No need to replace the two driveshaft U-joints if only the axle joints are bad. The driveshaft joints should last as long as those on any typical car of the same era.
But the axle shaft joints are heavily stressed, and definitely wear out sooner or later. (Mine have typically lasted about 25k miles.) The replacement job is sort of messy, but at least the parts are cheap and you don't need any exotic tools. You really have to remove each axle/hub assembly from the car, and you really ought to have a large bench vise to press the joints in or out. A reasonable compromise is to remove the axle shafts from the car yourself, and take them to a shop to have the joints replaced. Any competent mechanic will have the tools and knowledge to do that. BTW, you have to disconnect the rear brake lines to remove the axles. It is not a bad idea to do any required rear brake work while you have everything taken apart back there. As for the fumes, maybe you have a fuel line leak, a carb problem, or an exhaust manifold leak that is creating much more fumes than normal. I smell almost nothing when I drive. Doug Braun '72 Spit At 09:21 AM 7/26/02 -0400, you wrote: >Hey listers, > >I took my Spit for a test drive last night and gave both daughters a drive >each. Fun, but....heard knocking in the back driver's side while making >sharp turns. Looks like the U-joint on the axle shaft is bad. Bummer!! >I'm getting impatient with this car. Are u-joints fairly easy to replace? >Yes, I do recall recommendations on this list to replace all four at the >same time, but is it fairly easy to do? It looks intimidating in the >manuals... > >Last thing, each time I drive the car, I get a good dosage of fumes along >with the "fresh air". I thought I had closed up most of the holes in the >firewall and tranny cover seams. Is this the special ambiance of driving >the open spitfire?? /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.
