Ok - maybe someone can help me here... I have always been under the impression that EA81 U-joints are not serviceable.... and that in order to replace them, a driveline shop must be employed to install new yoke's on the driveline capable of holding serviceable joints. Now I know that Qman had one built for his hatch with all serviceable joints....

 

My aforementioned confusion comes from the various drivelines which I have sitting around my house right now... The one which came off my wagon right after doing the 4WD swap is pictured below. Now this one has zirk fittings on BOTH ends for the u-joints. Leading me to believe that possibly these joints had already gone bad, and the major work needed to replace them has already been done..... ie, to install new joints would be pretty easy and cheap? This also makes sense, as the vehicle this driveline came from had approximately 320k miles on it, and very likely could have been on it's second set of joints. Now the driveline that's IN my wagon right now (the one you gave me Qman), has no zirk fitting in the front, but it does have one in the rear joint. So maybe just that joint was replaced?

 

I took a look at some other drivelines I have around - the one's that are in my Brat, and my friend's Brat that's in my garage, and also the one that's in the new white wagon all have no zirk fittings on either end....

 

So did I get lucky with this driveline and end up with one that already has serviceably joints installed? If so, how do I go about changing them? - they are clicking quite a bit.

 

Front joint:

 

 

The rear joint:

 

GD

EA81 drivelines are serviceable

You have to cut the + out from the middle of the joint and then pound the caps out

 

If they have zerks in there, they have been replaced before

 

Stock ea81 ujoints dont have zerks in them

 

As for your ujoints they have been "converted"

 

typically the ujoint is staked into the spindle in 3 or 4 spots

(like someone ran a punch down the side)

it looks like they would be held in with circlips on the inside of the joint. I think you can get a replacement u-joint for the car, but the problem was getting the originals out cause they are staked in. The replacement would likely be a servicable/removable type of the same dimensions, not an exact copy of the stock one

EA71 and EA81 joints, at least all the ones I have seen, are held in with circlips on the inside of each ear. the EA82 drivlines are staked, at least mine is..

 

You are right though, the stock joints dont' have Zerk fittings. Every couple of months (or before and after every 4x4 trip, especially those involving water!) shoot some grease in the joints. You should hear the joint "pop" after a pump or two, that means it's full. At least that is what we did with the Zerks on the drive shafts on the baler I operated last summer.

http://www.rockforddriveline.com/replacem.htm

 

They have replacement u-joints for Soobs.

 

The proper way to grease an u-joint, is to use a prybar of choice and push against the yoke (each end cap in turn) so that the grease will be sent to each end cap.

you dont have to cut the center out, you just stick it on a big rump roast vise and hammer away till the thing starts to come apart. thats what i have done on a brat, and a toyota pickup. the yota had no clips at all.