Hi all,

I'm stuck on what should be a simple procedure. Trying to remove the slip yoke on the front driveshaft on an '87 F250 without ruining it. I've pried and beat on it and it doesn't budge. It slides easily enough to the limit of it's travel but won't come off. Judging by pix I've seen, the rubber seal expands up a tapered ridge on it's shaft when installed and closes down behind it. Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Rick A

 

Rick,
I'm having a similar problem with a '96 F150. The slip yoke initially would move slightly, but then seemed stuck. Pushing and pulling back and forth, harder and harder, while wiping the grease away as the splines began to show, I got it moved to a point where about 1/4" of the splines are visible. I stuck a screw driver through the rear yoke and used it to push on with my feet. I probably put 50 pounds of pressure on it, but the yoke doesn't slide one wit further. It seems to be in some sort of vacuum lock. I tried to pump grease into it, with pressure on the drive shaft, thinking the grease might help force it out, but the grease just squirted out what little of the splines that were showing, so I immediately stopped. In 47 years of working on vehicles, I've never come across this, or heard of it. I've tried hammering on the front yoke, too, with no further movement. It does seem that the slip yoke is in some sort of vacuum lock. I'm thinking to try to drill a hole through near the bottom of the slip yoke cylinder, in hopes of allowing air to get in and remove the vacuum, but would much rather not go to the trouble of possibly screwing up the slip yoke. Were you able to get your slip yoke separated?

 

Thanks! Looks like it just required more oomph!