Bearings and U-Joints… oh my

[Beltran]

A couple of U joints are bad so I bought 4 new ones and 2 new bearings. How to I get the bearing off this shaft? Rubber mallet had no effect.

[CBWELL]

Take to a shop and have them pressed off in a hydraulic press.

[CRH]

That looks like a center support bearing. I would guess rust is holding it on. A press is the best bet. A big enough puller would probably work, too.

I changed a bearing like that on one of my trucks about 2 weeks ago. It slid right off. It wasn't rusted though.


I don't recommend it, but I would probably have already attacked that bearing with some penetrating oil and a 3 pound hammer.

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Beltran

A couple of U joints are bad so I bought 4 new ones and 2 new bearings. How to I get the bearing off this shaft? Rubber mallet had no effect.

Have a driveshaft shop do it and get the shafts balanced as an assembly at the same time. Good chance that they are not willing to work with the bearing you purchased and insist to use their own.

[NevadaGeo]

Get the shafts balanced while you're at it. You'll be amazed at the nice ride that will give you, and you didn't even know the old shaft needed balanced.

[Beltran]

I had to borrow a puller from the neighbor. Mine wasn't deep enough. Came right off with that.

The shafts are balanced, I can see various weights on them. I made sure to keep the orientation. It's almost hard to get it wrong. It only goes back together one way, and you can be only 180 degrees out. Assuming you haven't moved the MH after you took it all apart.

[uraljohn]

Just like tires driveshafts need to be rebalanced after you disassemble/reassemble. Take the advice of the others and have a pro shop examine your work and check the driveline for straightness and balance. Money well spent.

Old school drag racer who has had his share of broken/bent/sheared/shattered driveshafts.

[Beltran]

ok, I will look into it. I suppose I will have to take them out again. But it would be after this next trip.

[NevadaGeo]

Originally Posted by Beltran

I had to borrow a puller from the neighbor. Mine wasn't deep enough. Came right off with that.

The shafts are balanced, I can see various weights on them. I made sure to keep the orientation. It's almost hard to get it wrong. It only goes back together one way, and you can be only 180 degrees out. Assuming you haven't moved the MH after you took it all apart.

I also have my vehicle tires rebalanced when the tires are rotated, even when the weights are still on there. I Never seem to get a tracing around the weights before the tires get re mounted.