I was curious if anyone here has changed their U-joints themselves. I bought a set off RockAuto, but I have not been able to get the U-joints out. I tried using a large C-clamp and two sockets to get them out, but I only succeeded in effectively ruining a brand new C-clamp (thankfully it wasnt that expensive).

What method did you use to remove the joints? The dealership wants to charge ~1.5 hours labor (~$130 or so). Im thinking about buying a press instead (like one of these

Would it save me the trouble just to have it done by someone else?

 

I changed the rear most one... I used a vise and beat on it a bit.... You should not do that, because you could bust the yoke, or change the shape of one of the holes....

A press is the only way to go. Hydraulic would be even better...

Oh, and if your new joints have a zerk fitting on it, make sure it's pointing to the FRONT of the truck! Otherwise you will have to remove the drive shaft whenever you want to lube it!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

I thought about a vise, but I havent seen many that open enough to fit the DS plus a socket in there...and even then, it seems a press is cheaper than a vise that big anyway.

Theres a Northern Tool not too far from our house in Dallas, Im going to see about that 6-ton hydraulic press, seems like a good deal for $75 (this will probably be one of the few times I use it so I dont need commercial grade).

 

I just did them on my 03 supercrew. Wasn't bad, we banged them out. Not the best, but it worked fine. I've heard a ton of warining about breaking the yoke or hurting the DS, however, I've never seen it happen. Wasn't bad, just was a pain to bang them out.

 

When I replaced mine I sprayed the caps with Deep Creep and let them sit for about 20 minutes.I used an 8" c-clamp and two sockets to remove them with no problems!