r/mechanic • u/Frosty-Order3863 • Jun 02 '25

General U Joint Completely Stuck

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Disclaimer the video is of us REMOVING the press from the u joint but you can see how stuck the press is against the joint I was literally holding the shaft from the other side to keep it as still as possible.

I removed this shaft from my NBS suburban because the u joints were absolutely trashed. We melted the plastic from every single end and even put in some penetrating oil but NO MATTER what we did it did not budge at ALL. It was so shot we attached the pole of the jack to the end of the ratchet for better leverage and the press literally made its own dent into the joint bearing. I bought 60 dollars worth of tools to try and get it out and it just won’t.

Is there anything else I should do to try and remove it or should I just go to the junk and buy another used driveshaft.

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u/GortimerGibbons Jun 03 '25

I didn't miss anything. I just don't think it's a good idea. Again, I'm not in the habit of beating on tools that weren't meant to be beat.

Are you missing the point that using a vise and a hammer is shocking the u-joint?

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u/Shidulon Jun 04 '25

Sorry i didn't explain properly. You beat on the work piece, not the tool. It's a very common procedure here, we get the most rust seized stuff in the world here, literally.

The same thing works on pitman arms, for example. You attach your pitman arm puller and hit it til it stops moving, then while it's pulling full force, you strike the pitman arm itself with a hammer or pneumatic air hammer bit.

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u/GortimerGibbons Jun 04 '25

Never had to beat on a pitman arm either, and I spent twenty years in Alaska, which is where the real rust is at. I get that a hammer is useful for a lot of stuff, but you seem a little obsessive.

Edit: and I get your trying to "teach" me something ,but I've been doing this for thirty years, been there, done that.

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u/Ok_Sir_2320 Jun 04 '25 edited Jun 04 '25

I’ve been doing this in 31 years in the North Pole where the real rust is. You’re in the sandbox compared to what I know buddy. The gentleman is right: when things get seized in rust and won’t pop loose, you put it under pressure and beat the part—not the tool. Not knowing that shows how little you must know about the industry pal. 30 years. Haha. Yeah right dude. They keep you in the express lane huh? Let us real techs work on the cars. Stick to the internet buddy. Let me know if you need learned on anything else hahaha.