The u-joint failed on my steering spindle (also called "intermediate column" - connects the steering column to the rack with a u-joint at each end). My car is an '04. I picked up a used one off an '03, and have learned that a few design changes were made, and the older upper u-joint won't fit onto my column. Lower part fits in just fine. The two halves of the older one slide apart with no problem, but on the newer one, there's a stop of some kind that keeps them from separating. If I can separate the newer one, it looks like the top half should fit right into the lower half of the older one (the one I'm trying to install), but I'm not sure how to separate them. Anybody got any experience with this?

 

Got it. FTR,the upper part of the shaft is slightly flared at the end so it won't slide back out of the internal plastic bushing. I pulled the shaft out to its full length, cut the lower part of the shaft short enough that the end of the upper would protrude when slid in, ground down the flare, separated the two halves, mated the old upper to the new lower, and it's back on the car now.