How difficult is changing..

[ffej]

..the front U-joints on the axles..I have the Haynes manual..I'm just wondering if it's worth paying the man 350.00 to do it for me? And if so..whats the best brand of U-Joint you recommend? Thanks :D :D :D

[Blackjack]

Do it yourself, it's not that hard. Plus if you do it in the comfort of your garage you'll be all practiced for when you have to do it on the trail.

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Thats a lot, Jeff. I have a set of axles that has low miles on the U-Joints. When you come up, I can give you a hand swapping them in, and that way you would have a spare set of axles and not near 350.00 in shop bill.

[Lister]

Spicer u-joints are great. You can ge them from UAP-NAPA Auto Parts. Do the work yourself. Good experience and not too hard.

[Marvin Gates]

I was worried about what it was going to involve and when I got into it, its a piece of cake. Spicer for sure! :cool:

[ April 03, 2003, 12:10 PM: Message edited by: Marvin Gates ]

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Originally posted by Marvin Gates:
I was worried about what it was going to involve and when I got into it, its a piece of cake. Spicer for sure! :cool: Was it Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream MARVIN!!!!? :D :D

[billyrb]

Spicer are great, but the double-cardan joint (if applicable) should be handled by a drive-shaft person. Also, a new "ball kit" should be installed at that time (roughly $30), again, if applicable.

[mdill]

Be sure and get all the other seals while you are at the parts store !
Spicer are the benchmark by which other U-joints are measured.
Get new inner wheel bearing seals (all name brands seem OK)
then get the spindle kit(s) comes with a new spindle bearing but is
cheaper than buying the seals that are in the kit one at a time.
Look at your brake pads and the rotor condition, because you only
want to go in there one time you might as well repack the wheel bearings
the spindle bearing and if needed get the rotors turned.

Mike D.

[ffej]

Thanks guys...I figured it wouldn't be too bad..just wanted to get the heads up before I dove in..Crazy..I'll see you on Sunday..We were supposed to be up last night but all this Ice stopped us..no use in risking it.

[ffej]

The double cardan..on the front drive shaft is in good condition, It looks good anyway...I'm just worried about the axle joints..I'm getting a vibration upon accel. in 4wd :mad: from the front drivers side and they look real bad :(

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Yea the roads Suck up Here!!!!! Rain, Snow, More Rain, More Snow. :eek: :rolleyes: :mad:

New home # call me on my Cell Phone if you still have it. ;) or eMail me ;)

[ April 04, 2003, 09:14 AM: Message edited by: Crazy_Jeepman ]

[SoCalCruiser]

I just bought a 1991 GW and I noticed that the front end shakes whenever I hit a pothole or bump on the freeway. My '89 did this, but it turned out to be the ball joints, now all is tight.

I looked under the front of my new '91 while my brother moved the steering wheel a little, and saw that the axle u joints have some play in them. I figured that shouldn't be there. Right?? Will bad u-joints give me the symptoms I have. I didn't see anyone else mention front end feeling loose, or do I have something else going on?

Thanks,

Craig

[SoCalCruiser]

btt

One more question:

I changes the drive shaft u-joints yesterday, it was an easy job. Is it OK to use a socket to gently tap the cups started and then a coulple of good hits to get them into place? My vice wasn't big enough.

Craig

[andy d]

hammer is my #1 car tool. it must be metric 'cause it works fine on all my bmws too. long as you didnt lose a needle bearing, :D iirc theres something like 36 of them to a cup.

[SoCalCruiser]

Is Spicer that much better than the NAPA brand? The guy at NAPA told me he didn't think so, both have the same number of bearings.

[tuckers89GW]

SoCal,
I've had the u bolts come loose on my front axle. Did the exact same thing. I believe the only reason they came loose is the PO had put a 4" lift kit into it.

[ May 30, 2003, 06:17 AM: Message edited by: tuckers89GW ]

[SoCalCruiser]

Hmmmmmm. I'll check the u-bolts, but the other day the front end made a 'clunk' whenever I was turning and putting on the breaks. Now it's making the clunk whenever I hit a pothole.

Is there a decent mechanic left in this country??? I dropped off the GW at a break and alignment shop last week to diagnose the problem. $200 and 1 tie rod later, I still have the problem, and no solution.

I love wrenching on the GW, but sometimes I just don't have the time.

Craig

[SoCalCruiser]

Oh, btw, that was the 3rd shop I consulted about the front end. Some of them never got a chance to touch it.

One guy wanted $875 to change the rear main seal. OUCH!

Craig