DTSFab.com (Desert, Trail and Sand)
UTV's Off Road ( RZR, YXZ, Mini Buggy, Carts,etc.) => UTV General Discussion => Topic started by: CrazyFastFab on September 16, 2015, 08:35:09 PM
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Hello, I sadly have not had time to get very many hours on the buggy. ANyway The last weekend I got to take it out for some driving in the forest. So hard pack roads and a little sand. Did pretty good all day except when I went to load it on the trailer. I was going around to line up on the trailer and the steering completely failed. Attached are a couple of pics of the shaft coming out of the steering wheel into the steer shaft top ujoint. All of the set screws where tight. To me it does look that bad I was excepting all of the teeth to be gone but only a few showed a little bitter of ware. But the fact is the wheel would not turn the car.
My question is how to fix it. Do I just buy another one and hope it doesn't break. Are they better equipment out there? I can't remember where I got these more than likely Sandrailparts.com. Of course this could have been very bad because a few minutes earlier I was going 80.
Thanks for the help,
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Count the teeth in the uj and on the shaft VERY carefully. I'm betting you have a slight mismatch. Sweet makes the better uj's for steering as well as Borgeson. You MAY have the bastard splined shaft.
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Personally I would throw away any you have with a set screw. Find the kind that clamp solid to the shaft so the splines do not keep working against each other.
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i use the same as budlight69 however I go a step farther and get them set up just the way the need to be as in length and getting the u joints aligned so the shaft doesn't telescope then I drill through the joint and shaft with a 3/8" drill bit then you can use a nut and bolt to clamp them down plus if they do loosen up the stock 5/16" bolt doesn't seat deep enough into that grove to hold them on. where the 3/8 does.
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Thanks are those used for something else? I don't seem to find that type as a steering u joint.
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Personally I would throw away any you have with a set screw. Find the kind that clamp solid to the shaft so the splines do not keep working against each other.
I use the set screw type but I drill about 1/8" into the shaft and use a longer set screw and a nylok nut on the setscrew. Since doing this I have had no issues with the setscrew type. It also guarantees proper clocking when reassembling.
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since you already have it built i would try fabrs way first. but here is a link to the u joints
http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac425161.html (http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac425161.html)
http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac425160.html (http://www.pacificcustoms.com/ac425160.html)
http://www.mooreparts.com/1282-AC425260C/ (http://www.mooreparts.com/1282-AC425260C/)
http://www.mooreparts.com/1281-AC425260/ (http://www.mooreparts.com/1281-AC425260/)
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WHatever you do make sure the splines match up.
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Ya I was thinking of drilling a whole all the way thru and threading it. Figured it would make the shaft to weak.
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Definitely do not drill more than just the depth of the drill point or just a tad deeper. Approx 1/8" max.. You are correct in drilling thru will be bad.
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or maybe drill and tap the other side for 2 screws and loctite them? i believe that style of joint has less play in them than the ones i use but the one thing i never liked about them is that they don't clamp down and have to be welded on one side. also there is no rebuilding that joint so disposable like the others.
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or maybe drill and tap the other side for 2 screws and loctite them? i believe that style of joint has less play in them than the ones i use but the one thing i never liked about them is that they don't clamp down and have to be welded on one side. also there is no rebuilding that joint so disposable like the others.
No need IMO. The single set screw seems to be fine. I'm thinking a second setscrew would serve to only pull the splines apart instead of adding clamping force .
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I went to count the splines. The ujoint side came with splines all around except for the area where the set screw goes through. Thus it is hard to make sure it has the same spline count as the shaft side.
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The problem COULD be that the splines are very close to a match but aren't. Off the top of my head I don't recall the 2 sizes of shaft and spline count that are very close to the same that will actually fit together but the spline count is off. I found that out the hard way and ended up with the same issue you have.
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Thanks for the help, and I agree there is something wrong just trying not to do the same thing again and accept different results. The shaft side is 5/8" 36 splines. I counted them and I have found the order sheet from SandRailParts which confirms the same. The order sheet also shows that the u joint is 5/8" - 36 by 3/4" round. Of course they could have shipped something else. I have also been looking to find if there is something else that might fit like 15mm shaft or something. I can't seem to find any others in 5/8" or 15mm. I thought maybe I would buy both and try them. So that would lead me to buying another 5/8" - 36 spline and drilling it out like Fabr showed. I could machine in a face like how a pinion screw on a motor shaft connects. Same basic idea as Fabr's. Having a round hole for the screw to sit is probably better.
Just still feels like nothing has been fixed. What was that definition of idiocy, again? As always thank for the help!
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Thanks for the help, and I agree there is something wrong just trying not to do the same thing again and accept different results. The shaft side is 5/8" 36 splines. I counted them and I have found the order sheet from SandRailParts which confirms the same. The order sheet also shows that the u joint is 5/8" - 36 by 3/4" round. Of course they could have shipped something else. I have also been looking to find if there is something else that might fit like 15mm shaft or something. I can't seem to find any others in 5/8" or 15mm. I thought maybe I would buy both and try them. So that would lead me to buying another 5/8" - 36 spline and drilling it out like Fabr showed. I could machine in a face like how a pinion screw on a motor shaft connects. Same basic idea as Fabr's. Having a round hole for the screw to sit is probably better.
Just still feels like nothing has been fixed. What was that definition of idiocy, again? As always thank for the help!
That's my opinion but that's all it is,an opinion.
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NO thanks for the help. It would not surprise me at all if there is a metric version or something like that.
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I have I think the same u-joint you have. I had several problems with the set screw loosening and even had the joint come off atleast once while driving. The little point on set screw is soft and would deform allowing it to loosen. I swapped the set screw to one with a hardened tip, tighten up and used locktite. No more problems since.
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http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shop/Steering-Shaft-U-Joints-and-Couplers-Steering-Shaft-Universal-Joints/12.html?NoRedirect=true&OriginalQuery=steering%20u%20joints (http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shop/Steering-Shaft-U-Joints-and-Couplers-Steering-Shaft-Universal-Joints/12.html?NoRedirect=true&OriginalQuery=steering%20u%20joints)
here is what speedway motors carry
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Cool thanks they have a bunch of them.
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So do you guys drill the rack and pinion side like this as well?
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i did and dunebound69 did after his came off the rack lol with our style u joints used
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I do not if the shaft has a "groove " around it. I only do it on straight shafts ,splined ,keyed or smooth.
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heading down to the dunes in 3 or 4 weeks to LS so if your looking for a reason to go then there ya go lol