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I took mine out with a big socket and a bolt with some nuts and washers. Twist the nut while holding the bolt through the opening in the socket and it comes out. I tried drawing it but it came out looking lewd.
Anyway, there are a few ways to take them out.
Edit: apologies, I was talking about something else. I got confused which thread I was on. That's to get the rotoflex out haha
Last edited by Charlie_V; May 11, 2016 at 08:32 AM.
You dont need that stupid slide hammer to get the ball out. I say this as someone who bought a slidehammer for this and realized its overkill and sucks for this purpose anyway.
Put the ball in a position so that the hole is "perpendicular" to the carrier.
Pad the edge of the carrier with paper towels, then pry the ball out with a couple of flatheads.
The metal ring around the bearing is fragile and bends very easily. Using 2 flat heads to pry out the bearing is a no go, unless you suggest the metal ring is unimportant. Still working out a solution with the tools I have... dont have any bolts small enough to screw into the small hole either.
Any other suggestions? Everything else is good. All the u-joints have been removed and the shaft is just about ready for a few coatings of paint. But cannot get this bearing out.
The metal ring around the bearing is fragile and bends very easily. Using 2 flat heads to pry out the bearing is a no go, unless you suggest the metal ring is unimportant. Still working out a solution with the tools I have... dont have any bolts small enough to screw into the small hole either.
Any other suggestions? Everything else is good. All the u-joints have been removed and the shaft is just about ready for a few coatings of paint. But cannot get this bearing out.
Dont worry about messing up the ring as the new ball comes in a new ring. You will press the whole thing into the carrier
Sorry, I did this a few years ago. I must have propped the screwdrivers on something like a see-saw...might have just put a medium-ish socket on the little flat piece of arm either side of the carrier as the fulcrum. Can you still turn the ball so the holes are in-line with the carrier arms?
I recall it being pretty easy to pry that out once you get the leverage right.
Edit: I think when I did it, I pried (maybe twisted and pried?) the screwdrivers against the edge of the carrier in such a way that the ball popped out of the ring. Then the ring was removed afterwards.
Last edited by pinkytoe69; May 10, 2016 at 04:47 PM.
Actually, with the ring already out that far you may be able to just stick one flathead all the way through, then twist it to vertical, go one size flathead bigger, twist to vertical, and repeat till the ball pops out. Then take the ring out however you see fit.
Last edited by pinkytoe69; May 10, 2016 at 03:58 PM.
Dont worry about messing up the ring as the new ball comes in a new ring. You will press the whole thing into the carrier
Sorry, I did this a few years ago. I must have propped the screwdrivers on something like a see-saw...might have just put a medium-ish socket on the little flat piece of arm either side of the carrier as the fulcrum. Can you still turn the ball so the holes are in-line with the carrier arms?
I recall it being pretty easy to pry that out once you get the leverage right.
Edit: I think when I did it, I pried (maybe twisted and pried?) the screwdrivers against the edge of the carrier in such a way that the ball popped out of the ring. Then the ring was removed afterwards.
Thanks much for the input regarding the metal ring. I was not aware that the center bearing kit included a replacement ring. With that in mind I was able to get the bearing out easily using 2 flat head screwdrivers as per your recommendation.
The shaft and end pieces have been stripped of rust and paint and cleaned up. Applied the first coating of fresh paint and like how everything is looking. Will apply 2 0r 3 more coats tomorrow. Thanks again everyone.
I find it interesting how the manufacturing of this Proshaft LLC drive shaft installed the u-joints with the grease fittings on the same side of the shaft. Seems like this would create a slight balance issue. I plan on installing the u-joints with the fittings opposite sides of the shaft to balance out.
Im not sure what to think about this hole. I dont recall ever seeing a grease fitting here. Should I fit a extra grease fitting here or just paint over it? Or is it a venting hole?
The rubber dust shield appears to be in good shape, I cleaned it up nicely.
Epic fail. Wrong u-joints. Wrong centering bearing kit. Should have known that this aftermarket drive shaft would probably use different parts than the stock shaft, but alas. Sometimes you cant win. Unlikely that RockAuto will accept a return/exchange for the correct parts. Project is on hold indefinitely...
The original center bearing did not have a encompassing metal ring like this Moog 617 bearing. Also the separate copper ring is to small.
U-joint caps fitted in place firmly, but
wrong size u-joint. The caps are hammered into place and the snap rings are in u-joint.
They installed the fittings on the same side to make servicing easier, probably. I assume they balanced the shaft after assembly, so there shouldn't be any vibrations on a brand new shaft no matter what orientation they had them in. I'd probably reassemble it in the same orientation.
