So you've taken the next week off from work to go for a nice relaxing vacation by the lake. During your ride, you notice that clunking sound and hope it's just something stuck in the trunk. Unfortunately for you, and maybe even your significant other, your car's losing torque. It might be the Ujoint was in good shape because now you're feeling creeped out. You shouldn't have watched that horror movie last week.
The Ujoints come in both plastic and steel, the latter is more common and heat resistant. The plastic, however, is rust resistant.
How They Work
A Uendings connecting to the shaft. The rotation transmits the torque through the shafts.
Why Is It Broken?
The last thing you'll want is your car to get stuck somewhere. That's especially true if you don't see a gas station or repair garage for miles and you're on a car trip. That would be sort of like the opening to some bad remake of a 1980s classic horror film, and you want to avoid those at all costs. First, you can't tell if your U-joint is broken by how it looks. If something's wrong with it you can probably hear it. It will be making an unusual squeak, whistle or clank. The most common reason it needs to be replaced is because it hasn't been properly lubricated but sometimes it could just be stress from its constant pivoting and contortion. They wear very easily when they aren't taken care of.
