I am comin up on having to do the U joints, and possibly the center bearing, and I would like to know from someone who has done it before if they have any suggestions or tips to make the job as easy as possible. The slack in the drivetrain is now annoying, and likely dangerous if I let it continue to wear out. I will probably drive over to IPD and pick up the parts there.

Thanks for any suggestions, this is the first time I have done this.

Zack

I did this job not long ago for the first time also.

You will need a good vice with a wide enough spread to allow you to mount the flanges on it along with the socket or drift that you use to push in the caps. I wound up ruining the trusty vice that Ive owned for over 25 years on this job. A press would be better.

Get the Bently manual and follow the instructions. Use plenty of PB Blaster to loosen things up and don't curse too much when you can't get those pesky circlips to pop out. After the 12th one you will be an expert.

Make sketches of the driveshaft as it is on your car prior to taking it off. Mark everything with a drift as it is alligned, including the flanges that you will be disassembling. Remember, the shaft was ballanced at the factory with all components in their present position.(assuming that the Ujoints were never replaced). Just make sure that everything is put back as it came apart. Its not hard... just be dilligent.

If you replace the center support bearing, I'de take the shaft to a machine shop and have them remove the old one and press on the new one. More cost but much less hassle.

IPD sells quality parts mailorder.

Good luck.

a big friggin' vice is useful when pounding the joints out. and a large socket slightly smaller than the u-joint cap itself is very nice to use as a drift. work in an area with a clean floor and bright light - so you can find the bearings that fall out when you misalign at least one of the caps. use grease to stablize the bearings, and take care pressing the caps on - bending a bearing is not good.

mark the two pieces of the driveshaft before sliding them apart. they need to be put back together exactly as they are now.

oh yeah, and don't slip and crush your crumbling fuel return line when you're reinstalling the driveshaft like i did.

jake

The usual: Mark locations, use logic not force, get the spiders with the zerk fittings, do the center bearing with a new rubber. Follow Bentley, etc.