Quote:
Originally Posted by Qlaloo
Has anyone here ever rebuilt their steering intermediate shaft? Is this even possible? I picked up an extra one off an old 04 Runner for cheap at a local salvage yard that's in decent condition and wanted to know if it was possible to fix up the joints on it.
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When mine first started to go bad, years ago, I ordered a new u-joint for it from Amazon with the intention of replacing the bad one. But, when I removed the shaft, I didn't see any easy way to remove the old joint without doing damage to the yokes. It looks like the outer edges of the yoke cups are peened or rolled over the sides of the bearing caps to keep them in place. There doesn't appear to be any type of c-clips or other mechanical retainers used to center/hold the end caps. So, it looks like you would have to figure out how to ream/file down the lips to be able to press out the old caps in order to remove the old u-joint. If you got it out, then you would have to figure out how to center and hold the new one in place.
I didn't have a spare one to work with, so I wasn't ready to experiment on the only one I had. I was able to lubricate the old joint and get it to move freely, so I just reinstalled the original one, and I lubricate it every couple of months and it had been working OK up until I sold the vehicle. Since you have a spare one to work with, it might be worth a shot to try it. I believe the new u-joint was about $15 or so, if it is still available. If you do decide to try it, good luck, and let us know how it works out. I had hoped to try it on a spare shaft my self, if I got my hands on one, but never did.