cmg1

1973. 98k miles

I've had the 2 on the shaft replaced but not the 4 on the axel, the car feels like it is dragging over 60 mph, and, i hear it squeeking from the rear,

any comments about u joints, machanic says $400??

all comments appreciated

77-C3 & 89-C4

Look noises are tough to diagnose. I would lube the u-joins 1st that is if they have grease nibs. If they dont then spray the snaught out of them with oil. If the noise stops then that may be it.

joeveto

Diagnosing bad U-joints is a bit of an art. But not bad.

First, how long has it been since they've been replaced? Over 100K? Replace them all.

Second, with the car in park, put your foot on the brake and shift to reverse. Hear anything? Hear a tick or a clink? Keep your foot on the brake, and shift to drive, listen again. Hear that? If you do, it's probably the joints.

Third, When driving, if you hear a squeek, squeek, squeek, squeek, and it does not really go away when you apply the brakes, it might be the u-joints.

Fourth, make sure it's not the bearings. Believe me, you'd rather have it be bad u-joints than bearings. Put the car up in the air. Support the rear spring with jack stands. Then, grab the wheel at 9 and 3. Rock the wheel back and forth. The wheel should not move. There should be no play. If there is, stop driving the car. Get the bearings replaced.

Fifth, with the car still in the air, and the car in neutral (make sure the wheels are blocked) rotate the rear wheel forward, then backward. Watch the ujoints. If there is slop between the time the wheel is moved and the axle begins to move, you have bad u-joints.

If it's my car, and I know the u-joints have seen better days, I'm underneath it and I'm replacing all of them with quality units.

U-joints are easy to replace. But you should have minimal tools and either a press or a vice (I prefer a good press).

Timewise, figure on an hour per axle. The first axle may take a little longer to replace, but once you have the hang of it, it's easy. The hardest part, is getting the spider bolts undone. It's a tight fit. You'll be on your back awhile.

:cheers:

76Frankenstein

You can also look for any red powder, sorta like this:

FeedVaal

Tell mechanic you won't bend over unless he's giving a reach-a-round.

Parts: $60
Labor 2hrs@60/hr
=$180


[Modified by FeedVaal, 1:47 AM 10/1/2003]

Bobchad

I just did the drive shaft only myself. Easy job. $137 to have new joints pressed in, some welding on the end to line it up and balance it.

Plan on $75 - $100 per shaft parts and labor to have the press and balance work done by a shop. If you have them remove them, obviously it will be more. Seems high by about $100.



[Modified by Bobchad, 7:22 AM 10/1/2003]

GTR1999

Good advice above. $400 does seem high. For someone who knows what they're doing they should be able to do (2) 1/2 shafts within a couple of hours max. Spicer joints cost under $20 each and are the recommended type to use.
One thing I look for is if they have been replaced before. Most of the ones I worked on were previously worked on by mechanics who were used to doing driveshaft ujoints on regular cars. In most of these cases I found the tube crushed from being placed in a vise then trying to get the joints out. Also the flange is almost always wrecked by these same guys. The flange will bend very easily. It must be bolted to a solid surface to prevent this from happening.
If you're the type to work on your car then I would invest in a 20 ton press for about $250 and do it yourself. You could also use a torch to cut out the cross and pop out the old joints.
Good Luck
Gary

GDaina

grab teh shaft with both hands and if you feel there's back and forth movement, (play), the joints are bad....any machine shop can press them out for you and you can R&R the half shafts yourself....save yourself some big bucks

Simul8

I just did mine. Very easy job. I used a large vise with no problems and have never done it before. <$100 in parts.


[Modified by Simul8, 11:23 AM 10/1/2003]

Boofers

spicers, solid spicers. . . Is this a brand name? What makes these so special compared to stock U-joints?

Bobchad

I had mine balanced as well, something I couldn't do myself. It seemed necessary as people compared it to changing tires. You wouldn't do that without balancing the wheels.

Mike Ward

The half shafts were not balanced at the factory and unless they've bit damaged in service don't need balancing now. The analogy to balancing a wheel is really not applicable. :chevy