Is it easy to replace a driveshaft universal joint? I have a aluminum driveshaft to install in my 00 lx but before i do the swap, i would like to replace the u-joint cause it looks pretty bad. I'm just saying it looks bad by looks. But to be safe i rather replace it. Or is there a way to check it before installing it?

Very easy.. I did mine..

they are pressed in..

remove D/S

remove snap rings in the yoke that holds the U-joints in.

Then I found a socked that was just small enough to fit inside the hole and would sit on the U-joint. then I proped up the end of the D/S on a 4x4 and used a dead blow hammer knocked out the U-Joint fromthe Yolk first removed the caps and then did the same thing on the D/S itself.. Then did the same thing to put the new ones in but put a little motor oil on them and when putting them in I gently tapped them till the cap was is just far enough to put the snap ring in. Then put the U-joint into the D/S then tapped the cap in on the other side of the D/S till I could get the snap ring in. Then did the same process on the Yolk..

sounds pretty simple. Now, how would i know to align the new but used driveshaft on my car?

How do you mean align?

I am assuming you got the new driveshaft with the yolks already on it..

All I did was take a wax pen (or you can use paint/nail polish) marked which side of the Yolk went to which side of the D/S by putting the marks so they faced eachother. Or mark it however you like so you know.

Then lined the marks up as I was putting them back in and then just slide the D/S back into the trans and diff.. don't have any issues either and has been about 80k mi since I did it.

then i also have to install the extended trans houseing. Lots of people have told me that they dont the aluminum driveshaft swap without replacing the trans houseing and no issues as of yet. whats your thoughts on that?

I would install it. It will give more support which also helps with the higher drive line speeds with steeper gears.

would i need to buy a gasket for the trans houseing?

I think there is a gasket there but it should be cheap.

And you can get a u-joint press from -insert auto store here-. Makes it a lot easier. The clips can be a PITA. Mine rusted to the caps, so I had to hit them with some penetrating oil. Be gentle and use reasonable force. Aluminum damages easily. It takes all of 10 minutes a joint. I didn't need to replace my trans seal, but there is one there. And you'll lose a little fluid when you put it, maybe about 3/4 cup.

I wouldn't replace the U-joint without a reason. Looks don't count. Does it bind? Does it have any slack? Is there red dust coming out of it? Are the seals torn? 'No' to all? Leave it alone.

And if you DO replace it, get a NON-greaseable Spicer, and grease it before installation using a good EP grease rated for disk brakes.

steve83, have you ever been in a crownvic when a u-joint fails and the driveshaft lets loose. i have, and it's not an expierence i'd care to repeat.

No, but I've had several fail in my Bronco. Only one failed so rapidly that I didn't have time to realize what it was, go the parts store, and swap it.



The ones in my CV haven't failed yet, and they're the ones that were in the d'shaft when I got it from the JY.



I trust OE Ford parts 10x more than most new aftermarket parts; even Ford parts that have been down the road & through a JY. If you answer "no" to all 4 of those questions, you can get at least 6Kmi (2 oil changes) out of that U-joint before it fails catastrophically. Probably more like 16Kmi.

But if you've got the time & money, changing a good u-joint with a newer good u-joint won't hurt.

when that $30 u-joint failed, it caused a few hundred dollars worth of damage.

the car needed a tow to the repair shop. a new driveshaft was installed and the car driven out of the repair shop. then the car started puking transmission oil out the tailshaft bushing when it was on the highway. so the driveshaft came out again, and a new tailshaft bushing was installed.

damage to that car was actually very minimal for a complete u-joint failure. often, a broken u-joint on our cars will rip the whole extension housing off the transmission when driveshaft lets loose. this means a $2000+ transmission rebuild on top of the cost of the replacement driveshaft and tow to the repair shop.

our cars use aluminum transmission cases that are not as forgiving as the steel transmission cases of yesteryear.

My Bronco uses the lightest-duty Aluminum transfer case that Ford ever put in a 1/2-ton truck: the NP208F.



Most Broncos use a Magnesium t-case that stands up to a PowerStroke Turbo Diesel: the BW1356.



But we're getting off-topic... My point is: the original post describes a u-joint that might have been driven 20 miles down a dusty road since it was installed. Not one that's critically in need of replacement.

while we are on the topic of driveshafts, has anyone had luck cleaning up rusty driveshaft slip yokes?

most of the slip yokes on salvage yard driveshafts that i've seen laying loose out of the car have had really rusty slip yokes.