sequence you should be good.so be sure to mark the position of the slipyoke next to the driveshaft when replacing the u-joints.jeff you are right about raising the rear of the car that should keep the fluid in.i have a four post lift and I could raise the rear but I had purchased the plastic sleeve to install as I pull the driveshaft out....easy no mess!! t`s
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ridgeback Offline
Member
#6
now that i think about it, i don't remember if I replaced the u-joint at the yoke but definitely replaced the one in the rear at the Flange. I am sure that when I did this repair that I didn't mark a thing so I am assuming I am chasing my tail by replacing u-joints if I had already shuffled up the connection?

Best to get it out and balanced by a pro? or is there a DIY way around this mess?
Ron

Black 87 TC, 2nd owner since 1990@21k, now@109k.
Current Mods: Gillis valve @18psi. K&N Cone. Removed AC components, New: Esslinger Aux. Shaft, Seals, Melling Oil Pump, Heater core. Ranger cam & rollers, new tower bearings, Walbro 255 fuel pump
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Pete D Offline
Administrator
#7
I would drive it and see how it is. If there is still a problem, then I would guess you need professional help. See a reputable place. Not all come with knowledgeable staff as we have heard here before.
Pete Dunham


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ridgeback Offline
Member
#8
Had FleetPride take a look for a balance but they refused because it was rusted. It had very light surface rust but nothing to the point of flaking or anything. Any ways they suggested changing the rear because of a very slight bind feeling when moving the joint in a certain position. They also said that marking all the parts for alignment when assembling & install only really matters when its a a used and worn joints. With new U joints it shouldn't matter.

So I installed the rear Ujoint myself. All went good and feels smooth but one axis moves slow and easy... like one of those " no slam toilet seats", the other axis is tight & pivots with pressure only but is still smooth. Not sure if thats bad or not but the ride seems to be much smoother. I do have vibe but that may be from tires sitting for 3 years and a worn front end. I may also do the front U joint down the road but for now its comfortably driveable.

An example of the vibe is when doing hi speed (75-85mph) and shifting to neutral to coast, the rear view mirror shakes to a point where I can't tell what kind of car is in my rear view mirror, almost like a blurr effect.

Ron

Black 87 TC, 2nd owner since 1990@21k, now@109k.
Current Mods: Gillis valve @18psi. K&N Cone. Removed AC components, New: Esslinger Aux. Shaft, Seals, Melling Oil Pump, Heater core. Ranger cam & rollers, new tower bearings, Walbro 255 fuel pump
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