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Philips head on both sides of u-joint - Rrrgh!
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:09 pm    Post subject: Philips head on both sides of u-joint - Rrrgh! Reply with quote

Like a good, safety-minded windsurfer I bought two replacement tendons for my u-joints, today.

But the little metal dowels that hold the tendon in place are frozen tight with corrosion.

Worse, they're tiny Philips head machine screws on each side, so you need about 6 arms to hold the u-joint steady and screw with a screwdriver on either side of it simultaneously.

I tried all kinds of funny positions, and even had my wife helping me, but all we succeeded in doing was getting blistered hands and stripping the heads on the screws.

I sincerely hope that Chinook isn't making the u-joints like this anymore. Having a hex head nut (grippable by a wrench) on at least one side would be more sensible.



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gobbdogg



Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 163

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vise-grips..- medium size. you can grab the sides of the screw heads and pop them loose. done it lots of times with this particular situation and other similar ones. good luck
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manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agree on the weird design.
Let penetrating oil do its thing over night.
Also, sharp and well fitting bits are a must.
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK what I did was put one screwdriver in a vise then with one hand clasp the vised screwdriver shaft and the universal and with the other hand operate the screwdriver to loosen one side. Soaked it well in wd40 first of course and the exact correct screwdriver head is essential.
Funny thing is I got the universal for free with a pile of old parts, now about 3 years later I wanted to try to change the tendon and the crew heads have totally stripped out, I'll try the vise grips gobbdod.
Another old universal has metric allen heads, comes apart very easily.
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

She's your wife now?
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Gorge_R_and_D



Joined: 14 Nov 2006
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah that design is at least 10years old now... new design is much better.
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nw30



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 6485
Location: The eye of the universe, Cen. Cal. coast

PostPosted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can always apply heat, a hand held propane torch can come in very handy. But shield the plastic cup with a tin can.
Also tapping the handle of the screwdriver with a hammer while trying to turn it helps also.
Ever watch American Chopper? They use both of those techniques all the time, and they've worked for me.
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Wind-NC.com



Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 980
Location: Formerly Cape Hatteras, now Burlington, VT!

PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, yeah I think there have been 2 or 3 different setups since then? Those things were definitely a challenge! I remember un-threading one screw just a turn or two, then using a hammer to bang it through towards the other side. Rinse and repeat, until there was enough space to grab the screw head on the other side with vise grips and spin/pull the dowel through the rest of the way.

The newest model is pretty sweet- all you need is one 4mm hex key. The nut on the other side is embedded into the uni, so no tools are necessary over there. Check the pics. Quick and easy, a tendon replacement or inspection takes about 2 minutes start to finish. Cool



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4mm Hex Head bolt
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mat-ty



Joined: 07 Jul 2007
Posts: 7850

PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Buy a Dremel with some thin metal cutting wheels.. You have two choices grind a slot in the middle so you can use a slotted screw driver, or square off two sides so you can get a solid grab with vice grips. Wd first, then let sit for a while so it penetrates in.

If you do not have a Dremel , buy one. Best 100$ you can spend.
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gobbdogg



Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 163

PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the point of using vise grips is to avoid any other procedure... grab the sides of the head with the jaws perpendicular to the axis of the screw- plenty to grab- don't need to square the head off- the jaws will grip fine- you may have to grab a couple times incrementally increasing pressure- that's why they're called visegrips. Yes, the teeth will gar up the screw head- you're going to replace that anyway...right?
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