First off I would like to start by wishing everybody a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am replacing U-joints in one of my vehicles (cough*cough*). So after about 2 days of PB Blaster and hammering I got the old ones out of the half shafts. I bought a new set from Advance Auto... Brute Force U-joints. I went to press in the new u-joints and realized that there is so much rust and corrosion that the cap would not fit though the hole. The first one I got in was so tight the shaft was binding like a rock. So I pulled it back out and decided to "hone" the hole. I honed both sides. The first side had a nice tight fit and did not bind... perfect operation. But the opposite end of the u-joint... lets just say I got a little carried away. The U-joint cap does not move around in the bore of the half shaft, but I can push the cap in and out with my finger effortlessly. It did not need to be pressed in at all... it didn't even need any persuasion.

My concern is that the cap is going to vibrate around in the bore thus damaging either the half shaft (its not aluminum thankfully) or the cap itself, making the gap bigger and eventually damaging the u-joint. Is this a vaild concern. And if so how do I fix this situation?

Happy Thanksgiving,

Dan

I don't think anyone makes sleaves... if so, that would be the cool.

Which car is this?

It will trash the ujoint over time... I would hunt down a used shaft and do this again... but for a short time you should be able to safely drive on this shaft.

If you don't race it or abuse it, it should last long enough to replace properly.

This is in the 85 ford F350 I just bought. I am so pissed.... Stupid mistake.

Its one of the front axles. I am thinking of JB welding it in.

DG

Loctite makes a "bearing and shaft" retainer compound. I think it's 620. It'll fill up to a .015" gap and it locks hard. I'd also recommend using the Loctite-specified primer for it. Use that and you'll be fine until the U-joint goes bad again (50k miles?). At that point, you may or may not be able to remove it again, but honestly in 50k miles will the truck be worth another U-joint?

I like the locktite idea but I see they make a couple of different one for use with "cylindrical issues." Will any of these work?

DG

Dan how much would a replacement shaft be?

Use a center punch to dimple the bore that the ujoint cap lives in. This will raise the metal around the punch mark. Put a half dozen dimples evenly spaced around the ID near the bottom (the area closest to the ujoint cross) & top of the bore for a total of 12 dimples.

After installing the ujoint cross, caps & lock rings use the rounded end of a ballpeen hammer to relieve the stress on the shaft ujoint yoke caused by hammering or pressing the caps in. New joints will always be tight & need to rotate freely.

The technique: Hold the shaft up off the work bench & give the yoke several hard raps on the yoke finger centered between where the yoke is welded to the shaft & the ujoint cap bore. Rotate the shaft 180 degrees & repeat the process on the other finger. The ujoint should now rotate freely. If the joint is still tight repeat the above with a bigger hammer. I use a 1# ballpeen.

Talk to the Driveline specialist and see if there is not a Cap that can be ordered to take up the slop.

Rockforddriveline.com is the closest one

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This is for a plow truck so I am hoping I don't have to spend anymore on this rust bucket. I remember reading they go for about $75 a piece.

I will try the dimple idea. I tried pressing the joints up and down before to relieve some of the stress but they were really, really tight... which is why I decided to hone out the bores. There is no way I could have relieved the stress in any other way, IMHO.

Dan

Does anybody know if the standard blue locktite (thread locker) will work, or do I need something specific. I was also thinking of using "a little" epoxy if you think the blue locktite will just run out of the bore and not help to hold the cap.

DG

ttt

Some good ideas here, I like the idea of knurling/raising the metal assuming there's something else limiting the cap movement. You should be able to get a straight shot at most of the hole this way. Ideally there's a solution using a sleeve, but I doubt you'll find anything that fits well. The sleeve n seal kits for SBC crankshafts are probably a larger diameter than what you're dealing with.

So it sounds like the halfshaft end is steel with a complete hole in it, no strap?

And what retains the cap in that hole? Does it use an internal snap ring?

I can think of other ways of retaining a sloppy fit, but not that will give you somewhat even holding force around the cap to keep it round.

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Don't know if the blue would run out or not. That's a crapshoot. I went thru some Locktite seminars when I was in engineering a long time ago.
They did show the green bearing stuff would wick into a bearing fit that was already assembled.



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Loctite® 640 Sleeve Retainer-Green

High strength, anaerobic adhesive secures slip and press fit assemblies. Adds up to 3000 psi holding power. Restores fit to worn or out-of-tolerance assemblies. Prevents surface corrosion, Requires special tools for removal.

For cylinder sleeves, valve guides, valve seats, bearings and bushings, woodruff keys, liner assemblies