Drive/Prop Shaft Greasing Guide

[limitedvan8]

how do you guys get access to all the zirks easily?

the one write up states you can just spin the front driveshaft by hand? i can't with mine. even made sure the t-case and trans was in neutal

then for the rear you either roll the car back and forth (my driveway is on a slight slope, so roll forwards) or jack the back end up and spin the tire

 

[limitedvan8]

well then something is up with the front drive shaft then. great

truck is in 2H/4H and not 4H selected, i can drive the truck and push the selector button and get into 4H with no issues

any idea what might be going on? i can hear everything "moving/engaging" when i push the 4H button on the shifter

edit: was just reading another thread (the flat towing thread) and it looks like the drive shafts are actually locked when the T-case is is neutral...opposite to what i thought was going to happen, so i guess if i had left it in 2H then the front DS would have rotated. i've got to get some new grease and finish the job, guess i'll find out then

 

[RunnerLimited]

Some Info Needed help?

Quick question guys i was greasing my driveterrain the other day and i noticed that one of them had a Hex connection at the u-joint zerk,
is it a broken zerk or is there some type of connection i have to buy for my grease gun?

As well No.7 u-joint zerk at the end of the rear drive shaft.. I kept pumping it but no "crackling noise" or any signs telling me it was good..
is there a recommended number of pumps for that zerk and how would i know.

Please let me know guys, new to this driveshaft thing and im still having a hard time trying to lube the No.8 Slip yoke
since my grease gun tip does not seem to want to attach itself to the zerk..

 

[TheDurk]

Quick question guys i was greasing my driveterrain the other day and i noticed that one of them had a Hex connection at the u-joint zerk,
is it a broken zerk or is there some type of connection i have to buy for my grease gun?

As well No.7 u-joint zerk at the end of the rear drive shaft.. I kept pumping it but no "crackling noise" or any signs telling me it was good..
is there a recommended number of pumps for that zerk and how would i know.

Please let me know guys, new to this driveshaft thing and im still having a hard time trying to lube the No.8 Slip yoke
since my grease gun tip does not seem to want to attach itself to the zerk..

Looks like a broken zerk to me. Drive over any rocks lately?

Unscrew it and take it to an auto parts store to match thread.

Don't keep pumping that #7 zerk. Three or four should be enough. Watch carefully. If the joint starts to expand, stop. You can damage the components the shaft is connected to.

If a zerk just won't work, change it. But you have to come right at it from the exact vertical angle. Those U-joint zerks are tricky to get to.
BTW, #7 is the slip joint. #8 is the U-joint.

 

[reelamin]

Very educational...5 pages of how to grease your shaft! Amazing!! hahahaha

 

[RunnerLimited]

Looks like a broken zerk to me. Drive over any rocks lately?

Unscrew it and take it to an auto parts store to match thread.

Don't keep pumping that #7 zerk. Three or four should be enough. Watch carefully. If the joint starts to expand, stop. You can damage the components the shaft is connected to.

If a zerk just won't work, change it. But you have to come right at it from the exact vertical angle. Those U-joint zerks are tricky to get to.
BTW, #7 is the slip joint. #8 is the U-joint.

Thanks! ill take it to a shop that will be able to change that broken zerk, oh ok ill keep that in mind, i kept pumping it thinking there was no grease thats why it was giving me no noise or indication it was ok. Hopefully everything is ok there, seems to be running smoother since i greased the rest though so i dont think it harmed it to bad.

 

[TheDurk]

Thanks! ill take it to a shop that will be able to change that broken zerk, oh ok ill keep that in mind, i kept pumping it thinking there was no grease thats why it was giving me no noise or indication it was ok. Hopefully everything is ok there, seems to be running smoother since i greased the rest though so i dont think it harmed it to bad.

Let us know how much they charge for two minutes work and a $0.75 part.

 

[RunnerLimited]

Let us know how much they charge for two minutes work and a $0.75 part.

LOL youre right ill search the internet on how to fix it and get ir done. By the way is there a guide to how many pumps each zerk takes? I understand majority of them makes a noise but for instane Zerk 7 didnt make a noise and i kept pumping till i thought "WTH is going on" lol

 

[reelamin]

LOL youre right ill search the internet on how to fix it and get ir done. By the way is there a guide to how many pumps each zerk takes? I understand majority of them makes a noise but for instane Zerk 7 didnt make a noise and i kept pumping till i thought "WTH is going on" lol

No need to search I got you bro. Use an appropriate sized socket (Probably 8mm) and turn counter clockwise until it comes out....new one goes in by same process in reverse. Suggest soaking with PB Blaster first.

How much?????...just put grease in it until it starts to squeeze out on the U Joint.....you are WAY OVER THINKING THIS....ITS GREASE....JUST PUT SOME IN IT. (Not yelling just emphasizing....your simply greasing a vehicle...it is more basic than washing it properly.)

 

[TheDurk]

LOL youre right ill search the internet on how to fix it and get ir done. By the way is there a guide to how many pumps each zerk takes? I understand majority of them makes a noise but for instane Zerk 7 didnt make a noise and i kept pumping till i thought "WTH is going on" lol

It's just the slip joints that you need to worry about like that. Unlike all the others, the grease has no natural exit, so it pushes on the rod like oil in a hydraulic cylinder. All the others, pump away. Hear the noise and watch a good hunk of grease come out. If it's a color other than black, keep going until you see the new stuff.

 

[Renegade_Medic]

I found a broken zerk today and replaced it. It's the Slip joint one. It's an M6-1.0 thread. I made a video that may help those who aren't mechanically savvy yet.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Gi7QfZlktA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[pauldub]

That zerk on your double cardan probably isn't broken. It looks like a flush zerk which requires an appropriate conical nozzle. You can google for more.

 

[limitedvan8]

what products are you guys using?

keeping reading Moly vs MP but no one is referencing products.

so far only really see Mobil XHP 222 Special as being mentioned. It's a Moly grease correct?

 

[bwarren]

What's the course of action if you overfill the slip joints?

 

[mtbtim]

What's the course of action if you overfill the slip joints?

Remove the zerk fitting and get reading for grease to fly out. Now jump up and down on your rear bumper to get a little more out. Replace your zerk fitting and you're done.

But, it's my and others belief that the slip yoke zerk fitting does a poor job of lubricating the splines of the shaft. Most of the grease just sits at the bottom of slip yoke and does nothing to lubricate the upper splines of the shaft.

If you look back a couple pages in this thread, I posted a couple videos on how I addressed the slip yoke binding problem that some of suffer on our rigs.

 

[swampy_swimmer]

Great thread!!

Ordered Moly lube yesterday and a second grease gun to make life easier.

I wish I'd been hotter on this early on in my truck owning carear!

I also had to replace a zerk fitting... supprisingly easy, I've had a nighmare with stud extractions in the last, but as these are... kinda my nature all greased up it came out really easily!

The best bit is on a lifted truck you don't even need to jack the thing up!

Hey, what thread pitch on did you order for new zerk? it's 6mm x 1mm or 6mm x .75?

 

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

Hey, what thread pitch on did you order for new zerk? it's 6mm x 1mm or 6mm x .75?

I couldn't say I'm afraid, I just used and OEM Toyota one.

 

[swampy_swimmer]

You wouldn't happen to have a part number for it, would you?

 

[BoomSticks]

Hey, what thread pitch on did you order for new zerk? it's 6mm x 1mm or 6mm x .75?

The slip yoke zerk on my rear shaft got sheared off, so I was searching for the same thing.

I took the little leftover nub (easily taken out with screw extractor) with threads to autozone and tried to match the threads on their screw/thread checker board. It wouldn't thread into the M6x1.0 hole, but who knows.

Regardless, I got a pack of these metric zerks from autozone, and they fit perfect.

 

[swampy_swimmer]

Thanks Boom! It looks like they are 1mm pitch from the photo. But could you please flip the pack around so it would show the details of the thread?