I hate whining about not being able to fix something (that was Bimmers job), but i just spent 3 hours trying to press these damn things out and they will not budge, for ANYTHING! Taking the clips out are as far as i got. I tried a balljoint press, air tools, an old cap on one side and a socket on the other with a BFH. I was about to use the vise, but i just know ill tweak the yokes and i got enough problems right now. Hitting the yokes next the caps as i went didnt relieve any tension whatsoever. I have no torch, but as stuck as the u-joints aseem to be, it wouldnt surprise me if they exploded on me. Seen that happen atleast once. No thanks.

Any ideas, other than looking for a shop? Shops around me dont seem to want to do anything anymore anyway, so its been a waste of time, and a waste of gas taking anything to them. I am seriously considering new drivshafts over this.

 

Been there, done that. Beating on a socket with a BFH didn't work, at least initially, but when I heated up the yoke ears with a torch, they came out after some further beating with the BFH. Might try some PB Blaster as well. Just be sure to wipe up as much as possible so it doesn't catch on fire.

The good news is the new ones go in like butter.

 

Yeah, I've always dreaded u-joints myself and taking the shaft to the shop wasn't the answer... they ended up getting a needle bearing trapped under the cap... figured it was just normal "new u-joint" stiffness since I hadn't done a u-joint in a few years... Nope, f'r exploded on me, sheared off the strap bolt and I ended up doing the damn joint myself anyway. (Got the refund, but was still a big clusterf*** of a time.)

PB blaster - soak the thing... tap it with a hammer to "vibe" the part, repeat.. overnight or a few days will help. Then heat and a ball-joint press with a breaker bar. Once they start moving, it'll be much easier. It's getting the initial "break free" to happen that's a real pain.

 

What I do is put the ball joint press in the bench vise, then get the shaft/axle lined up in the press and then use the breaker bar. You want a steady pull, not an impact. A cheater may be helpful if you've got a solid pipe-like item that works. The biggest thing is to be damn sure the push part of the press is not hung up on the axle/shaft ear and that there is enough space on the other side for the cap to come out without getting hung up. If you don't do that, you could use a 10' torque arm on the press and it still won't move.

Also, your new joints are already in the freezer, right!!??!!

 

I was drowing them in PB Blaster the entire time. Both sides of every cap, actually. It did nothing. I gave the yoke a couple taps to help it soak in, but i dont think it got anywhere. Helped with the clips, tho. Maybe ATF and acetone will help? CRC Freeze-off? Anyway, using the balljoint press in the vice is what i did. Was the only way to get any leverage on it. The caps had plenty of space to push thru, i made sure of that. Ill see if my uncle can help me out as im no longer in any mood to deal with it. And i havent even pulled the front shaft or both axle shafts yet.

No, the new joints are not in the freezer yet. Thats the plan, but theyre still in transit. I just wanted to get a head start by taking the old ones out while i wait.

 

Hit Home Depot or Lowes and grab a torch... I forget the name but the yellow bottle one A MAP torch from the auto or plumbing section (better than propane) and hit it with a good dose of heat. While you're there, look at section of heavy pipe 2-4' in length that you can use as a cheater.

I have no doubt that with some heat and extra torque, it'll break loose.

 

Yep. Map gas torch does great at heating things up. And they're cheap at the big box hardware stores.

 

Got them, finally. I went all in and didnt care what i broke. I spotted these and wondered if they were part of the problem. Every hole has them, in the exact same place. They look like file marks, but there is a slight burr on one side of most, just short of 1/32" id say, so more like they were punched. I never seen this before. Is this factory? Do i file them flat?

 

Slight "buggering up" due to removal. In other words, something the cross part of the u-joint got hung up bashed too far to each side and dinged the ear a bit. That is why it's so "uniform", you might be able to sit the old joint in the ear and find it lines up with those dings. Not uncommon and hardly the worst i've seen (and been guilty of)... file down the edges and you should be good to go. If you don't, it will make inserting the new caps difficult or impossible and risks tearing the rubber seals. Basically, you want the metal at or below the level on either side so the cap will slide squarely in, even cold and greased, you do need to press in the caps.. it should be enough to use a regular 1/2 ratchet on the ball joint press. I'm talking about just the part that the caps sit in, if it's irregular but doesn't interfere with the seal or ear loop, it's not a big deal.

 

Figures. Didnt think of the cross hitting them, but it makes sense. Im kicking myself because thru it all i could see how close they were, but didnt feel any resistance, so i kept pressing. Live and learn. Atleast its salvageable.

 

Honestly that's not bad... file down the ear so you don't tear the boots and you're good. The rust is more likely to unbalance the shaft than a few tiny nicks.
You should've seen my first set of u-joints... it was a heck of a lot worse than that.

 

I did the same thing to mine using the socket/BFH method. Just a quick filing to smooth them out so they wouldn't snag the u-joint caps, and I didn't give it a second thought.

 

Is this shaft junk? I can feel imperfections more thru my fingertips, than a fingernail.




The top axle is what came out of the XJ. The ear was bent and the bore boogerd up so its trash as far as im concerned. It wont be reused.





I sanded it a little but it hasnt gotten anywhere near what it used to be. I cant really feel any imperfections, but ive never dealt with this situation before. Ive read that machine shops can spray it with a coating to get that factory look back, but for the price i may as well buy a new axle.




Thanks.