You can "rent" a cheap Chinese universal joint press tool from O'Reilly's et cetera for free in the ball joint press tool kit. Some use vises and hammers and sockets.
There seems to be two good tools for this. Canadian Tiger Tool and American (insanely expensive) Snap-On BJP1.
There are many videos about changing universal joints.

 

I've been working to get the trashed u-joint out having rented that ball joint press and I am having no luck.
The end caps seem to have welded themselves to the knuckle and with what force I am able to apply to the press I cannot get them to budge. Does anyone have an idea on how to get the u-joint out? I've let is soak in Kroil and have also applied a lot of heat....

 

Penetrating oil, heat, and a good whack on the side with it under tension from the press usually does the trick. Try not to press such that a seized cap means you're trying to bend the ears.

 

New tool only.
https://www.ebay.com/p/OTC-7248-Truck-Brake-Pin-Press-Universal-Joint-C-Frame-Press/17028150195
Used, old version before the current U.S. version and before it was made overseas.
https://www.uniquetruck.com/product/1100/otc-ball-joint-service-kit
The kit for some ball joints new as well.
The new O.T.C. ones are made domestically. Snap-On is the nicest unit. The ready are foreign made and cheap pieces of ****. They flex which makes the objective less accomplishable.
I doubt that you have a press, but you might have a vise already. That would be work for pressing out the old ones.

 

If the u-joint is "welded" in there, you need a press, but in that case you have to fab a bit of a collar to make sure you dont compress the ears

 

If you bend the ears on the yoke a little, you can knock them back with a hammer. Many times when you press a new joint in they get bent in a little anyway. If the joint is too tight, knock the ears back out a little to free it up.

 

I use a 20 ton press and even then it's really working.

IIWY I'd take it somewhere and have them remove/replace. Since it's already out it won't be that expensive, better than wasting hours of time wailing on it.

Course, there is that "guy" thing...

***You did take the retaining clips off, right?***

 

This X2.

Also with the axles out, take the opportunity to turn the pinion by had and see how it feels? It should turn smooth, not loose, and there should be no play in the bearings. If you can wiggle the pinion sideways, the bearings are probably bad. But if everything feels right, don't mess with it. Do not remove the pinion nut on the yoke or the end caps unless you are prepared to learn all about setting the ring and pinion. From the videos you have posted, the gears look pretty good. When you emptied the gear oil, did you find any metal or metal dust mixed in? That would be a hint at something being worn out. But even then you may be good still.

 

My research showed that the most force you can get out of a bench vise is about 2 to 3.5 tons. My observation and estimation when pressing out stubborn caps tells me I'm using over 10.

IMO when you start using tools for purposes other than what they were designed for, you end up breaking tools and getting injured.

OTOH, I frequently use the vise to install the caps cause once you get everything squeaky shiny they slip right in w/o much force.

 

Ha. I did get those clips out, but had a ton of trouble with that as well. Those things were welded on as well so I had to take an angle grinder to them.

I will most likely take the old axle shaft out and put that in the new assembly just to get it going.
Then when I get a chance I'll take the frozen shaft to a shop and have them press the u-joint out. Then I'll keep it as a spare.


Everything seems smooth now and there weren't any metal flakes so I think I'm in the clear once I get the axle shaft squared away.

Hopefully hooking this up to the Jeep goes smoother than this....

 

If you do decide to keep at the u-joints, keep soaking those buggers in penetrating oil. Give them a few taps on the sides while you do it - the vibration can help get the fluid to penetrate. I had to take a ball joint press to my front driveshaft to get a couple stubborn caps to move. I'd soaked them for over a week and they still wouldn't budge.

Be careful with the shop. I had a once trusted shop that lost a lot of respect from me when I had them replace the u-joints on my rear driveshaft. They buggered up the shaft and improperly installed one of the joints. I HATE doing u-joints, but after that, I'll never let anyone else do a u-joint for me again.

 

I'm not real fond of that tool, as it can bend or break the ears. I have a piece of u-channel I set underneath to support the cross of the joint and use a bearing press and a socket to push down on the top. This forces the cross upwards and pushes he cap on the topside up into the socket. No pressure trying to bend the ears.

 

Hey, Here an idea. Just use the shafts from your old axle and throw that one on the shelf for later... Shafts are the same between LP and HP D30's.. Oh, and I'm assuming your upgrading to a HP.

 

I ended up taking the shaft from my old axle and putting it in the new one.
This is what I was replacing: