MAPP hot enough to cook out GM nylon U Joint clips

QueBota · Jun 27, 2016

Helping a friend with his truck, 2003 K1500. Replacing factory U Joints at approx. 200k miles.

Will MAPP gas eject the nylon from the U Joint?

Odd driveshaft at the tcase, no straps. Both crosses are pressed in, haven't seen that before.

U Joints have minimal play but the are DRY, very gritty feeling.

Thanks,
Q

xring100 · Jun 27, 2016

QueBota said:
Helping a friend with his truck, 2003 K1500. Replacing factory U Joints at approx. 200k miles.

Will MAPP gas eject the nylon from the U Joint?

Odd driveshaft at the tcase, no straps. Both crosses are pressed in, haven't seen that before.

U Joints have minimal play but the are DRY, very gritty feeling.

Thanks,
Q

Yep without issue. S10 had double cardian cv joints. (4 u-joints) and it cooked them all out. Shoots out like one of those worm fire works

QueBota · Jun 27, 2016

Thanks, I used to take them to a shop down the road that would heat them with oxy/acetylene for a very modest fee. New owner bought the shop, he charges city prices. With the oxy/acetylene that nylon would shoot out of the hole in the ears like kids Fourth of July snakes.

I'm going to give it a shot on Wednesday and see what happens. I have the Bernzomatic MAPP torch on about a 2' hose. Has been better than propane on heating and freeing fastners.

Evidently "real" MAPP gas hasn't been available since 2008, didn't know that until today.

Thanks,
Q

ray66v · Jun 27, 2016

QueBota said:
Evidently "real" MAPP gas hasn't been available since 2008, didn't know that until today.

That's a well kept secret.

The current product, is just hopped up propane.

mbergeon · Jun 29, 2016

Propane will do get the job done too.

MossRoad · Jun 29, 2016

Those nylon retainers are a weird design. I'd never seen them before. Several month ago I developed a strange vibration on our 93 Suburban. I thought maybe it was the new tires, as they are kind of an aggressive tread and the reviews said they were a rough ride after they break in. Well, they were smooth as silk until about 3000 miles, then bzzzzzzzzzz..... vibration. Couple weeks of this and I go to a McDonald's drive through and I here squeaking reflecting off the building as I drive. And I notice it getting louder and reflecting off medians and curbs, so I climb under and the u-joints are wobbling. Got two new u-joints, dropped the drive shaft, took it and the joints to work to press them out. Can't find any snap rings.... read my repair manual and it says to kill it with fire to melt the nylon factory retainers out. I look around and see the little holes where they plastic is sticking out. We're not allowed to use fire in our workshop at work so I took it to a friend that's a mechanic and he melted them out and changed both u-joints for $20. Can't beat that!

But what a weird design.

xring100 · Jun 29, 2016

MossRoad said:
Those nylon retainers are a weird design. I'd never seen them before. Several month ago I developed a strange vibration on our 93 Suburban. I thought maybe it was the new tires, as they are kind of an aggressive tread and the reviews said they were a rough ride after they break in. Well, they were smooth as silk until about 3000 miles, then bzzzzzzzzzz..... vibration. Couple weeks of this and I go to a McDonald's drive through and I here squeaking reflecting off the building as I drive. And I notice it getting louder and reflecting off medians and curbs, so I climb under and the u-joints are wobbling. Got two new u-joints, dropped the drive shaft, took it and the joints to work to press them out. Can't find any snap rings.... read my repair manual and it says to kill it with fire to melt the nylon factory retainers out. I look around and see the little holes where they plastic is sticking out. We're not allowed to use fire in our workshop at work so I took it to a friend that's a mechanic and he melted them out and changed both u-joints for $20. Can't beat that!

But what a weird design.

Its a unique solution thats effective, efficent efficent to build. a snap ring in this instaltion cost more to automate and would require additional checks to ensure that it was seated properly. In this case they press in the caps and inject the nylon in one step

MossRoad · Jun 29, 2016

Yeah, I know its efficient for manufacturing. Just an odd thing to come across if you're used to looking for snap rings.

xring100 · Jun 30, 2016

MossRoad said:
Yeah, I know its efficient for manufacturing. Just an odd thing to come across if you're used to looking for snap rings.

Yep .. A bad place to use nylon rather than steel is say in the construction of an intake manifold gasket.

MossRoad · Jun 30, 2016

xring100 said:
Yep .. A bad place to use nylon rather than steel is say in the construction of an intake manifold gasket.

The intake manifold on our 2003 Impala with the 3800 series II engine was plastic. It started leaking around 150,000 miles. It took me about 4.5 hours to change it out. The mechanic across the street said that was a pretty good time for a first time amateur. :laughing: