what kind of Ujoints to buy..should I have a shop do it?

**BlackZ28629** · 10-24-2006, 10:53 AM

I am about to change the U joints on my A4..What kind are the best to get? Should I let a shop change them? Ive heard that you have to heat them up to get the old ones out and that you have to get the shaft balanced after replacement?>has anyone heard or experienced any of this?

**Da Swami** · 10-24-2006, 05:50 PM

I had a guy come in and buy 2 u-joints for his truck.

Despite my apprehension he actually changed them out in the damn parking lot of the store; sans lift, jacks, etc. I just lent him our loner set of tools and he did it in about 45 minutes.

It's like 4 bolts, you have to rotate the drive shaft (in neutral), then you pop it out with a longish screwdriver or pipe. The only reason you would heat it up is if it was really stuck in there, even then you could probably just grease it a little.

Basically, you could do it yourself, but you could also have a shop do it (I don't think it's very expensive).

I'm pretty sure re-balancing the drive shaft is unneccessary, unless maybe the old joint was really messed up....

**BlackZ28629** · 10-24-2006, 06:52 PM

i heard that you had to heat the joints with a torch because they are pressed in? I havent looked at them myself in a while....are they held in with snap rings or what? If so, Im def. doin it myself...easy..

**Da Swami** · 10-24-2006, 09:37 PM

Hmm....I hadn't thought about how they're connected to the driveshaft itself, I was thinking about how they bolt up to the tranny (four bolts).

I'll have to take a look when I'm checking my tranny fluid tommorrow (I flushed it on monday, wanted to make sure it doesn't need topping off).

**Orcus79** · 10-24-2006, 11:38 PM

Factory GM u-joints are held in with a plastic retainer. To get them out you have to heat the joint to melt the plastic. you generally don't have to get the drive shaft balanced, but if you get it done for a good price couldn't hurt.

**BlackZ28629** · 10-25-2006, 06:38 AM

^ that is what i was talking about....and the plastic comes out of the small pinhole, huh...Are we talking torch or is it done differently by the factory?cuz i dont have a torch..substitutes? Oh and how are supposed to get the new ones in? Ive only worked with snap ring retainers holding them in.

**Z27** · 10-25-2006, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Orcus79

Factory GM u-joints are held in with a plastic retainer. To get them out you have to heat the joint to melt the plastic. you generally don't have to get the drive shaft balanced, but if you get it done for a good price couldn't hurt.

Experience speaketh here, when heating with a torch, and a cheap propane job will work, put a couple of cuts in the rubber seals. A little face protection works well also. I have had one of the grease seals explode and blow hot grease all over.

**Orcus79** · 10-25-2006, 12:41 PM

All the after market joints are some sort of snap ring set up, usually the external c-clip style

**BlackZ28629** · 10-25-2006, 07:20 PM

but are there grooves for the snap rings to set in??

**Orcus79** · 10-25-2006, 09:02 PM

Thr rings attach to the indide of the bearing cups, ther are retainers cast in to the yoke pieces to keep the cup from working out and the snap rings hold everything in place. Everything should be self explanitory when you get them. You dom ahve to press the old ones out and the new ones in.