Brute Force U-joint cap too short?

[Hardway]

I picked up 4 new Brute Force brand solid u-joints from Advance Auto Parts based on feedback from other owners who have had good luck with them. The part number I got was 1-0029BF. They are actually made by Naepco for Advance Auto Parts. I pressed my old u-joints out and upon pressing the first new one in I had to push the caps in further than I expected in order to get the retaining clip on. This made the joint way too stiff. I pressed it back out and compared the old u-joints against the new ones. Using my digital micrometer I measured the height of part the old cap that sits in the yoke and it is .467mm, the height of the new cap that sits in the yoke is only .432mm. Has anyone else run in to this? I really want to use solid u-joints since having greasable units means the joint is hollow and the zirk fitting gets in the way when putting them on. Running the u-joints without the clips is not an option so I am left scratching my head. Below is a picture of what I am seeing, new u-joint on the left, old u-joint cap on the right.

[Zed Head]

Isn't the critical dimension across the u-joint itself, from the inner edges of the clip grooves? That's the machined dimension in the yoke that it has to fit. Add the clip widths, both, to get the machined yoke dimension. Cup/cap height can vary.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Zed Head

[EuroDat]

Im not sure what your measuring exactly.

The critical distance is between the outer circlip edges, but the circlip must be hard against the inside edge of the groove. Having said that its not that easy to measure accuratly. The groove has tolerences so its important the circlip is sitting in the right place and the caps are sitting tight when you take measurements.

I have changed many u-joints on diffenent cars and they are mostly tight after mounting. You need to push them tightly together to get the circlips in. Once you have done that its simply a case of pressing them back against the circlip. They should work freely then.

Its also important to clean the surface where the circlip contacts, but seeing you project so far I doubt that is the problem.

Your project is coming along real fine. Looking good. Goodluck

Chas

[Hardway]

You guys make good points. I did make sure to clean the holes in the yokes that the caps go in to, all were nice and shiny before I started. My concern is that the caps have to be pushed in too far to reveal the clip grooves. As I was pressing them in it reached a point where it felt good, not too tight but also not too loose but the clip grooves could not be seen at all. My issue seems to possibly be that once I get the clips in I can press once side back so that the clip is tight against the yoke but cannot get the other side pressed against the yoke without un-doing the work I did on the opposite side. Should I do one cap at a time?

[Carl Beck]

Looking at your Picture - If the width of the New and Old U-Joint bodies are the same {without the cups on each end} - - it would seem that you would have to completely smash the rubber seal on the new cap - to get the circle clip groves to match up in the yoke...

Maybe I am not understanding what your measuring...

FWIW,

Carl B.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Carl Beck

[Hardway]

You are correct Carl, that is another way of thinking about it. Once the grooves for the clips was revealed rubber seal on the new u-joint was smushed pretty good but not 100% collapsed. I have ordered some more u-joints made by other companies to compare them. In the mean time I will try again with the current new u-joints this evening and see if I can try installing 1 cap at a time so that I can push the cap back out and seat the clip firmly against the yoke.

[Mike W]

Hardway,

When I did my U-Joints about 1 1/2 years ago I decided to go with the Spicer brand given all of the good reviews they received.

The only place I could find them locally in Austin was at Inland Truck Supply on East Anderson Lane. They are an authorized distributor for Spicer and although they did not have them in stock, it only took about 1-2 days to get them in.

They fit perfectly and I have not had a problem with them since the install. I also used Inland to balance my drive shaft as well once I replaced the U-Joints on it.

I do not have the Spicer part numberrs handy, but if you need them let me know and I will look them up for you.

Hope this helps.

Mike.

[EuroDat]

Its a bit hard to judge the height difference on the photo. The spider also has a lot to do with the total distance.

If you do try to mount them again, you should push the cup through just enough to get the circlip on. Then press him back using the other cap until you can get that circlip on.

To push it back you can use somes blocks to support the yoke or the free ends of the spider cross (with caps on to protect the spider from damage) and something round to go over the cap. A socket will do the job, but it needs to be a little bigger than the cap. That way you can press that cap back to seat the circlip and free up the spider.

If that doesnt work, there is something wrong with the sizes or the yoke is "crushed". It takes a lot of force to crush it together, but with a press you could be possible and maybe not realise it. You can check that with with your calipers to see if they are all the same and the edges are parrallel.

Goodluck

Chas

[Zed Head]

upon pressing the first new one in I had to push the caps in further than I expected in order to get the retaining clip on. This made the joint way too stiff.

This part sounds like you did everything right and the u-joint is just too wide for the yoke. Maybe you got a + tolerance joint and - tolerance yoke. Nissan factory u-joints come with a set of clips of various thickness, and a procedure to use to get the right clearance for the cap. Maybe the old clip will give the right clearance or you could mix and match the new clips.

I replaced all four of my half shaft u-joints once, drove the car, realized the new ones were looser than the old ones, and took them all back for a refund. They were Precision brand. Now I have a collection of old half-shafts with factory u-joints that I wlll use as replacements. I like old factory quality better than new auto parts store quality.

By the way, some, maybe all, of the factory joints come with a small cap, slotted for a flat blade screwdriver, for the zerk fitting hole. The idea is to install the fitting, grease them, then remove the fitting and put the cap in the hole. There are also short zerk fittings available that won't bind.

Edit - I think that I should have said + and + on the tolerances. Of course it all depends on what part is being measured. Fun.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Zed Head

[EuroDat]

This part sounds like you did everything right and the u-joint is just too wide for the yoke. Maybe you got a + tolerance joint and - tolerance yoke. Nissan factory u-joints come with a set of clips of various thickness, and a procedure to use to get the right clearance for the cap. Maybe the old clip will give the right clearance or you could mix and match the new clips.

By the way, some, maybe all, of the factory joints come with a small cap, slotted for a flat blade screwdriver, for the zerk fitting hole. The idea is to install the fitting, grease them, then remove the fitting and put the cap in the hole. There are also short zerk fittings available that won't bind.

I remember years ago, I did a Holden Monaro and had to order thinner circlips. They made then in different thicknesses for this same tolerance problem.

The u-joint in my Z had zerk nipples and a set of plugs. I greased it and fitted the plugs. You could use allen key grumb screws to do the same.

[WDILL]

i replaced my ujoints last month and had the same problem of not getting enough room for the circlip. I took it apart and found that 2 of the bearings were in the bottom of the cap instead of standing along the wall. Put them back in place and had no problem inserting the circlips.

Wally D.

[Hardway]

I wanted to give a quick update to this so you guys know what happened. Since my yoke was slightly crushed I used my bench vise and a little heat to spread it back open. It took a little while but I got it and the u-joint fit much better. I ran in to the same problem with the second half shaft and gave it the same treatment. Everything is now together, ready for another round of cleaning, followed up by some paint.