2nd gen lower steering shaft rebuild DIY :)

Sooooo search

$31 all balls 19-1010 all balls u-joint kit 19-1010

all balls 19-1010 and you will find what your looking for

 

Good write up! I used to work at Timken in Watertown, CT making steering shafts for various vehicles - not Toyota. The staking of the caps is because the yoke is preloaded. Spread slightly to eliminate all lash in the assembly. We used a hydraulic press to push the joint in place causing the yoke to spread slightly before engaging the staking punches. After releasing the hydraulic pressure, the yoke would attempt to return to it's natural position loading the joint. That being said, if the new joint fits tight, you should be pretty good but report back if you find any more play in the steering. I would strongly suggest using a prick punch and deforming each outer yoke end as a back up to keep the caps from backing out if the snap rings broke or fell out. Loss of steering can happen without notice if the cap were to back out. It's a failure mode that was taken very seriously in the industry.

 

@vssman this is a good idea

 

I was think about this after, should of coated the caps with red lock tight before install.

The amount of pressure it took to put them in was a fair amount. This is a tight fit.

 

Well done, Jon. Bravo!

 

Anyone check out the link to the 07 taco pro ? It has been my obsession / nightmare to bring this truck back lots of wrenching adventures in there

 

I would agree 100%. Except that it's not being used as the manufacturer intended. I'd be curious to see if that clip sits flush in it's entirety when used as intended. I'm not a mechanic, nor am I trying to bash the ops' work. Just saw something I thought was worth throwing out there.

@Jon G thanks for understanding my point and not taking offense. Nice work.

 

@Toy4me i see what your saying


if the clips were the opposite of what they are now then the whole clip would be seated.

 

Just a internet picture of a u joint exploded view and the inside of the cap. The cap does not move in the yoke (part that the cap is pressed in) there are needle bearing inside the cap that allow the race of the u joint to pivot. If the cap is losse and moves then the clip will not do its job. The cap and the clip are non moving parts

 

Can you rotate it around? And if you can, then do it and give it a good wash down with brake clean and a coating of something like "form a gasket" that dries pretty firm. I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night but I bet the manufacturer expects that circlip to sit flush and tight to a machined surface. After reading @vssman post I feel less like I'm overthinking this. This is a great fix, lets just make sure it's safe.

 

This is a good fix. I'd just recommend replacing the punch marks to displace a bit of metal in the yoke so the cap stays in place.

 

If you guys seen the local shops that rebuild this type of stuff in my area this is already surpassing Most of them.

It took so much force to seat the caps in that it was starting to close the yoke I had to reposition a few times and the trick is to take it slow and do it in steps. They are tight !

 

Guys i just did a edit to the original

 

there is also something else i should mention

Removal of old steering shaft I have not done this yet or researched how to do it

It cant be that hard but what i DO KNOW you need to tie the steering wheel so it does not move as there is a clock spring that can be broken, also it will need to go back the exact same way in the same spot on the splines or your steering wheel will not be straight compared to the direction of your wheels

 

Just found a forum on how to remove the shaft. Informative. Lots of PB blast, and some patience. You have done a wonderful job with this forum. My u-joint is starting to bind, and I have sprayed the daylights out of it. It worked well enough to get me through the winter, but it is starting to bind again. I knew this a temporary fix. I think you have the solution right here. The key is keeping the joint lubed. Now there is a way. Thank you for your hard work on putting this together.

 

We'll I'm the guinea pig. Mine is actually in use today... BUT, I'm 1 spline off so I have to do it again tonight after work.
The collar at the top of this the shaft is extremely hard to slide up! I beat on that thing for at least an hour with a hammer because you can't get to it very well. I had it spread apart with a screwdriver and everything, soaked with PB Blaster and all it just is very tight at least on mine.
I do say the C-clips holding in the Universal caps Do not sit flush on mine. If I was to do it again I would probably file that area flat but I think it'll be okay. Also I don't believe there's really room to stake the cap in from the back side like the originals were, mine are flush with the surface. I grease the heck out of it and to be honest I actually put the grease zerk in the wrong direction and it's going to be harder to get to but I'll make sure I get it greased everytime I do the drive shafts.
This couldn't have happened at a worse time, I'm right in the middle of moving, my Vise isn't even bolt it down to my workbench anymore.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

In the second photo you can see a yellow line and a yellow dot on both sides of the universal, strange I bought this truck with sixteen thousand miles on it maybe it was in an accident? Of course the Carfax which are worthless as far as I'm concerned show that it was never wrecked.

 

Do you still have the old cut up U-Joint?
one of your pics, it looks like the middle is hollow, I'm wondering if there are channels to the other 3 "legs" we'll call them, so that if one knew where to drill, you could put a grease fitting on there and turn the joint into a greaseable one.

 

You are right, that is a hole and grease was coming out of it. I don't know the answer to rest of you question. My die grinder wheel may have smeared over the holes in the center section in this image. I honestly don't know if I still have that part as I'm at work right know and to be honest I was in quite a rush to get it done because I should be moving furniture to get ready for our new house.
I will TRY to get you more info tonight on that.
I will also say that I would think twice about weather or not it's worth it to remove a good shaft and put a grease fitting in it. It was that hard to move that upper collar on mine! Maybe if I had an air chisel that I could get down in there to drive it up. I did not remove anything on my truck to help the removal except 1 plastic retainer for the rubber shield in the wheel well that gave me access to the 2 bolts on the top collar.