Propshaft Universal Joint

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D90 Td5

D90 Td5

Member
Posts
21
Location
UK
Hi everyone,
After going under my Defender I noticed some slight play in the front universal joint on the rear propshaft. There is about 0.5mm of 'in and out' play on one axis of the joint and then maybe 0.25mm - 0.5mm of play on the other axis. There is no rotational play or play that is perpendicular to each axis and the joint feels smooth and free. It's not the best way to show it but I have made a gif to try and show the play as I don't think I can simply upload a video on here.
I'm therefore wondering whether this amount of play is something I should repair immediately, or whether it's safe to drive with it like this and just monitor it to see if any more play develops. I was also wondering if this play would be reduced slightly with a fresh load of grease as they haven't been greased in a while as I don't have a grease gun.

Thanks
20210924_192616_1_1_1_1.gif
 
Needs replacing. Be OK on local runs but I wouldnt go on the dual carriageway with it
 
Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies. I've now got myself a new universal joint and a grease gun! I've removed the circlips on the joint but I'm now stuck on the removal of the actual 'spider' part of the joint.
I've tried pressing it out using a socket in a vice but that didn't have any effect. I've also tried hitting it fairly hard using a hammer and a socket to try and force it out but that still had no effect.
I'm not sure what to try next as I don't want to damage the yokes so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
D90 Td5 said:
Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies. I've now got myself a new universal joint and a grease gun! I've removed the circlips on the joint but I'm now stuck on the removal of the actual 'spider' part of the joint.
I've tried pressing it out using a socket in a vice but that didn't have any effect. I've also tried hitting it fairly hard using a hammer and a socket to try and force it out but that still had no effect.
I'm not sure what to try next as I don't want to damage the yokes so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...


You will need a press, last time I tried a vice, I broke the vice! you might be able to shock the cups free with a hammer then use the vice the rest of the way.
I have done them with a hammer on the side of the road, but the risk of damage to the new joints is quite high.
 
Hi everyone

Thanks again for the advice, I just realised I forgot to update this thread. I ended up spraying a load of penetrating fluid around the bearing caps and left that to soak overnight. I then tried again with the hammer and sockets, but tried hitting a little harder than before. This then got them to move and I was able to remove and replace the universal joint with a new GKN part.
On a side note, I also fitted a new front propshaft as mine had a fair bit of rotational play and 'up and down' play in the sliding joint and this has reduced some of the vibrations, most noticeably around 50mph.

Thanks
 
lightning said:
Good work!

Be sure to grease the universal joints and sliding joint at every service, l have done this and at 130,000 miles l am still on all the original parts.
Click to expand...
On that note, don't expect the replacements to last that long. Even with greasing at service a UJ only last me a couple of years/50kish miles.
 
l guess it depends on the way the vehicle is used, mine is used mainly as a car, if yours is driven off road, in the desert, through water etc then the transmission will have a much harder life than mine.
 
lightning said:
l guess it depends on the way the vehicle is used, mine is used mainly as a car, if yours is driven off road, in the desert, through water etc then the transmission will have a much harder life than mine.
Click to expand...
My 90 is mostly used on road as my daily hack, but it does go off road fairly often and that is a problem. The soil around here is very sandy and very aggresive, I probably change UJ's every 2 years or so..............GKN all the time.
 
frog hopper said:
My 90 is mostly used on road as my daily hack, but it does go off road fairly often and that is a problem. The soil around here is very sandy and very aggresive, I probably change UJ's every 2 years or so..............GKN all the time.
Click to expand...
My 1996 90 is used daily. Most days it's in fields, a lot of which are by the river and it's sandy. Had my first prop UJ go about four weeks ago and it had done over 200K miles :cool:
 
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