Source for new steering u-joints for $30 for the OEM steering shaft

[destrux]

See post 18 and 19 for a better and possibly cheaper solution to this.

I found out that the u-joints in our steering column and steering shaft are the same dimensions as the u-joints used for the driveshaft on a Kawasaki KLF300 Bayou 300 4x4 (years 89-04). Dimensions are 16mm cap OD, 40MM overall joint width. They cost about $30 and I've even found a version with a grease fitting for $40.

I'd assume the joint is plenty strong enough since on the quad it's being used to transmit a few thousand foot-pounds of torque.

I'll be ordering one and installing it shortly, since my lower joint is squeaking now that the rubber seals completely disintegrated and let water in.

 

[garagefujimoto]

Excellent. Pics?

 

[Beals]

thats ironic it's kawasaki considering my supra came with a yamaha motor.

 

[mkiiichip]

Interesting, are the steering shaft joints the same design as the driveshaft? Press fit, with c-clip?

 

[destrux]

I didn't get the one I ordered yet, but here's the pic from the website.

It's a press fit joint, the ATV one uses internal c-clips which may or may not be any use on the steering shaft. I'm not going to use them, I'll be staking it in place the same way the old joint was held in. Our original steering joints don't have any clips holding them in place, they are just pressed in and staked. I'll probably add a drop of loctite sleeve retainer just to be redundant.

 

[supraguy@aol]

I'd assume the joint is plenty strong enough since on the quad it's being used to transmit a few thousand foot-pounds of torque.

Quads make a few thousand ft-lbs of torque??
My supra only made about 250. No wonder ATV's are so popular...

 

[91Supra313]

Quads make a few thousand ft-lbs of torque??
My supra only made about 250. No wonder ATV's are so popular...

You didn't know this? I dreamed once of a quad pulling a Ram with a Cummings motor all around a parking lot. lol

OP nice find on the u-joint. Nothing like saving a few bucks. Thanks!! Please let us know how it works out with the fitment.

 

[mkiiichip]

I didn't get the one I ordered yet, but here's the pic from the website.

It's a press fit joint, the ATV one uses internal c-clips which may or may not be any use on the steering shaft. I'm not going to use them, I'll be staking it in place the same way the old joint was held in. Our original steering joints don't have any clips holding them in place, they are just pressed in and staked. I'll probably add a drop of loctite sleeve retainer just to be redundant.

I had a feeling the factory joints were "perma-staked'. I am interested in how this tuns out.

What does the oem joint assy cost?

 

[destrux]

Quads make a few thousand ft-lbs of torque??
My supra only made about 250. No wonder ATV's are so popular...

I was a little off, they make a couple hundred ft-lbs though, about 400ft-lbs from what I figured out in my head (5.42 final, 3.09 1st gear ratio and 20ft-lbs of engine torque roughly). Your Supra makes well over 1,500 ft-lbs of torque at the axles though. Torque is multiplied by the trans and final drive. Chassis dyno a car in first gear sometime, you'll see some very very high torque numbers if you can maintain traction. That's why you always dyno in 4th (or whatever the direct drive gear is).

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/b...ing-i-torque-multiplication-final-drives.html

 

[supraguy@aol]

I did NOT know that.
Thanks for the interesting read.

 

[destrux]

It fits, it works. You can't grease it unless you disconnect the shaft and bend the yoke out of the way, but I never greased the original joint and it lasted 25 years. The u-joint clips will work to hold it in. They actually fit perfectly. I staked it too, just to be safe.

I've heard the OEM Kawasaki joint is made better and has finer tolerances, but it costs about $55. This one was $28 shipped on ebay. It's made by All-Balls Racing which makes aftermarket bearings for dirtbikes/ATV's. I've used their stuff before on my quad and dirtbike and their stuff seems to hold up fine.

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

Wow, great find!

 

[SideWinderGX]

Hate to bump old (ish) threads but I can't find a place local to me that will agree to replace the staked in ujoint (let alone admit it can be done). It's starting to piss me off, it shouldn't be any more difficult than saying 'here are the parts, go do it and I'll give you money' but apparently it is.

Destrux did you do this yourself, find a local place, send it out of state? I'm at a loss haha.

 

[destrux]

I did this myself, I work at an automotive general repair shop. I wouldn't do it again though unless the OEM joint was seized or really falling apart. If I did it again I'd probably just get a complete woodward steering joint with a round weld-on side and toyota splines on the other side. I feel like that would be less work and be just as safe.

 

[SideWinderGX]

After arguing with two places about whether or not these ujoints can be replaced (AND showing them the new joint) I found a third that put it in for me, as well as cut circlip slots in for the next time (which is hopefully never).

Mine was falling apart, I could rotate the shafts 30* apart from each other...Toyota doesn't sell new ones either so I was out of luck.

Thanks!

 

[destrux]

Long term update, 30K miles and 9 years later the joint is getting a small amount of play in it.

Held up pretty good considering the cost and I've never greased it since I installed it.

 

[3p141592654]

Which U-joint is being discussed here? And what rubber seal was allowing water to leak in ?

 

[destrux]

The joint on the bottom of the 45220 shaft in the diagram. The joint has a seal on each cross on the u-joint and those seals eventually wear or dry rot and let water in.

I found an even better source for u-joints for this, but I haven't tried them yet. I will be tonight though. The lower steering shaft on a chevy cobalt sedan has 16x40mm u-joints, same size needed for this. Those steering shafts are dirt cheap and easily available aftermarket. I have a few of them laying around that I changed out on customer cars because the lower joint failed. The upper joint is perfect on all of them because it sits inside the car and the lower joint sits under the car right where the tire sprays on it all the time, which is why those cars always fail only the lower joint.

I'll repost later if it works out like I expect it will. If I remember.

 

[destrux]

The cobalt joint worked out great. It fits and works like OEM. The machining is more precise than the atv u-joint and it fits the yokes better. I staked it in place like OEM using a punch that I modified to have a flat tip square head to look the same as the OEM stake marks. I was worried that hitting the yokes with a punch to stake them would knock the caps loose before the stake could hold them, but it wasn't an issue. The difficult part was getting the caps snug against the cross because the yokes flex a lot while pressing the caps in and it was leaving it with a few thousandths end play. I used a flat tip punch to set the yokes apart, center them, and take the play out while the joint was lightly clamped across the caps in the vice.