Ujoint in Aluminum Driveshaft

[jdross440]

I need to replace the u-joints in my rear driveshaft on the 2007.5. The shaft is aluminum and the u-joints have the plastic holding them in. On the front shaft which is all steel, I used my torch to melt out the plastic then knocked out the u-joints. How do you heat the rear shaft enough to melt out the plastic but not overheat the aluminum?

 

[B.G. Smith]

Don't heat, just press them out, the plastic will shear and you can clean it out of the keeper groove. bg

 

[seafish]

Plastic melts at roughly 300*F and aluminum at 1200* and that's a fair bit of difference, particularly if you use an infrared thermometer to check your progress. That being said, it what BGSmith says above is true about the plastic keeper shearing as the cap presses through,that would be the way to go, BUT when I changed out the ujoints on the steel front driveshaft ujoints, as well as the axle shaft ujoints, there was NO way it was going to shear through the plastic keeper without excessive pressure and even AFTER melting the plastic keeper, I ended up bending the yoke ears in with the press while trying to push out the caps…I probabaly could have used a few "taps" with a BFH just to get the caps to break free while I was using the press. In fact, it is a REALLY good idea if you are using a hydraulic press to push out the caps, to cut a piece of steel just the right length to put inside/in between the yoke ears to keep them from bending in and save yourself ALOT of trouble when installing the new ujoints.

 

[mfurrh55]

I used a hammer and a socket that fit in on the cap, few hard hits and out they came, Monte

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Plastic melts at roughly 300*F and aluminum at 1200* and that's a fair bit of difference, particularly if you use an infrared thermometer to check your progress. That being said, it what BGSmith says above is true about the plastic keeper shearing as the cap presses through,that would be the way to go, BUT when I changed out the ujoints on the steel front driveshaft ujoints, as well as the axle shaft ujoints, there was NO way it was going to shear through the plastic keeper without excessive pressure and even AFTER melting the plastic keeper, I ended up bending the yoke ears in with the press while trying to push out the caps…I probabaly could have used a few "taps" with a BFH just to get the caps to break free while I was using the press. In fact, it is a REALLY good idea if you are using a hydraulic press to push out the caps, to cut a piece of steel just the right length to put inside/in between the yoke ears to keep them from bending in and save yourself ALOT of trouble when installing the new ujoints.

This was my experience on my '06. Pounding with an 8 pound sledge hammer did nothing. Pressing did nothing. Heat was a must and even at that, it was not easy. It took a combination of heat and a press. When the bottom cap let loose, it sounded like a gun going off.

 

[seafish]

….When the bottom cap let loose, it sounded like a gun going off.

Yup, forgot to add that part!!