I need to change out the U Joints on my dump truck. They have the end caps with the two bolts. Anything I need to know before changing them out? Tricks? Secrets? Looks pretty straight forward.... But this is my first time tackling a big rig U joint and want to make sure I don't miss something. Thanks in advance.....!!!!

 

They can be a bit of a pain if the caps are seized in there. Just take your time. Having a U-joint splitter is nice. I'm sure Tim would agree with that, however, I have only owned one, and it decided to fail in a really bad way. Since then, I use bottle jacks and a small hammer.

You won't have too much trouble with it otherwise. They come out much like a light truck pressed in joint.

 

Thank you very much Pind. I keep my truck at my buddies boat shop and have access to all his tools including a hydraulic press. Be nice when the 50mph plus vibration goes a way......!!!!!

 

Yes sir I do have a u-joint puller, works great but is not perfect. Many years of jacking them out. Just make sure your cribbing is level and you don't damage the driveshaft. In some cases you are going to be putting very high pressure on the shaft with the jack then the u-joint violently releases, be prepared for it.

Good luck

 

Thanks Tim. I inspected the the drive line and U joints today. All the U joints where good. What I did find was one of the 2 bolt caps was loose. I re torqued all the caps. I will drive it in the morning to see if that was the issue.