Outer Limits 4x4 Board

hey all, i was under the lux today trying to find whats causing the clunk when i take off, its definately coming from somewhere under the rear.
i know the centre bearing is buggered, i have just bought a new one and i will fill it with sikaflex before i install it. i also plan on replacing the drive flange seal while im in there.
ive recently replaced pinion seal too, the 2piece shaft has some free play in the slip joint.
but the thing i noticed when looking at the rear uni-joint was that it has play too, the front bit moves around roughly half an inch before it turns the rear bit.
can i replace this bit or do i replace the whole shaft??
i was doing a search and people say to replace unis, but how do i do this??
roughly what does it cost?? where is the best place to get them??
its an 86 lux dcab

Its not that hard to do if have a good vice. Take the shaft out of the car and if you look inside the uni you will see 4 circlips. Take these out using a flathead screw driver and be sure to hold onto them. Put the uni in the vice and put a socket on one of the rouund bits on the outside of the uni and give it a big hit with a hammer a few times. Turn the joint around so the end you just hit is inside the vice, then put a socket that is smaller in one end and a socket that is larger on the other end so one end will be pushing the uni out and the other guiding the uni. Crank the vice up and the uni will eventually pop out. Carefully pull the round ends off as they contain heaps of needles (act as bearings) that will make a mess if dropped. Repeat for the other side and you should then be able to remove the joint, reinstalling is the reverse. Or you could take out the driveshaft and give it to your mechanic with a case attached.

Evski wrote:Its not that hard to do if have a good vice. Take the shaft out of the car and if you look inside the uni you will see 4 circlips. Take these out using a flathead screw driver and be sure to hold onto them. Put the uni in the vice and put a socket on one of the rouund bits on the outside of the uni and give it a big hit with a hammer a few times. Turn the joint around so the end you just hit is inside the vice, then put a socket that is smaller in one end and a socket that is larger on the other end so one end will be pushing the uni out and the other guiding the uni. Crank the vice up and the uni will eventually pop out. Carefully pull the round ends off as they contain heaps of needles (act as bearings) that will make a mess if dropped. Repeat for the other side and you should then be able to remove the joint, reinstalling is the reverse. Or you could take out the driveshaft and give it to your mechanic with a case attached.

what he said, with that much play do it soon!

they can be a prick to get out but persistence pay out.

dont pay top much for these, mine cost 23 each through scotts auto 1, some places charge a fortune.

ok thanks guys, next question, i dont have a vice, and if i was to take it to my mechanic, what roughly would i be paying to get it fixed?? would it be better off to buy a shaft from the wreckers??

DUDELUX wrote:ok thanks guys, next question, i dont have a vice, and if i was to take it to my mechanic, what roughly would i be paying to get it fixed?? would it be better off to buy a shaft from the wreckers??

just buy a vice. they are useful.

dont buy a used shaft to avoid servicing yours. i would guess at 150-200 drive in drive out.

just buy a vice. I did mine with a vice loose and sitting on my tray, you can make it work.

DUDELUX wrote:ok thanks guys, next question, i dont have a vice, and if i was to take it to my mechanic, what roughly would i be paying to get it fixed?? would it be better off to buy a shaft from the wreckers??

If you have never done one then your best off taking your shaft to a Drive shaft shop. Buy the unis from them and they will charge you Fark all to fit them. Make sure you tell them you dont want the shaft ballenced afterwards otherwise it will cost you more. And you rarely need a shaft re-ballence after fitting uni joints.

They can be real fiddly to get right if you have never done one before. Ive done hundreds when i was working in workshops and even i get the drive shaft shop to do them for me now as if they screw up its their prob.

should i try to find a driveshaft specialist or can i take it to a mechanic?? roughly what should i be charged for the work??

I used to be able to get Quality uni joints supplied and fitted for $35each. I imagine a mech will want that much just to install them.

should i change the rear unis and the front ones too, i can imagine id be better off wouldnt i??

if i get some work this week, then i could afford to get it sorted by wed or thurs. whats likely to happen if i drive until then??

how much damage will i do if i drive it??

They will go for a while with lots of play but eventually will break and ur shaft will go bouncing down the road.

Just check the other unis by trying to twist them against each other, if thers no play just give them some grease and leave them till next time.

The front shaft gets little use so rarely need replacing but worth checking, Giv them all some grease as lack of is wat causes them to flog out.


They really are quite simple to change urself and u can do it without a vice, I just cut the buggered one in half with a grinder then bang the end caps out of the 2 pieces of shaft. Then u simply line up the uni cross with the end caps fitted and slowly tap them into the pieces of shaft with a hammer. take it slowly and keep it all even checking for binding as u go.

thanks mate
i just put in a spare front shaft as the old one was stuffed.
the front piece of the rear (2 piece) seems ok and i greased it up. the rear piece has the play in the uni and theres a little bit of play in the slip joint.
i greased it all up so im hoping it gets me to work until i can spend the money to get it fixed.

if u pulled the 2 pieces apart make sure they go back together with the unis 90 degrees to each other, if they are off u will hav vibration.

i saw a mechanic today, he said the rear uni is flogged out(which i already know), he said 140 to fix, that sounds reasonable to me

DUDELUX wrote:i saw a mechanic today, he said the rear uni is flogged out(which i already know), he said 140 to fix, that sounds reasonable to me

after you were advised you could do it yourself and the unis were cheap or you could take it to a driveshaft specialist and they'd probably only charge $35 installed you think $140 is reasonable

Id say get on the phone and call a driveshaft specialist just to compare before you waste $100 for nothing...

ummm good point
it definately sounds like a job for a specialist.
thanks for the slap bud

i just rang a bunch of trans, diff places local to me for quotes.
i can get the uni supplied and fitted, prices anywhere from $110 to $150
i can get the uni for $33 from my local bearing shop
i can get the uni(if i buy it) fitted, prices around $80, cheapest was $45
so ill be going with the $33 uni from my local bearing shop, fitted for $45 at my local diff specialist total $78
thanks again 4runner01, you just saved me almost enough to replace the steering damper
cheers mate

unis are pretty cheap man,i done all 3 on my rear shaft,paid $20 each from bearing shop.

Had never done them before so my boss showed me how,just using vice and hammer,didnt take real long.Or could use a small press or get a shop to do them for you?Seems like alot of play there

yeah turbo tonka, im getting the uni from my local bearing shop($33) and i rang a heap of places, both mechanics and drivetrain specialists, most places want around $80 to fit the uni that i buy, but i got 1 quote from a local diff and gearbox shop $45 to fit the uni i supply.
so im probably going to go with that option.
as posted above, ive been told that it can be done in the shed, but its the kind of job i dont feel confident doing myself so its better to get someone who knows what they are doing to do it.
but thanks for the advice everyone.

just wondering, are the rear unis(rear shaft) the same as the unis on the front shaft, if so, i could take my old front shaft apart just to see how it comes apart, not to use it, just to test myself and maybe if i can figure it out, then id be doing the work myself

DUDELUX wrote:just wondering, are the rear unis(rear shaft) the same as the unis on the front shaft, if so, i could take my old front shaft apart just to see how it comes apart, not to use it, just to test myself and maybe if i can figure it out, then id be doing the work myself

do that then you will realise you can fit your rear one your self.

it will be fine to use for a little bit longer, they make alot of horrid squealling noises before they go completely.

it makes a slight clunk sometimes when taking off from a stop(lights, intersections,etc)
ill play with the front shaft and see how i go.
the front one was getting turfed anyway so if i fark it then it wont matter

thehanko wrote:

DUDELUX wrote:just wondering, are the rear unis(rear shaft) the same as the unis on the front shaft, if so, i could take my old front shaft apart just to see how it comes apart, not to use it, just to test myself and maybe if i can figure it out, then id be doing the work myself

do that then you will realise you can fit your rear one your self.

it will be fine to use for a little bit longer, they make alot of horrid squealling noises before they go completely.

Something akin to the noise a cat would make going through a woodchipper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DXSdwUUgEk

That clicky bangy noise was a flogged out center bearing!