I have an 86 Chevy that has 8%26quot; of lift, and 40%26quot; super swampers. I saved this ol girl from a grove where she had been sitting for 4 years. Upon installing a new 350 and new rear end, I found that the 4x4 wouldnt engage. Installed new Warn lockers and that fixed the problem. Now I have a %26quot;thud, thud, thud%26quot; when the 4x4 is locked in that feels like it comes from the transfer case. A local mechanic said it was the constant velocity joint connecting to the transfer case. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I would love to do this myself. This whole truck has been a great experience and there seems to be a lack of instructions for the first timers. |||That GM front drive shaft CV joint assembly is a real piece of work. If it is a virgin the caps are held in place by injection molded plastic if it is the one i am thinking of you simply have to pound it hard enough to break the plastic - the replacement joint comes with snap rings ... the other two possibility%26#039;s are snap ring inside the flange and snap ring at the end of the cap - they used all 3 methods at different times! Pull the rings if they are present and apply a BFH to drive the cups out ( support the cross ) pound on the housing.
You must replace both cross assembly%26#039;s at the same time and I certainly would not do that without changing the pivot ball and seat at the same time no matter how good you might think it looks - but I bet it will be obviously trashed too. Make certain the spring is not broken or malformed - replace it if it is.
The real fun part is trying to line everything up when it is time to reassemble - absolutely requires an extra set of skilled hands to pull off because of the spring loaded pivot assembly.
Make sure to put all the zerks in, in the same general direction, so you do not have to turn the shaft every which way to lube it.
Good luck and keep your fingers clear!|||You need to get a maintenance manual like from the manufacter or from Chilton or Motors or Haynes. You can get one for like about 20 to 25 bucks. It will give detailed instructions on how to do this job and many others. I guarantee this won%26#039;t be the last time you will need it. If you are desperate for money you can go to a public library. Most of them will have manuals in the reference section. They will let you look at them but not check them out. After you do this a time or 2 you will pluck down the bucks for your very own manual. |||The CV joint that you are talking about is welded to the drive shaft. Sorry but you will need to take to a drive shaft shop or buy a new one. Sorry about the bad news.|||Are the u joints actually worn out? If you can feel and see the play coming from the u joints yeah, sure. But if the noise is coming from the t-case that might be your problem. I have an 93 k2500 diesel it had 240k on it when I bought it. When I engage the 4x4 there was a clunk, clunk from the transfer case turns out 8 months later it got stuck in neutral. I opened up and found that all the plastic linings on the shift forks had come apart and a chunk of it was in the t-case chain, that was the clunking sound I heard. Check your t-case oil level since is been sitting you might need new seals all around.
The time consuming part.
The u joints you remove the retainer clips on the end of each u joint,
you might need to soak it with WD-40. Get a socket that will fit into the hole of the joke where the u joint cap is. Secure the axle, you must hit the caps firmly and with enough strength with a 5-10 lb hammer. Make sure to support the joke where your are hitting and to leave room for the cap on bottom to come out. If you put the axle on a flat surface the cap on the bottom will not come out. You might need a second socket that is big enough to catch the joke only. The caps have to slide inside the joke, by punching one side in will push the opposite side out until the caps come completely off.
Replacing, clean the joke where the caps go, sanded if necessary.
You have to remove the caps on the new one, be care full not to drop them you have needle bearings inside. Place the join body in place, it does not go in any specific way. Place the cap on one of the jokes end and tap it in until it passes the snap ring groove. Same on the opposite side replace the snap rings. Your done!!
Hope it help
