Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Stokes
I've done a jillion U-joints over the years including the GM ones with the caps permanently glued in place. Those take oxy-actylene to heat 'till the goop runs out. My point - there's always a way. The worth of doing it at home, now that's another question.
I'm noted on here before that there are industrial balance companies that can balance the shaft in place. It's not free but isn't terribly expensive especially if you can get the car to a location they specify so they don't have travel time. People for some reason don't take advantage of this service and it's an amazing one. We used it many times at EPA to smooth out dyno shakes.
Dan
|
The GM joint caps are glued, Mercedes used a punch to create teeth that dont let the caps pop out. Its a bit obtuse. In some european countries I visited and saw some shops - they simply cut the joint out with a torch and smooth away two cap stakes, once a new joint is placed with lots of heavy grease in the needles they put the caps back as it was depth wise and stake them in.
These are taxi service cars and other usual lower spec models of MB, Im talking about steelies and hub cap edition W124, W210 etc.
On the BMW and Subaru forums they face the same issue too but are more DIY guys and most have just tacked a washer on the yoke where the caps are to lock the joint into place. Same issue of locked in U joint.
on the mercedes yoke no provision of an inner circlip or outer circlip is provided so at best a DIYer is really in a hole and has to pony up about 3 bills for a rebuilt shaft as no D shaft shop advertising amazing promises is able to take apart and rebalance a tripod ended shaft. I have visited about 8 shops in houston tx and all have the same story of we will get it shipped from San Antonio (which I can do without their markup in between)
If a machine shop can mill the factory yoke to provide inner circlip area future repairs can be a piece of cake.