JD 2320 Drive shaft u-joint Problem

Video showing what i did to repair blown u joint on my 2320s drive shaft. Dealer tride selling whole drive shaft, after more research found aftermarket u joints cheap.

[@verrilli]

I just did this job. Hardest part was removing the circlip. I didn't have the best pliers. I'd suggest getting good pair with permanent 90 degree tips. I loosened the motor mounts and jacked up the engine a bit to make room to remove the shaft. Thanks for the video!

[@michaelyates4236]

I'm glad I came across this video. Our church has a 2320 and it started a horrific banging noise and stopped moving (500 hrs on it). Thought it was a broken crank/rod. After seeing this we went back and found a broken u-joint at the trans. I feel better knowing it's "only" a u-joint and not an engine. Thanks so much!

[@jasonberning1086]

I am not familiar with greasing these joints but I may be getting real familiar with it in near future. That's why I'm hear learning. I wanted to share and old trick I learned. I see people stating they have problems getting these U-joints to accept/all the caps to purge grease. Tip: Run the machine for awhile to get the joints warm before you try pumping grease. Also put your grease gun out in the sun or have it in a heated spot. Grease can get hard (especially the old stuff in the joints) and if you get everything warm it will accept grease much better. This trick is especially useful on lawnmower spindle bearings. They will take grease much better after you mow for awhile first.

[@zolitariglussey6302]

Exactly as you described, the vibration started getting worse, I thought it was a Hydraulic pump problem because everytime you operated hydraulics it would make noises... then when mowing with the brush hog yesterday the vibration got bad like a PTO Bearing was about to go... today I was trying to finish mowing and all the sudden loud clunk of parts, no movement and fluid all over the ground... My shaft broke at the U-Joint at the engine and sheared off the shaft coming out of the gear Box ? the main box... and no movement, no nothing... Towed it to the barn to evaluate which is where it is now... it seems JD has a serious problem here and needs to fix this under a recall!!! I Wish I would have seen your video sooner, maybe I could have caught it before it did all this damage...

[@davidspangler7302]

I also have a 2210 and like you all blew the u-joints at 500 hours. I have recently discovered how to grease the with minimal disassembly. The front joint can be greased by removing the right hand floor pan bolts, the upper cowling and the intermediate cowling. After removal you will discover the access panel on the right side. 4 bolts gets it off. Inside the intermediate cowling are 3 electrical boxes. Remove the front boxes with one screw, no need to disconnect harness. This will enable you to put the grease hose down thru the opening and with the access panel opening you CAN grease the front zerk. The rear zerk (grease fitting) is accessed from above. Do not reassemble the floor pan until you grease the rear zerk. Under the machine you can access the cross support which holds the height adjustment for the deck. Two bolts from the right side using an open end wrench (metric) and 2 bolts that drop thru the top bracket. You do not need to remove this plate entirely only loosen and move it forward about 2 inches. I used a tarp strap to hold it forward our of my way. Then you can rotate the shaft to access and grease the fitting. Reassemble and fire it up. I recommend greasing at least twice a year or 200 hours. It is a good winter project and necessary to save your money for more relaxing things. Any questions [e-mail]

[@ModernSurvivalists]

I wouldn't say grease at 200 hrs. Working on one now that failed completely and took the hydro pump input shaft with it. Only 200 hours total on the machine. : (

[@neilholtby1825]

I got over 500 hours on my 2320 before the u-joint started to squeak on the transmission end. No clue it was a problem area until then (no mention in the manual). I was able to get some grease in it to finish a few acres of grass cutting (smaller nipple on the grease gun) but the damage was done (very loose u- joint). It was a bit of a bear to get the drive shaft out though. At the engine end, I had initially missed the fact that there is a removable plate for access on the right side. Once I realized that, I was able to move forward again. It turned out that there were two roll pins (one inside the other) once I got that blasted snap ring off. But, there was no way to extract the drive shaft until I loosened the 4 engine mounts, then with a just a little more persuasion, out it came. Whew! Then I saw that the other u-joint at the engine end was also done, very stiff and rust on the caps. I did find after market u-joints, (MOOG UJ410's). Thanks for that. Hopefully I can get them replaced soon and get things back in action. Thanks for taking the time make the video. Cheers.

[@mattriley6866]

Hey Neil. I’m at the roll pin part of getting the driveshaft out. Any chance you could let me know the size of the punches you used to knock them thru? Looks like a roll pin inside another pin?. Never seen this set up before.

[@neilholtby1825]

@@mattriley6866 Hi Matt. introspect, you can probably use a 3/16 punch which is the size of the larger roll pin. I didn't realize this at first. Suggestion: There is a flat area on the yoke (about the size of a quarter) where you can get a dremel tool in there to clean up the area where the roll pin is. You can see it clearly then. Another note, it is not necessary to loosen the motor mounts. Instead, use two c- clamps on either side of the engine, one on each motor mount. You can move the engine forward by tightening the c-clamps. With the shaft all the way the rear, the yoke will come off at the engine. Good luck!

[@zolitariglussey6302]

Thanks for the video and info about press / Etc...

[@mdrevmdrev2954]

Great video

[@zolitariglussey6302]

My drive shaft is destroyed at the engine... 275Hrs, Never greased because I never knew it was there.... IF you own a 2320, Lube that puppy before your shelling out $1,000 (I am replacing the Hydro Shaft / Bearing / Drive shaft ~ as he said that shaft is $683.00 )........ UPDATE It also ended up bending the flywheel yoke and bolts so that had to be replaced as well.....

[@GizmoTucker]

Outstanding video.

[@ToolManThibert]

More and more i use my older machines to do the hard work "massey 203. case D. kubota 4950" my wife uses this machine for gardening and cleaning paddock. still running strong good for yard work but i worry about hydrostatic transmission

[@zolitariglussey6302]

while your there, look how they ran the throttle line right on top of the fuel line.... Looks like mines leaking now and access is horrible!!! But, I am currently changing my U-joints over and cutting my access panel holes... I'm excited that this may be the last time I have to pull all this crap apart!! (I've done it? 7 or 8 times now)

[@jasonberning1086]

Hey Zolitar, how long does it take you to pull the floor pan and grease these joints? (after you've done it once or twice before?)

[@domeniclauria6977]

How have the aftermarket U-joints held up? any issues or concerns?

[@wsmcmc3864]

Mine failed May 2015 and also damaged the yokes beyond use. Only had around 300 hrs on mine. As with yours just the one end failed. The other end that hadn't failed only had assembly grease in it. Got a new assembly from John Deere, 1/2 price, but still twice what it's actually worth. JD manual, later updated, did not show this service item. New assembly had to be assembled. I found the new u-joints would not accept grease. Don't know what was causing the problem but it is likely that anyone who thinks they have greased theirs actually hasn't. If you can't see some grease seeping from each cap? Only 1 cap needs to fail for the rest of the u-joint to follow. I took the new joints apart packed the caps with grease and crammed it all back together. If I got around 300 hours out of the first set I figure in 500 hour just to pull this unit back out to do the PM. I also wrote down the part numbers for the universals, probably in my manual supplement that I down loaded from the internet. By the way, great video. KVUSMC wanted me to video mine but I didn't know how to do the KZbin then. He has a lot of great videos on the 2320 and I wanted to get the word out to him. Some owners have JD perform all their maintenance but I am sure that the mechanics aren't touching this durring PM.

[@Formulabruce]

If they are, you can guess how much grease is getting to the whole U joint.

[@haphanthi3599]

You try to give the video more brightness it will be great if you do

[@cgrey37]

Are the U joints the same on the 2305?

[@goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe9644]

On the 2305 which I hear is similar I could only get grease in the zerks with a long tapered end grease adapter on the rigid gun pipe on a small one hand gun pushing hard to open ball on zerk and lining up and pumping. It's definitely a pain but can be done just getting it to line up perfectly where grease is going in and not just coming back out around zerk.

[@BrianK586]

I also have a 2305 and attempt to lube those U-joints with a needle adapter but it is tough! Do you have the P/N of the "long tapered end grease adapter" that fit on your grease zerks or is this just a needle adapter too? I had to modify my needle a bit so it would fit the zerk by grinding the tip down a bit. Thanks for your info!

[@goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe9644]

@@BrianK586 Sorry no part # had this probably 20yrs. On the 2305 you can actually get the whole driveshaft off from underneath but is a last resort,did it years ago just to grease it and won't do it again.

[@thomasbenko4246]

I went through similar difficulties, but did get the coupler attached to the zerk and heard the "popping of grease" so I knew the u-joint took grease. I decided to pull the driveshaft just to make sure the u-joints were good. What I found was that only two of the caps (both front an rear) were purging grease. I decided to warm up the u-joint with a heat gun and finally got all 4 caps to purge. I now pull the driveshaft in the spring and the fall and go through the same procedure (and each time, it takes effort to get all 4 caps to purge). If I had not pulled the driveshaft, I would not have known that grease was not flowing through all 4 caps. Initially, I was not concerned until I went to spicer's website. Their guidelines for their u-joints state that all 4 caps must purge to ensure all the needles are getting grease. While it's a bit more tedious to pull the driveshaft, it is a relief to know that the entire u-joint is getting grease. Pulling the driveshaft now takes about 5-10 minutes, getting the caps to purge takes about 30 minutes.

[@BrianK586]

@@thomasbenko4246 I got the C clip off but for the life of me I can't get the pin out. I guess I don't need the c clip to hold the pin in. Is there a big or small end or just a spring pin that should punch out from either end? I'd really like to get a good greasing to the U joints.

[@thomasbenko4246]

@@BrianK586You can drift the pin out from either end. I used a 3/16" long punch (bought a set of long punches from harbor freight). I find that it is much easier if you can raise the tractor off the ground for a bit more clearance. I put a stack of 3 2x12 (4.5" high) under the front tires. I put 4x6 blocks under the rear tires (use wheel chocks). That gave me enough clearance to be a bit more comfortable tapping the punch with a hammer. Just persistent tapping with a hammer and it will start to drive out both pins at the same time. Once they start to move, they will drive out the top. Then you can slide the driveshaft back and the front yoke will drip off the spline on the engine side. You can then slide the driveshaft forward and it will drop off the spline on the transmission side. You have to wobble the front ujoint around as you are doing it as it can get hung up in all the junk up there. The first time is always the hardest. After you have done it once, it gets much easier. Putting it back together. After you get the driveshaft above all the crossmembers and supports, put the rear ujoint on the spline for the transmission. As you get ready to put the ujoint on the spline on the engine side, shine a light up to see if the hole for the pin is aligned. You might have to rotate the driveshaft or the engine crankshaft a bit to make sure you are lined up. Before you drift the pin, take a file and slightly chamfer the edge of the pin. It does not need a lot, but it will help greatly in getting the pin started. Put a little bit of grease on the pin. This will make it much easier to drive in and also much easier to remove when you do this again. The final piece of the puzzle is how to you hold the pin up to the hole where your hand does not fit and try to strike it with a hammer. What I do is take a 1/4" nutdriver (looks like a screwdriver but the end fits on a 1/4" nut. This will loosely hold the pin. You can then use the nut driver to hold the drift pin up to the hold. Tap gently with a hammer to get it started. After the pin is about 1/4 of the way into the hole, you can then use a punch to drive the pin all the way in. Try to stay perfectly straight when tapping the pin in so you don't bend the pin. After you drive the pin it, you can put the C clip back on. While the pin is tight, the C clip is good insurance. As a reference, the first time I did this, it took quite a while as my original punch wasn't long enough. It then took a while to figure out the puzzle of just the right way to get the driveshaft to come out. It's really worth it to see grease purge from all the caps. It took 5 minutes to drop the shaft and 45 minutes to finally get the grease to purge. Good luck and keep the skin on your knuckles.

[@jeffarthur322]

I’ve not had luck with the Napa joints

[@MrToledojeff]

I have been fighting that c clip on the front coupling any suggestions?

[@ToolManThibert]

I had trouble with it as well I got no secrets there sorry

[@jeffarthur322]

Rotate clip opening so pin is visible & with a drift/ punch drive it out , that causes clip to leave . Now if I had a easy way to reinstall! ( buy new clip)

[@Stormdodger]

Great vid, I will check mine out. 370hrs. How was the install?

[@zolitariglussey6302]

install? just the shaft? actually very easy... removing the transmission and replacing the shaft, splitting the frame.. man, that was a nightmare.... I had parts everywhere and my wife said "It will never work again!!!"... Ha Ha!! it does and I have reached a new level with it since I've gutted it and put it back together again!!!

[@jbright97]

You cut out the most important part. Pressing in the u joint

[@zolitariglussey6302]

Finally I am to the mod point and yep, no comment on Pressing..

[@Curious_Skeptic]

Don't buy jd! Easy fix. JOHN DEERE has screwed its customers. This is just one of countless flaws of older 20 series! 7 year old 2025r is a paper weight. Blew axle gears bearings and housing. Countless part failures from day one! John Deere give excuses for crap quality and horrible design flaws. Never ever will I buy another John Deere.

[@wsmcmc3864]

Mine failed May 2015 and also damaged the yokes beyond use. Only had around 300 hrs on mine. As with yours just the one end failed. The other end that hadn't failed only had assembly grease in it. Got a new assembly from John Deere, 1/2 price, but still twice what it's actually worth. JD manual, later updated, did not show this service item. New assembly had to be assembled. I found the new u-joints would not accept grease. Don't know what was causing the problem but it is likely that anyone who thinks they have greased theirs actually hasn't. If you can't see some grease seeping from each cap? Only 1 cap needs to fail for the rest of the u-joint to follow. I took the new joints apart packed the caps with grease and crammed it all back together. If I got around 300 hours out of the first set I figure in 500 hour just to pull this unit back out to do the PM. I also wrote down the part numbers for the universals, probably in my manual supplement that I down loaded from the internet. By the way, great video. KVUSMC wanted me to video mine but I didn't know how to do the KZbin then. He has a lot of great videos on the 2320 and I wanted to get the word out to him. Some owners have JD perform all their maintenance but I am sure that the mechanics aren't touching this durring PM. In short it is a half day job and once every 500 hours will be fine with me if I can catch it before a total failure. Note that if your tractor develops a starting problem, turns over but won't run after releasing the key. Well that is a simple diode problem. The diode is located on the electrical harness behind the coolant reservoir. The socket that it is pluged into isn't sealed and fine dust can collect in it and cause it to short out. Cheap easy repair once you know it's not under the instrument panel with the other three diodes.

[@ToolManThibert]

WSMC Mc good to hear your up and running. thanks for the info on the diode. good luck with the deere. i do like the greese zerks on the aftermarket u joints as i grease them every 100 hours or so but your right on the fact that most of the time not all caps get new grease. why couldent they stick with a straight shaft. i worry how tractors will be made in upcoming years

[@wsmcmc3864]

I agree that it looks like a straight shot from engine to the pump that a simpler arrangement would work. Heck it's only 24 hp I'd expect oil impregnated bushings wouldn't see this miserable of a failure rate. I will switch mine out to the more servicable style that you are using next. But I'd be lying to say I have any expectations of greasing these again. I have gone thru countless tunes of grease on this tractor. Grease is cheap enough. But I sincerely doubt that these are machined properly to get grease to all 4 caps. Even my front driveshaft, which I think are the same universals, only purge grease from one or two caps.

[@Formulabruce]

3200 RPM though, and is always turning when engine is running, Moving or not.

[@DungNguyen-gr5br]

You try to give the video more brightness it will be great if you do