U-Joint Replacement - No Spring Clips?

Hey all,

I need to do a u-joint replacement in my '99 - I crawled under to look at it, and there appears to be no spring clips in the carriers - just a flush-looking dust cap of some sort that appears to be metallic. Anybody have any idea how to get these out? Everything I've ever seen before always has the clips...

Thanks for the assist.

 

My 4Runner has c-clips inboard, not retainer clips outboard. Same on the Tacoma?

FWIW, I gave up on my 4Runner and paid a shop to do them. They were a blue bitch.

 

Some U joints have the "C" clip type retainers inboard on the cross the part you refer to as a dust cap is actually the bearing cap. The "C" clips can be removed with a flat blade screwdriver then the joint is removed and replaced in the same manner as the one's with the outside clips.

 

Yep, that's exactly what these were - inboard clips as opposed to outboard.

Got the driveshaft off without any problem, but getting the u-joint innards out was a bitch. Had to pound the living daylights out of them, and it was difficult to support from the backside as the carrier on the other side would start to protrude and impeded progress. Once I got one side hammered through, I wasn't able to flex it in and pull out the center as I have on other vehicles. Putting it in a press wouldn't work for the same reasons. Not sure quite how to support it from the backside. Either way, I got eventually got them. Here's hoping I didn't tweak the "U" castings in the progress.

My carrier bearing (not sure what the name for this is - the center bearing in the driveshaft) has a bunch of play as well and will need to be replaced. However, I may just take the driveshaft into the shop and have them replace it as I don't have a bearing puller.

 

im told its ok to have about 1/4" of play in the carrier bearing, its supposed to move around a little, so if you don't have any more play then that, you are ok there.

 

Rent one from autozone or any local auto parts store. You will need a 3 leg six inch puller. Her are a few pics of my 16 year old changing it on his Tacoma. Cleaning the splines
greasing the splines
torque it down.
Do a search there is a good write up on it.

 

Thanks for the tip - I 'll give it a shot.

I finished my u-joint job today. Was going to do the front and rear, but the front was in such good shape, I just added lube and skipped replacement - the driveshaft was so easy to pull if/when it goes bad it's easy to get at. I was a concerned when I first pressed in the first two sides of the new joint -it was sticky and wasn't moving freely in the yoke. However, once I put the second yoke in, everything seemed to find it's home and the entire assembly was free-swinging.

I'll pull the entire thing and do the carrier once I get some time in a few weeks.

I couldn't believe the difference it made. The one I pulled was in such bad shape - I'd post a picture, but then I may get put in a burlap sack and be beaten with reeds it was so bad! Shame on me for letting it go that long. All the vibrations are gone and the truck rides SO much better. It's still floaty as I am in need of suspension, but wow... what a difference.

Thanks to the forum for the suggestions, etc!

 

As for the carrier bearing removal: It depends on where you live. The CA crowd and guys out west seem to be able to pop them off easily, however here in the rust belt you have to cut everything off. When I got a shaft shortened at a local driveshaft shop i was asking for tricks on how to pop the carrier bearing off without damaging it and the tech told me in 35yrs of working on drive-shafts he has never seen one come off in a good enough condition to be used again and has had to cut the bearings off the shafts. I paraphrased that since it had about 15 F bombs if i were to quote him directly LOL.

 

Might might be a mixed bag then...truck Spent 99-06 in CA, and then the salt flats of MN from 06-14, and now it's back in CA. What are the ramifications if you have to cut the bearing off? Other than teaching my son new colorful language...

 

Nothing, just have a cutoff wheel and a chisel handy and don't go too deep and scour the shaft.

 

I'm in the rust belt, upstate NY, frame replaced a few years back, drips from the rear diff cover due to rust through, and my carrier bearing popped off like nothing. Go figure...