ktb615

**** THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN SOLVED IF YOU READ DOWN THE THREAD
**** As well as the additional issue of driveline vibrations due to Upcountry lift.

Spicer 1310 Series Heavy Duty U-Joint, Non Greasable
SPC-5-1310x

• Distance between retaining rings (G1): 3.219
• Cap Outside Diameter (D1): 1.062
• Distance between retaining rings (G2): 3.219
• Cap Outside Diameter (D2): 1.062

1996 Jeep Cherokee Country
4x4 - AW4- 8.25 - NP231

I've been experiencing vibration and a grinding noise since installing my Crown HD leafs, and after research concluded that the problem was my rear drive shaft u joints.

Last night I went out to my buddy's shop and we got to work on them. The rear u joint was a bit of a PITA to get out. The method that finally worked was to press them out with a vise using a small socket to press and a large socket on the other side to allow them to come out freely. Some PB blaster, and later some Kroil and they finally pushed out. The front were much easier, we used the same method but they required a lot less elbow grease.

Installation of the new u joints was a breeze. We were careful not to let any of the needle joints slip free (as that happened to my buddy when he replaced his two weeks ago) and everything went together smooth. We lightly pressed in the caps with the vise and socket just to have enough space to set the clips. The joints were tight, which I found to be a common problem that is generally fixed by hitting around the ears of the yoke with a hammer until everything breaks free. However, no matter how much we hit the ears over the course of the next hour, nothing changed. We tried hammer and punch from the inside of the ears just to loosen things up if something somehow became bent, but nothing changed. I'm at a loss for how to get these u joints to move freely.

I googled the number on the front slip yoke (Spicer C2-3-2519) and it stated that it used the 1310 series U joints, so i'm pretty sure I have the correct ones. Does anyone have any other tricks to loosen these up? Did i bend my driveshaft and I need to replace it? Should I just take it to a shop and say "keep it as long as you need"? These are the options floating throught my mind.

firebane

Define "tight" are we talking you can't move them at all or they can be moved but just takes a bit of oomph.

A bit of oomph is ok but not being able to move is not.

ktb615

firebane

You have experienced bad vs good ujoints. Bad being floppy as you said and good with the fact it takes some effort to move them.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

New U-joints won't be super floppy like worn joints. As long as you can easily move the joint in its range of motion without significant resistance, it's good to go. If it requires quite a bit of work to move it, the joint is too tight.

PatHenry

Agree with what the others have said.

New u-joints will be a little tight, you should be able to move them and they should move SMOOTHLY across the range of motion. If they do that then you're good to go.

I had my rear driveshaft u-joints done by a so-called professional shop. They were tight and NOT smooth, but I (wrongly) assumed the shop wouldn't hand me back my driveshaft with an incorrectly installed u-joint. I put it in and drove a couple hundred feet before the shaft bound up and sheared the u-joint strap off the rear pinion. Fortunately since I had put new straps and bolts in it was easy enough to ez-out the broken bolt.
I installed new u-joints myself and they were definitely pretty tight, but smooth. Once those were in the Jeep has driven great since.

I think because the rear shaft u-joints were pretty new when I recently did my leaf springs that I will be good and not have to re-do them due to the modified angles.

00t444e

Sounds fine to me, new ones should be tighter as long as you can still move them.

Turbo X_J

Did you torque the U-bolts with the weight of the vehicle while on the ground?

fb97xj1

If the replacements feel tighter than you think they should be after the clips are in place, take a hammer and punch and give one of the caps a tap.This relieves any tension it may be under.

ktb615

I appreciate all the replies. Based on what everyone is saying, I have concluded that the front slip yoke side is good to go. The rear however, when I stated that I could move it back and forth with one finger, I misspoke. It only moves with leverage, i.e. pushing one end with thumb and pulling the other end back with fingers. It moves freely right up until the point when I install the snap rings. In fact, with one snap ring it is fine, only when adding the second snap ring does everything get super tight. And honestly, looking at the second clip, I would say it's not even fully seated yesterday. Just has a tiny bit more to go down, but it's only going to make things tighter.

I'll try the hammer and punch trick after work today when I get a chance to mess with it again.

PatHenry

There's a difference between -tight- and -smooth-. It can be and should be tight. It can and should require effort to move. It should -NOT- however feel "jerky" or "uneven". If it does then they're not right.

You will have to make the decision - do I believe these are installed correctly and it's just tight -- OR-- did I install these incorrectly and they need to come apart.

If it were me, I'd just take it apart and re-do it if I wasn't comfortable with how they were. The snap rings seeming to be not seated all the way happens to me too, I took a socket and tapped it with a hammer, but it still looks like it not fully seated. If the clip doesn't fly off when you do that - it's probably good to go.

PatHenry

I just re-read your details and I had the exact same experience - slip yoke side was obviously good and rear side was tighter than I'd like. I put greaseable joints in so I put a c-clamp on the open caps and greased the heck out of it - it was still tight, but helped a little.
If you can move the joint across the whole range of motion and you don't feel it bind up, you're probably being overly paranoid.

ktb615

PatHenry

ktb615

So for a couple days I had to drive to and from work (5 miles) in 4 high front wheel drive. Aside from the fact that I didn't really want to do that anymore than I had to, it was interesting to notice that the vibration and grinding sounds were gone with the rear driveshaft removed.

So today I got to work with it again. I watched a video and saw sort of a different way to hit the ears and I tried it and things got a little more loose and smooth. I felt pretty confident that I had gotten the u joint where it needed to be and so I installed it. I then drove it about 3 miles around the block a couple times and everything seemed to be great. Some of the vibration returned, but the grinding that was happening whenever I let off the gas at speed was gone. I got everything packed up and cleaned up my workspace and got in the Jeep to go for a drive. Less than a mile into it, the grinding was back. It's as though almost nothing changed from changing the u joints.

I still feel like they are the problem though, because when the driveshaft wasn't installed, everything was fine and quiet. So I'm left wondering at the moment, is it the U joints still and I messed them up while getting them installed because the process took a difficult turn? Is it possible that it's a pinion yoke or transfer case issue? It the driveshaft just too old and rusty and tired of doing its job?

When I removed and replaced the rear u joint, one of the white plastic pieces on the bottom of one of the caps got bent a bit and came off. I was able to snap it back on, but I did think that perhaps it is there to keep the grease in the cap. Is it possible this damage caused all of the grease to come out after a few miles and I just have a wrecked u joint again? It was pouring rain by the time I got anywhere, so I haven't had a chance to get under it and look at it. I'll do some noggin' poking tomorrow, but if anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for everything so far!