# How do you take apart a universal joint?



## cheapthrills (Apr 7, 2009)

I need to take apart a universal joint while it's still on the machine. I'm cheating as this is on my sons Eiger but these are all fairly universal and I know this is the place to get great info. I have the C clips off but I don't understand how to get the caps off the yolks to free the U-joint. I know they need to be punched off but how?


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## IBBruin (Feb 10, 2009)

I've changed the u-joint on the machine on my Wolverine. If they've never been replaced before you could be in for quite a time. I used a c-clamp to squeeze one cap at a time out. It's kinda hard to explain. I put a 3/4 shallow socket between the clamp and the cap I wanted out. Tighten the clamp and the cap would push up into the socket. You have to swap the whole rig around 3 more times to get each cap out. I'd stay away from the hammer idea unless it's a last resort. What ever shaft the joint is attached to is transferring all that energy to the closest bearing. Did any of that make any sense?


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## cheapthrills (Apr 7, 2009)

Yes, made perfect sense. The hammer thing wasn't working out and I thought the same, this could do more damage then good. Thanks for the advice.


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## IBBruin (Feb 10, 2009)

I welded the socket to the clamp cause sometimes it's hard to get all that lined up and tighten the clamp at the same time.


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

Thats some homemade engineering there :rockn: , they actually make clamps for that, they are basically a C-Clamp w/o the swivil plate on them, matter of fact *cough* some of us *cough* have been known to rip the little flat swivil plate off & just leave the ball on the end of the screw shaft of the clamp


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