Installing Mounting Bolts to a Drive Shaft

Video Transcript

" In this clip we're going to talk about the proper service procedure for removing and replacing a rear axle u-joint on a ford explorer. In this step we're going to talk about the proper service procedure for installing your drive shaft mounting bolts and the torquing procedure required in tightening them. What I'm going to do now is start all of my drive shaft mounting bolts. You're going to want to start all of them before tightening any of them down just to make sure you can get them all lined up, two here and two just like it on the top. Alright, take my three eighths socket wrench with a twelve millimeter twelve point socket on it and go ahead and tighten them down. There is a tightening procedure for these. What you're going to want to do is do an "X" pattern with it. You're not going to want to go from here to here and then here and here. What you're going to want to do is go from here to the one diagonally across from it. So it would be from here up to the one on top, from there you can drop straight down to this one and then complete your "X" pattern by going over here to the other one on the top. What that will do is ensure that your drive shaft is seated flat and true on the pinion flange. These bolts are made of hardened grade A steel and you're going to want to go ahead and tighten them down just about as hard as you can. If your vehicle happens to be equipped with smaller bolts, of course reduce the tension you apply to them. And now for the last one in my torque sequence, complete my "X" pattern here. Alright, that is the proper torquing procedure for reinstalling your drive shaft mounting bolts."