How do I remove the front drive shaft from a 2001 big bear 400 Yamaha to get tot he u-joints

SOURCE: 2001 chevy k1500 4wd front u joint failed

Changing Universal joints is an art. First, to make it easy, you need a pretty large vice. C-clamps can work if you are man enough to sqeeze them, sometimes a lot of pressure is involved and it gets hard to hold all parts in place. A vice is recommended, or a press of some sort.
You need a socket or pipe cap big enough to slide over the diameter of a single u-joint cap. Take the driveshaft and lay it in the jaws of the vice, so the U-joint is in the squeeze zone. take a socket smaller than the cup diameter and place it on one side. Take the large socket and place it on the other side of the u-joint. tighten vice. The small socket will push the U-joint through the yolk, and push the opposite cap into the empty space of the large socket. Once you bottom out, remove from the vice, and take off the cap you just pushed through. ( You may need a pair of vice grips to grab and twist the cap the rest of the way out.) Now, put giant socket over cap that is still in the yolk, place the small socket so it presses on the capless side of the U-joint Squeeze vice, so the existing cap gets pushed back through where it came from, but then keep squeezing until it is out of the yolk and pressed all the way to the large socket side. Once there, remove from vice, pull the now pressed out second cap out of the yolk hole. Now both caps are off, and you can just pull U-joint out of yolk.
Putting the new one back in is tricky too, you must remove both new caps and put capless U-joint back in hole of yolk, place a samall amount of fresh grease into caps to hold needle bearings in place. (if needle bearing falls out of place and you squeeze the U-joint back together, it will snap or bend bearing and U-join is no good, you must get another needle bearing to replace the damaged one, maybe salvage from old joint, but best to buy new joint if this happens, but if 11:00 pm and store is closed, you have to work next morning, then steal one from old joint) then slide both caps in from outside at same time, while twisting yolk squeeze in caps with vice. Once you bottom out on both sides, take small socket and press one side in until ring acan snap in, not too far, just enough to get ring in, then press in opposite side to same point. Put in rings clamps, then wiggle side to side for free movement. Then install back into truck.

Dan Hooper

• 1209 Answers
• Posted on Apr 24, 2013

SOURCE: atv yamaha big bear 400 4x4 4 wheeler

Sounds like you will need to extract both parts of the broken shaft and replace with a new one.

SOURCE: on my 2001 chevy silverado extended cab the fro t drive shaft has lost the bearing on the rear u joint and it now slaps metal when Im driving, how do I remove this drive shaft ?

undo the cap bolts for the "u" joints at both ends of the shaft and take it out If it is held in with a u section strap around the bearing cap then remove them and do the same for the other end.

SOURCE: I have a 2001 Yamaha Big Bear 400 4x4 I just replaced and wheel bearings hand wheel seal tie rod end and ball joints both sides. Now the front end makes a loud roaring noise in the front end

Sounds like a bearing issue. Either a bad bearing, not seated correctly or not properly installed