Hab, if you ever have trouble getting parts for your rig feel free to give me a call. Looks like you fixed her up good. nice work.

 

...and she'll be back for more, in her own time, Avi.

 

I already accidentally call you every couple months. You're at the top of my contact list so every time I manage to hit the wrong combo of buttons it starts ringing you! Anyway, if you see I called and didn't leave a message that's what happened.
I'm on the lookout for another load bar for my roof rack, but you know I'm cheap. Paying for college is draining us. Well, that and let's face it, I'm cheap. Been hoping for a 3rd gen in the pick n pull or speedway or the like but so far no good. I'm in no hurry, though.

 

I'll check and see and get back with you. Don't worry about the phone call stuff. With my name starting with two A's i'm at the beginning of most people's call lists. Kinda used to it by now. Oh the drunk call stories i can tell.

 

Hahaha, thank goodness I can't butt dial you.

 

Hiya, Hab! Well, I went out to grease the u-joints this afternoon and my rear one has a bunch of play in one direction. I've ordered up a couple and will get it done next week while off for the holiday. Me thinks it's wise to do before the 3,000 miles of ski season driving starts up in a couple of weeks. Such fun.

 

Oh, the excitement! Guess you don't have the evil double Cardan joint like the front of the rear shaft in the 4Runner? I'm jealous. All I know is it was harder getting the old one out than it was getting the (2nd) new one in. Some time and patience and a black and blue wrist (something made a 'pop' feeling and it started swelling right away-not much pain) and some more patience and TA DA! Extra good luck to you!

Wow, that was a lot of words.

 

I'll soak it good with PB Blaster and hope for the best! Yes, I do have the double cardan. What's the deal with it?

 

The DC joint can be a pita to change out and there are a lot of monkeys who "forget" to grease it when you've paid for a lube job 'cause they don't recognize it... before I started doing my own I used to have a heck of time showing the guy "below" where all the grease nipples were... the shop always wanted to charge extra.
As long as you keep them lubed they are uber reliable though...

hmm reminds me it's time to tweak the nipples on the old girl...

 

omg! that just happened!

 

*Lois voice* Wait.....what!


Rw...when you said you ordered a couple of u-joints and were replacing the rear I thought you had a regular deal up front and were replacing both joints on the rear shaft. You prolly meant something like one and a spare or I misread. The DC has 2 u-joints on its own so you'd need 3 to do all the joints on the rear shaft, thus the asking. Curiosity gets me every time.

 

Hab, I'm not planning on messing with the DC. Definitely the u-joint at the rear diff will be replaced. Don't know how the other ones look yet. So it may be a spare, may not be. :-)

 

Makes sense.

 

With this head cold I have, I'm not so sure.
U-joints should be here tomorrow....

 

Question Hab: Did you press out the old u-joint using the clamp shown in post 933? Any special advice on removal?

 

I did use that clamp, it's an Autozone rent-a-tool ball joint and u-joint kit. It was kind of annoying because of the angled ears on the yoke but did the job better than anything I had. It would have been nice to have something better suited to the angle, the hole in the tool kept wanting to move and block the cap from being pressed out. The only advice I have on removal is PATIENCE! I'd have to have a lot more experience before I'd feel comfortable telling someone else what to do. Mine were a bear, probably because of said missing experience. Patience, the tool, a mediumdarnhammer and bar, it took longer than I thought it would. I only poked at the u-joint, not the yoke. Didn't want to scar or break the yoke.
Getting it back on was way easier. Again with the clamp and that flat piece of steel I had laying around, I worked to get the caps in evenly and watch those needle bearings. Took maybe 20 minutes to get that part done and only because I was checking and rechecking those needles. Didn't want what happened on my first try to happen again!


Hope you ditch the head cold asap!

 

Hab, thanks....very helpful. I own one of those ball joint presses and have several adapters so hopefully it will work. Angles can be very frustrating for sure and often run into them repairing farm equipment. Maybe I'll take a piece of pipe and cut it at a slight angle to compensate. Patience....yup, have that.

 

Nice work, Hab! But.......... 'POP , then quickly swelled up and black and blue'.... WTH? Are you ok? I know, I know... you're a tough/Sassy-Lassy!(sorry, I'm not sure I like that one.. but for now, it stands.... haha)... I know you're used to a few bangs and bruises..... But did ya dislocate it badly? That happened to me the other day... it was the strangest thing, BECAUSE; When I was down helping with something, holding myself up making fists kinda kneel-stance... I leaned too far forward, and I had had a couple REALLY long days with using the hands, etc... They were just exhausted.... Well, my wrist just POPPED and collapsed... DAYUM that hurt... BUT, the "strangest thing" part of it? From thereafter..... NOT ONE OUNCE OF PAIN! I mean, I'm talking TOTALLY hyperextended like a police retraining technique/limp wrist angle.... and NO aftereffect. BIZARRE. Guess I'm getting old in spots that my brain isn't keeping up with as far as bulletins! hahaha.

As always, love catching up.... Hope everything is well with you and yours, Habernator! (I need to have a smiley for that... Hmmm, maybe a Cyborg-like Hab with a wrench and one red eye and tools in her hand? hahaha... Ok, you're too pretty for that... But you just remind me at times(no insult) of the Terminator... "Just keeps coming and coming... YOU CAN'T STOP HER!" hhahaha. )

 

This I like. Make it so the pipe doesn't want to slide off the press, big enough for the cap, not too big for the itty bitty lip on the yoke.... if you do it pics will be in order.

It's fine, doesn't hurt at all now, just about a 2x4" area of pretty colors. Dunno what I did to it, just old I guess.
We're good here, hope things are well and looking up for you too. Trying to keep up on all your happenings, you sure do have a lot of them! Wishing you always the best.

 

Ok Hab, I started into the u-joint job.
First stuck point: struggling with sliding the front shaft off the studs at the transfer case. PB Blaster is working, rear of the drive shft is disconnected from diff and supported by a jack stand. Drive shaft feels like it's welded to those studs.....grrr. Did you encounter similar or were you lucky to have yours slide right off?