How do you replace the universal joint on a 1966 Ford Mustang?

Answer 1

I noticed that WAY back, the original question mentioned that the owner was leaking oil through his U joints. The answer then switched exclusively to replacing the joints. My concern is this may not have fixed the owners problem and even if the joints were replaced he may still continue leaking oil due to a NOW worn rear seal and bushing in the tail stock of the transmission, which could have been the only problem or could have become a subsequent problem due to worn joints. The bushing and seal replacement are a little more complicated than the joints, so my recommendation is to have the local mechanic or Ford dealer check it out. You can usually tell the need for the a new rear seal by oil dripping off the end of the transmission. The symptoms for a bad bushing could be diagnosed by lifting up and down on the drive shaft to see if there is any excessive play or motion. Sometimes you can hear this as you are changing gears from neutral to drive or drive to reverse (in an automatic).

AnswerTake the old one out and install a new one. You may have to remove them both in order to get the driveshaft out.

Jack up the back end, block the front wheel,set axle stands and make sure the car is secure. Put the tranny in neutral and park brake OFF. With chalk or paint marker, mark the front and back of the driveshaft and yokes so that you get it back in the proper position (index). Unbolt the dive shaft at the diff (1/2" or 9/16" wrench). Gently pry the driveshaft away from the rear yoke and lower it. Pull back and the front yoke and connector will pull out of the tranny tailshaft. At this point, you might as well change both u-joints, they're cheap enough. If you have a small press or if you're handy enough to rig up a press jig in a vice, go to it. If not, spend the 20 bucks to have a local shop press the old joints out and the new ones back in. To re-install, line up the index marks and re-tighten the rear u-clips to about 35 ft lbs. torque. If you don't get the driveshaft back in the same position that it was before , you might get a vibration in the drive train.