Note. Cardan joints are serviced in a comprehensive manner. The repair kit includes a crosspiece, four needle roller bearings with cups, seals and retaining rings. Disassembling the cardan joints other than for component replacement is not recommended.
Caution! Do not clamp the cardan shaft sleeves or the sliding joint coupling too tightly in a vice to avoid irreversible deformation of the casings.
1. Remove the propeller shaft from the vehicle. Mark the installation position of the sliding joint and the flange holder of the crosspiece in relation to the shaft body.
2. Separate the sliding half from the shaft.
3. Remove the grease nipple from the cardan joint (if one is installed).
4. Using a pair of screwdrivers and a hammer, remove the bearing cup retaining rings in the crosspiece holders.
5. Clamp the hinge part of the shaft in a vice, placing replaceable heads, on one side with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the ø of the cup, on the other - with an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the cup (see accompanying illustration).
Information copied from the portal (NissanBook.ru)
6. Squeeze the cup out of the holder until the cross rests against the wall of the latter.
7. Remove the shaft from the vice and remove the pressed cup and needle bearing rollers from the holder.
8. Clamp the shaft again in a vice and press the crosspiece in the opposite direction.
9. Remove the shaft from the vice and remove the cup and rollers of the opposite needle bearing.
10. Remove the sliding half or flange from the shaft.
11. Repeat the procedures of the last five paragraphs (for sliding half shaft or for flange), thus completing the disassembly of the hinges (the components of the cardan joint are shown in the accompanying illustration).
1 - needle roller bearings; 2 - Flanged crosspiece holder; 3 - retaining rings; 4 - crosspiece holder on the shaft side
12. Clean the holes in the brackets of the holders, removing any burrs and roughness from their edges and walls.
13. Lubricate the rollers and bearing cups with general purpose grease.
14. Partially insert the cup of one of the bearings into the corresponding holder.
15. Install the new crosspiece into the holder, then insert the cup from the opposite side.
16. Clamp the holder in a vice, pressing the bearing cups into it, while ensuring that the bearing rollers do not fall out.
17. Using a replaceable socket head with a diameter slightly smaller than the cup, press one of the cups into the holder until the groove for installing the retaining ring is completely open.
18. Do the same with the opposite cup.
19. Install the retaining rings, check the axial play of the crosspiece - it should not exceed 0.02 mm.
Note: The difference in thickness of opposite retaining rings should not exceed 0.06 mm. If necessary, center the position of the crosspiece and bearing cups.
20. Tap the crosspiece with a hammer to select the gap between the holder and the retaining ring and make sure that the axial play of the crosspiece does not exceed 0.02 mm.
21. Make sure the joint rotates freely in all directions. If the joint is a little stiff, place the driveshaft in a vice and lightly tap the crosspiece holders with a hammer to center the bearings (see accompanying illustration).
22. Repeat the procedures of the last eight paragraphs for the opposite shaft joint. Install the shaft on the vehicle.