Can you reuse a U-joint?

[Cj80cruiser]

About a month or two ago I took my truck to a local guy and had the U-joints replaced on my rear driveshaft. The guy put the front most U-joint (rear driveshaft) with the zirk in a position that you can't grease it. I don't want to take it back to him. He should have known better or realized this and fixed it. Can I remove the U-joint without damaging it? If so does anybody have a step by step with limited tools? I read the FAQ's with clownmidgets write up but wasn't sure if damage was occuring. Thanks in advance.

[Cj80cruiser]

The FAQ's can sometimes be a to read. All the contradicting info and then people trying to show off their knowledge while wording things incorrectly just makes it hard to get a clear picture. (I'm as guilty of this as the next guy)

I didn't realize until now there is so much to getting a rear driveshaft set up properly. Things range from being as petty as improper zirk alignment throwing off the balance.......to the important In-phase position for the rear driveshaft.

The FAQ's are the devil's advocate when it comes to driveshafts

[hj60]

You can reuse a u joint. If it's that new, anyway.
A vice, a socket that's the same diameter as the joint caps and a BFH are all I use to swap em out.
I don't think I could write up a procedure thtd be clear enough, tho. I'd have to show you in person.
Maybe someone else is more eloquent.
The biggest 2 points to make are, clamp the weld at the yoke, not the tube, and be careful not to lose/move any of the needles in the bearing caps.

[Tools R Us]

No problem with reusing them, as long as they aren't damaged. It's easier with a press or a c-clamp type tool, like this;

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

[Cj80cruiser]

1). Does it matter which side the zirk is facing as long as you can get to it to grease it?

2). Do you need to make sure to turn the bolt head (not the nut) when removing? I've asked
this before and got 2 different answers. Semlin says you need to take care in FAQ's.

3). As long as the Driveshaft is in phase does it matter if the rest of the parts go back in
exactly the same spot they were in? I can't imagine this is important but feel I need to ask.

[Cj80cruiser]

I can't see why any of this is a big deal and just need a little reassurance to put the extra effort in. Well maybe the 2nd is important if it's true.

[Tools R Us]

Originally Posted by Cj80cruiser

1). Does it matter which side the zirk is facing as long as you can get to it to grease it?

No, as long as you can grease and they don't contact/bind on the yokes, etc. But the way that Toyota lines them up from the factory makes greasing much greasing easier

Originally Posted by Cj80cruiser

2). Do you need to make sure to turn the bolt head (not the nut) when removing? I've asked
this before and got 2 different answers. Semlin says you need to take care in FAQ's.

I don't think it matters, but find that turning the nuts make the job easier.

Originally Posted by Cj80cruiser

3). As long as the Driveshaft is in phase does it matter if the rest of the parts go back in
exactly the same spot they were in? I can't imagine this is important but feel I need to ask.

I always put the parts back in the same relationship, but other than a possible balance issue (probably slight) there is no problem with a yoke being the flipped. Yours has already been apart, so it's hard to say if they are still where the factory put them.

[RavenTai]

1. unless you want to move your truck more than once to grease the drive shafts you should pay attention to where the zerks are,

2. whatever gets them out, I have turned both the head and nut, depending on access at each flange, for some reason they seam easier to remove via the head witch is backwards of most applications, might have something to do with the washer area of each.

3. yes it does matter, these parts are not perfect, each one has a heavy side and a light side, when it was made the drive shaft was balanced as an assembly, changing just the u joints them selves should not change the balance enough for you to notices any vibration but moving other parts around could, drive line vibration is difficult to find and costs money for fix, a little work here can save you down the line.

mark the flanges to the t-case/diff before you remove the shaft and when you get the drive shaft out clean it before you separate the slip spline and before you remove a u-Joint and make a mark a line from end to end with a paint pen, you may find the factory mark at the slip spline if it has not faded too much, that would be a good reference point, re-assemble in that order confirming that the arrangement it came out in matches the FSM as far as phase, my 96 manual calls for front shaft 90 degrees out of phase rear shaft in phase,

[RavenTai]

Originally Posted by Tools R Us

Yours has already been apart, so it's hard to say if they are still where the factory put them.

I see, it is water under the bridge then.

[Cj80cruiser]

I sprayed some paint on the driveshaft to mark which end went where before I took it to the guys shop. Hopefully I can uncover enough clay to see the marks now so I can get it back to factory.