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Play in front drive shaft U-Joint at pinion yoke

10K views 34 replies 6 participants last post by  az-4x4 
#1 ·
I just got this driveshaft back from being rebuilt and when I installed it today I noticed there is a little play in the front. It is a double cardan and the rear is as snug as can be. On the front, there is no play whatsoever in the U-Joint where it is attached to the shaft, but where it is held in with the straps there is a very small amount of side to side play of the joint moving in the caps. I haven't noticed this before and I assume it's not good. The straps are tight and it appears to be sitting in the yoke nicely... Any ideas on why I have this side to side play in the caps?

Here are a couple pics to show where I am having the play. Notice the small gap between the cap and the joint.


Small gap when pushed ^^^^^

No small gap when pulled ^^^^^
 
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#2 ·
Is there side of the u-joint seated properly? See that little "nub" on the yoke? is the other side the same? Could have installed it without seating it between those points on the yoke. Check that.

Otherwise the u-joint could be wrong? But that seems unlikely.
 
#3 ·
It seems to be seated right on both sides. The nub is on the outside of the cap, holding it in place, on both sides. I thought that it could be the wrong size as well but everywhere I look says that they are the correct ones. I'm kind of stumped.
 
#4 ·
I'll also note that I am not sure if this is the factory driveshaft or not. I have only owned the jeep for a couple weeks and I am just trying to figure everything out. The driveshaft was bad when I bought the jeep, which is why I had it rebuilt.
 
#5 ·
Yeah just a 1310 Spicer (or equivalent) u-joint. It is possible that the thrust washer inside the cap is missing causing the misalignment.

Almost all Jeeps use 1310 joints too.
 
#6 ·
 
#7 ·
I had looked at something like this already, but my understanding is that the snap rings only go on the sides of the U-joint that is attached to the driveshaft, correct? They don't go with on the caps that are held in with the straps if I understand correct. I could be wrong though.
 
#8 ·
Jeep uses external snap rings, as most cars do, expect for the axle shafts which are internal. (WJ doesn't have u-joint axle shafts anyways.)

But, back on topic, no you will not use snap rings on the ears on the u joint that is on the yoke for the axle. There should be snap rings on the yoke of the shaft. I can not verify via your posted pictures but I would imagine the driveshaft shop would know what they are doing.

So, I really do not there should be that much axial play. The acceptable tolerance for axial play is maybe 1 or 2 thousands of an inch. I am going to guess it might be missing that washer. Undo the straps and pull it off and pull the caps off carefully and see if they are there.
 
#10 ·
Alright man, interested to know what you find. Also post up and ID Numbers that are on the u-joint. Should be in the center of the cross.
 
#11 ·
Alright, pulled the driveshaft to see what kind of mess I've got going on here. The U-Joint that is on the front yoke side doesn't have a part number on it. I called the mechanic who installed it (a good friend of mine) and he gave me the part number of the joint he used. It's an Orileys masterpro 369 which supposedly fits my Jeep.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MPJ0/369.oap?pt=01462&ppt=C0362

Here are some pics of the joint as well as some closeups of the yoke. AND while doing all this digging I think I've discovered that my pinion bearings are in the process of failing so now I get to look into that... Its always something.



 
#12 ·
Pull the caps off and see if there are thrust washers in there.

Also, I'd be weary of those cheap parts.
 
#14 ·
That looks like the thrust washer. If you get a pick in there, you might be able to distinguish between the cap and the washer. Be careful not to rustle the needle bearings or that'll be a fun time.

Those auto parts store parts are not up to the quality of OEM parts. With that being said, it could also be a bad part. I recommend sticking with Spicer Parts, only a few dollars more than auto parts stores.
 
#16 ·
Yes but that's a grease able joint, which is perfectly fine. I went with non greaseable. It's your choice there. Any 1310 is the size and it'll fit.
 
#18 ·
No problem, we've been there done that with frustrating things like this.

You can rent a ball joint press to remove and replace the joint without smashing it with a hammer.
 
#19 ·
I just got this driveshaft back from being rebuilt and when I installed it today I noticed there is a little play in the front. It is a double cardan and the rear is as snug as can be. On the front, there is no play whatsoever in the U-Joint where it is attached to the shaft, but where it is held in with the straps there is a very small amount of side to side play of the joint moving in the caps. I haven't noticed this before and I assume it's not good. The straps are tight and it appears to be sitting in the yoke nicely... Any ideas on why I have this side to side play in the caps?

Here are a couple pics to show where I am having the play. Notice the small gap between the cap and the joint.



Small gap when pushed ^^^^^



No small gap when pulled ^^^^^
I had the same prob on mine after a rebuild. Toolk it back and they said it was a bad joint. Replaced anf now no play

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#20 ·
Hopefully the OP can get it fixed up via the shop if there is an error as such.
 
#21 ·
Glad to hear it may just be the joint. I'm about to be leaving town for the next 10 day and don't have time to take care of it before I leave. When I get back and have a chance to get the joint replaced I'll be sure to update with results.
 
#22 ·
ItsJustAvise said:
Glad to hear it may just be the joint. I'm about to be leaving town for the next 10 day and don't have time to take care of it before I leave. When I get back and have a chance to get the joint replaced I'll be sure to update with results.
sometimes when pound out the joint you end up spreading the ears a little and that will cause side to side slop.
 
#23 ·
Any updates? Did this ever get fixed
 
#24 ·
Thanks for checking in! Just got the Spicer 1310 joint in the mail yesterday. I've been really busy and luckily this isn't my daily driver so it has been sitting. Hope to get the U-joint installed this weekend. I am also replacing the rear upper control arm ball joint this weekend and then it's going to a buddy's shop for new front pinion bearings/seals. This is a little more of a project vehicle that I thought it was going to be... Not gonna complain though. I love working on the Jeep when I've got time!
 
#25 ·
So before I even did the U joint replacement in the driveshaft, I crawled under the Jeep to see if the new U joint was still sloppy in the front yoke... Sure enough, way too much movement from side to side. Now my only guess is that the yoke has been worn from having the bad joints in it for so long. What is the spline count on the Dana 30? I've been doing some research but I see a mix of 27 and 29. I need to get this ordered soon since I am having the pinion bearings and seals done sometime this coming week. I have the build sheet from my Jeep if that would be of any help.
 
#27 ·
Going to have to measure. But spicer U-joints come with varying thickness to try an compensate for variations.
 
#29 ·
Good to hear that everything is fixed up now!
 
#32 ·
Sorry finger trouble. Was it the spline side or knuckle side that was worn?

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The issue I was having was on the knuckle side. The tabs had been wore down and the yoke would not hold the U-joint tightly between the two tabs. I bought a new U-bolt style yoke and everything seems to have tightened up nicely. I will know for sure once it comes off the lift mid week. Still waiting on one last part before we seal up the differential.
 
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