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Driveshaft bolt problems


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Went to take the front driveshaft off of the truck tonight to fix the problem with the loose dirt shield and yoke. I got the front straps off with no problems. The 4 bolts on the tcase side are giving me a problem. 3 of them came off easy. The 4th one is just rounding off when I turn the socket on the bolt (yes it is a 6pt socket), now the bolt is pretty messed up. :fs1: Ive soaked in PB blaster and it still won't come off. Not sure If I can cut it off with the dremel because the flat part of the bolt (built in washer) is recessed into the yoke a little bit. Any ideas of how to get this thing off?

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Use the dremel to square off the rounded edges of the bolt so you can really clamp down with the vice grips. You'll need really big vice grips. You might even need vice grips so big, and to clamp so hard, that you need to use some clamps to get the vice grips to lock. But it'll work. 88 beast is right too, smack the end of the bolt real good with a solid hammer to give it some shock. If you have a helper and enough space, you can also apply torque to your oversized vice grips clamped on the bolt while appling shock via hammer to the end of the bolt (either directly, or put a punch on it or something for extra reach (I hear long craftsmen flathead screwdrivers work great)). If none of that works, try some heat. If THAT doesn't work... make sure you're turning the right way! :D

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I'd probably just cut the yoke apart with an angle grinder (DeWalt Plasma). A $5 part is not worth a lot of time - espeically when I have tons of spares.

 

I do realize that not everyone is in my position. However, normally those yokes can be found fairly easily.

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I'd probably just cut the yoke apart with an angle grinder (DeWalt Plasma). A $5 part is not worth a lot of time - espeically when I have tons of spares.

 

I do realize that not everyone is in my position. However, normally those yokes can be found fairly easily.

 

Is that yoke held in with a snap ring? Can I just use a prybar to pull that yoke out like I do with fwd passenger car axle shafts?

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Is there a way to remove the whole tcase side yoke while it is attached to the driveshaft (is it held on by snaprings or a center yoke bolt). That would make it tons easier if I could remove the whole yoke and then worry about getting the bolt out.

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I think you'll find that yoke is bolted to the output shaft. So until you get the driveshaft off the yoke, you can't unbolt the yoke itself.

A neat little trick I use for events like this is to drill out the threads in the yoke with a drill bit the same diameter as the bolts that go in. Then using the original straps, put grade 8 bolts right through the yoke with nuts on the back side. There's plenty of room, just measure for the length of bolt you'll need, go to the local hardware store and you're set. It also makes life easier if you ruin a ujoint on the trail and it snaps a bolt off in the yoke. With this mod you can just push the old bolt out of the yoke, throw a new ujoint and bolt/strap and you're on your way.

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:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh:

 

4 EFFING hours in and no Effing progress. This would be SO much easier if I knew if the output shaft could be easily removed and if the assembly were out of the truck! :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :fs1: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :headpop: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:

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Ok, Ive spent a few hours away from it now. I have formed a new attack plan. Once the Dremel battery is charged, I will use a cutoff wheel to cut a slot in the middle of the head and use a slotted screwdriver to remove. On paper it looks foolproof, but I have learned that things rarely turn out the way they look on paper.

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Yeah, it didn't work. I don't have a welder to weld a nut on so at this point it would seem as if I am SOL. Any other suggestions. So far I have kept time on it and I have spent 8.3 hours on it today. :roll: Anyone have a new idea? I can't get any leverage with a hammer and chisel to smack the head off because it is way too close to the ground. I am SOOOO angry with this thing right now. :fs1: :mad: :wall: :rant: soapbox.gif :headpop: :help: :grrrr: :doh:

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use your dremel, or a cutoff wheel or grinding disc on an angle grinder, and take the entire bolt head off down to the surface of the backside of the yoke. Then you can pull the shank of the bolt thru the yoke and deal with getting it out of the cardan later. The threads are in the cardan joint, not the yoke.

 

Jeff

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We have success! I got a new sanding wheel for the Dremel and a buddy helped me get the edges sanded down to a rectangle. Then I was able to get a 7mm socket on it and it turned a 1/2 turn before rounding off again. Then I was able to get some vice grip type channel locks on there and turn that thing off. SOOO happy that's over with. :D

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