simonjrwinter Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Am replacing my duff driveshaft with another and fitting new universal joints. Bought a pair from Rimmers, but talk about difficult to fit! When I finally managed to get the circlips in, the joint was pretty much locked solid, I'm sure this isn't right! Simon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Worst case, one of the rollers has fallen over but not sure if the joint will close far enough to get the circlips in if one has. I hope it's not that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 There is room to have a needle roller fall out and slip to the bottom. The assembly should have a snug feel to it (not tight and not loose) and should move with no notchy feel. If it was me I would take it aparts and start again. If a roller has fallen out it may now be damaged - use a roller from the old UJ. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Once assembled, you should hold the joint and tap the yoke in both directions both on the prop and on the flange end with a cooper mallet. This shifts the cups slightly and will often free up the joint, that otherwise seems tight. This is assuming that you check you haven't dropped a needle first, but it would be almost impossible to get the circlip in if you had without major brute force. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boxofbits Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Sorry should of course be copper mallet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
simonjrwinter Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Sorry should of course be copper mallet DAMN, I was just calling my local barrel maker! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
simonjrwinter Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 These have turned into a real nightmare. The rubber seals fold under as the cups are compressed in and the retaining clips are a nightmare. Squeezing the clips to insert in the spider, the two sides touch each other and don't allow the clip to collapse small enough to fit inside the spider....they are in now but I'm just not confident that they are properly engaged in the grooves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 To check they're seated try to move them around the groove using a punch and a small hammer - gently though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steves_TR6 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 When i spoke with Proptech earlier this year about their uprated drive shafts, they offered to fit the Hubs/UJs for me as 'they are pig to get right' I think this was due to the clearances being a bit variable, and the need for various thicknesses of circlip? I also read that on the original production line they had several thicknesses available and so would select for a good snug fit. I wonder if you're circlips are therefore too thick?, thus making fitting very difficult? Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy K Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Just as a by-the-by.......do the bearing cups have a raised machined outer face with a depression in the centre? The only reason I ask is that I bought some replacement UJs and they turned out to be metric units that had their cup faces machined down to allow fitment of the C clips into the yoke grooves . Except they didn't fit properly, and the cups were a pig to get in. The cup faces on those were machined completely flat. Andy K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim D. Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 UJ fitting is probably my least favourite job on old cars. Always seem to end up with a roller that slips underneath jaming the joint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanT Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Do you have new repro-yokes? I will bet that the circlips are difficult because the grooves have tiny burrs or a sharp edge. I examine everything like this with an X8 eye loupe. Its amazing what this will reveal. I can tell if a part was cut by an old fsahioned "analog" machine or by CNC because you see tiny jumps and sharp bits on modern items. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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