Are you SUPPOSED TO cut Toyota u-joints

[D60]

Toyota is not the only offender here but the most common. I am not bashing Toyota so just take a breath, fan bois!!

When the ears of the yoke are as thick as they often are on Toys, you can't shove the cross over far enough to get the cap sufficiently out of the press fit.

The common approach is to lop it with an angle grinder then push in to the center of the yoke.

Is there a more elegant way? What does Toyota tell its techs to do? Do they show an angle grinder with cutoff wheel in the FSM??

@Trav what do you do?

 

[jhellwig]

Does pushing both caps out as far as they can go let the cross come out? Never messed with u joints on a Toyota.

 

[D60]

In thinking on this further....I'm guessing the answer is that Toyota says nothing because they don't consider the u-joints serviceable. They may only say "replace prop shaft"

Certainly on first gen Tacos the u-joints were not meant to be serviced (but guys do it).

This is an '08 Tundra and the joints are retained with external clips

 

[D60]

Does pushing both caps out as far as they can go let the cross come out? Never messed with u joints on a Toyota.

Interesting question. As shown it was pushed with my BJP1. To do as you suggest I'd have to then use a Tiger Tool.

It might work but usually you need to cock the trunnion in an EMPTY yoke bore when inserting the cross, so I'd say low probability of success. Maybe I'll try!

 

[jhellwig]

Interesting question. As shown it was pushed with my BJP1. To do as you suggest I'd have to then use a Tiger Tool.

It might work but usually you need to cock the trunnion in an EMPTY yoke bore when inserting the cross, so I'd say low probability of success. Maybe I'll try!

I have never done a u joints with anything other than a bench vice and a hammer (and torch on GM vehicles that have never been changed) so that was just my first thought.

 

[Trav]

Toyota is not the only offender here but the most common. I am not bashing Toyota so just take a breath, fan bois!!

When the ears of the yoke are as thick as they often are on Toys, you can't shove the cross over far enough to get the cap sufficiently out of the press fit.

The common approach is to lop it with an angle grinder then push in to the center of the yoke.

Is there a more elegant way? What does Toyota tell its techs to do? Do they show an angle grinder with cutoff wheel in the FSM??

@Trav what do you do?View attachment 253914

Try grabbing it with big vise grips, Cobra, or pipe wrench and twist it while trying to wiggle it out. Warming up the ears with torch helps.
It is almost out so it should not be too tight in there.

 

[clinebarger]

Weld a nut the the cap & use a slide hammer, Not disagreeing with Trav, Just more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[dnewton3]

Maybe, and I'm just guessing here and not flaming the OP ... clean the thing before you work on it?
There's a LOT of junk/gunk in there and that might be prohibiting the full travel to push the cap all the way out?
You're going to have to clean it to reassemble; why not do it before disassembly?
I also agree that the cap is out far enough that a good tug with a pair of slip-joint pliers or locking pliers should be able to grab/twist/remove it.

 

[D60]

Weld a nut the the cap & use a slide hammer, Not disagreeing with Trav, Just more than one way to skin a cat.

I don't know why I didn't think of that, thank you! I appreciate Trav's advice but I warmed the ear as much as I care to heat aluminum and absolutely ZERO movement even using Malcos -- I don't wanna anneal it.

I was even trying to envision a slide hammer attachment for the one cap drilled for a zerk, but I of course knew the tiny threads would never hold

 

[Silverado12]

There are some applications where you can't replace U-joints (looking at you 2008 Jeep Liberty); new drive shaft is required.

 

[paulo57509]

In general, I used to push the u-joint in one direction; remove the cap that's sticking out; might need some kind of spacer between the cross and cap to fully push it out. Then press on the cross in the opposite direction and remove the other cap. The idea is to have the hole where the caps were, available for the cross the be cocked. This allows the cross to clear the yoke.

Replacement is in reverse. Grease up the caps before installation to keep the needles in place. Press the caps in a little at a time, using the yoke to check for alignment of the caps.