BeltfedGoodness
Member
For those out there who may have a Kawasaki Mule 4010 machine and have a need to replace the U-joints on the rear axle........here's the scoop for those who wish to do it yourself.
I first thing i did was get the service manual off ebay and bought a set of U-joints for the job. Never had been in the rear axle of the Mule before so i figured i better get the manual. At first, I guessed that i could just do one side at a time since just my right side was bad...WRONG. Once you dig into the rear axle just be prepared to replace all U-joints since you will have it all taken apart and in your hands. So, 4 sets of U's are needed and can be had for about 29.00 each.
I raised the machine and set it on a set of jack stands so I could sort of get under it to work on while on a roller chair. Towards the end of the job i had my knee pads on crawling around to make it more comfortable.
First you need to pull the rear wheels and remove the brake drum nut. I had to make a tool to pull the brake drums. The manual shows a special Kawasaki tool that bolts to the wheel lugs and pushes on the axle shaft center to extract the brake drums. I made my own with a slab of 8" square plate and some turned studs threaded with metric 12mmX1.25mm ID threads. I figured someday i'll need to pull the drums again on all my axles to replace brake pads, so i'll make the tool to do it just to make it easy.......this tool is a must. If you do not have the tool, I do not see how you will pull the drums as they are pressed on to a splined shaft.
Once the drums are pulled, you need to pull the brake drum plates, drop the brake lines and unbolt the entire rear axle assembly. The axle is awkward to handle. I balanced it on a floor jack as i rolled it in and out of the raised machine. Each side of the axles had to be driven out of the rear axle/frame to the inside, so there is no way to replace the U-joints independantly....(my initial guess was totally wrong).
According to the manual you are suppose to remove the torque converter cover to get at the left side axle flange. I made a tool from a strong C-clamp to press out the U-joint caps while having the left yoke still installed in the transfer case. this helped tremendously....and i suggest that someone make a special clamp tool so you could press out the U-joint caps without having to drop the entire rear end out.....live and learn i guess. I would spend the time to make such a tool for the next time my U-joints needed replacing. Hopefully the new greasable joints will last longer with maintenance. ( I have 365 hours on the old sealed joints).
Note>>>The inside U's are not able to be reached to grease them once the outer axles are installed. I drilled some windows in the axle frame so i can get a grease gun nozzle in there to keep the joints greased. the hole is about 3/4" and does not weaken the structure at all. As a matter of fact it helps water drain from that area of the axle now.
The joints were changed and i started to get this thing back together....but man, is that a struggle to get the U's timed and the axle raised up at the same time!!! A 2 person team could have gotten it back together better than just me, but it did go back together and timed correctly. You will need to bleed your brake lines upon reassembly at the end of this job too. It is no fun job at all......i now wish i would have taken it to the dealer to mess with, but they were backed up for 2 weeks and deer season opens this weekend, so i needed it sooner than that...
I was quoted about 300.00 to swap out the joints plus the cost of the joints. I cant see how they could do it that cheap......it is a misserable job to do.
So long story short.....the job is a sucky job.:thumbdown: But now that I have skinned that cat, i know how to do it better the next time....20/20 hindsight.
I first thing i did was get the service manual off ebay and bought a set of U-joints for the job. Never had been in the rear axle of the Mule before so i figured i better get the manual. At first, I guessed that i could just do one side at a time since just my right side was bad...WRONG. Once you dig into the rear axle just be prepared to replace all U-joints since you will have it all taken apart and in your hands. So, 4 sets of U's are needed and can be had for about 29.00 each.
I raised the machine and set it on a set of jack stands so I could sort of get under it to work on while on a roller chair. Towards the end of the job i had my knee pads on crawling around to make it more comfortable.
First you need to pull the rear wheels and remove the brake drum nut. I had to make a tool to pull the brake drums. The manual shows a special Kawasaki tool that bolts to the wheel lugs and pushes on the axle shaft center to extract the brake drums. I made my own with a slab of 8" square plate and some turned studs threaded with metric 12mmX1.25mm ID threads. I figured someday i'll need to pull the drums again on all my axles to replace brake pads, so i'll make the tool to do it just to make it easy.......this tool is a must. If you do not have the tool, I do not see how you will pull the drums as they are pressed on to a splined shaft.
Once the drums are pulled, you need to pull the brake drum plates, drop the brake lines and unbolt the entire rear axle assembly. The axle is awkward to handle. I balanced it on a floor jack as i rolled it in and out of the raised machine. Each side of the axles had to be driven out of the rear axle/frame to the inside, so there is no way to replace the U-joints independantly....(my initial guess was totally wrong).
According to the manual you are suppose to remove the torque converter cover to get at the left side axle flange. I made a tool from a strong C-clamp to press out the U-joint caps while having the left yoke still installed in the transfer case. this helped tremendously....and i suggest that someone make a special clamp tool so you could press out the U-joint caps without having to drop the entire rear end out.....live and learn i guess. I would spend the time to make such a tool for the next time my U-joints needed replacing. Hopefully the new greasable joints will last longer with maintenance. ( I have 365 hours on the old sealed joints).
Note>>>The inside U's are not able to be reached to grease them once the outer axles are installed. I drilled some windows in the axle frame so i can get a grease gun nozzle in there to keep the joints greased. the hole is about 3/4" and does not weaken the structure at all. As a matter of fact it helps water drain from that area of the axle now.
The joints were changed and i started to get this thing back together....but man, is that a struggle to get the U's timed and the axle raised up at the same time!!! A 2 person team could have gotten it back together better than just me, but it did go back together and timed correctly. You will need to bleed your brake lines upon reassembly at the end of this job too. It is no fun job at all......i now wish i would have taken it to the dealer to mess with, but they were backed up for 2 weeks and deer season opens this weekend, so i needed it sooner than that...
I was quoted about 300.00 to swap out the joints plus the cost of the joints. I cant see how they could do it that cheap......it is a misserable job to do.So long story short.....the job is a sucky job.:thumbdown: But now that I have skinned that cat, i know how to do it better the next time....20/20 hindsight.
