How to Change 2000 Silverado U-Joints
- 1). Place wheel chocks behind the rear wheels and engage the parking brake. Place the vehicle in neutral.
Use the floor jack to jack up one side of the vehicle, and place a jack stand underneath a solid point such as a frame rail. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stand, and repeat for the other side. - 2). Mark the driveshaft yoke and the input flange on the rear differential with the yellow marking crayon so you will be able to line up the marks and reinstall the driveshaft in the correct position later.
Use the box end wrench to remove the bolts from the rear universal joint caps. Remove the caps. - 3). Lower the rear of the driveshaft, and slide the front of the driveshaft out of the transmission. Wrap a plastic bag around the end of the transmission and use rubber bands to hold it in place and keep transmission fluid from leaking onto the floor.
- 4). Place the driveshaft on a bench equipped with a vise and mount it in the vise with the yoke easily accessible. Use small pliers to remove the snap rings that hold the universal caps in the yoke by squeezing their ends together and lifting them out. If the joint has inner snap rings, remove them using a flathead screwdriver laid against their open edge and tap them out with a hammer.
- 5). Locate a socket slightly larger than the diameter of the universal end cap, and one slightly smaller. Place the larger socket against the end of one end cap with the open end of the socket facing the cap, and the smaller socket against the opposite end cap and place into the vise.
- 6). Tighten the vise to press the universal caps out of the yoke as far as possible, then pull out the rest of the way with pliers. Repeat for the other end of the driveshaft.
- 7). Place one bearing cap on the side of the yoke, put it into the vise, and tighten the vise to press it into the yoke only ¼ of an inch.
- 8). Insert the cross-shaped body of the universal joint into the partially installed end cap on the yoke, using care to avoid dislodging any needle bearings. Use grease to hold the bearings in the caps if necessary.
- 9). Hold the universal body cross in position by hand, place the uninstalled end cap into its position, and tighten the assembly in the vise until the end caps are seated as far as possible.
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Using the socket that is smaller than the end cap, place it against an end cap. Put the entire universal joint assembly into the vise and slowly tighten until the end cap is fully seated, then install the snap ring following the reverse of removal. Turn over the yoke and repeat for the other end cap. - 11
Repeat the joint replacement process for the other end of the driveshaft. - 12
Slide the driveshaft into the transmission, and line up the yellow marks on the rear yoke with the marks on the differential. - 13
Install the caps and their bolts onto the universal joint and tighten firmly with the box end wrench. Lower the vehicle.