Pics of slip zerks...Is something wrong??

thatsbug

thatsbug

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I have greased the zerks about 4 times since I got it in Januaray (new to me 04 4runner 4x4 special edition 81Kmiles) The clunk returned 1500 miles after greasing. Using nothing but Castrol synthetic multipurpose. I pumped it the first few times until I noticed slight movement. Since the clunk returned so soon (expected at a bare minimum 3000 miles) I searched this great site again and found that I'm supposed to pump until it seeps out a bit. The U joints are well greased so I attacked the slip yokes....welll the rear slip yoke started seeping so I stopped as you can see in the top pic, the front never seeped but it moved a lot....then did what you see in bottom pic. Is this okay...or tomorrow will I feel the clunk yet again. They both seeped grease out the opposite end I was attempting, but the front slip never seeped.... Bad Zerks? Please help. Thanks in Advance.
 

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The LC 80 and 100 have driveshaft clunks. Some 4runners also suffer the clunks. Most of the time you must use a grease (for the slip yokes only) with Moly in it. It is the best way to minimize and/or eliminate the clunks.
 
Thanks Gerdo,
So....does this look normal for greasing the slip yokes? Will some spill out this end as well or is something wrong???
 
thatsbug said:
Will some spill out this end as well or is something wrong???
Click to expand...

When you start using a Moly grease, you will want to push out as much of the grease that is in there now. You will have big gobs oozing out. This is normal. Yes some should come out, it's pushing out the old grease. If greas isn't coming out, you haven't greased enough.

You may notice that the greasing causes the slip yoke to extend. This is fine. When you compress (from driving and suspension movement) the suspension, the slip yoke will slip in and out (More grease will be pushed out again).
 
Something is not right. You should be seeing grease coming from where the arrow is pointing below.
The grease in your picture looks like it is from greasing the u joint zerk not the slip yoke zerk.
 

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If you pack a ****load of grease in there, it will start coming out of both locations (arrow shown in pic above and the end towards the u-joint).

Next time, after using so much grease, it may be a good idea to remove the zerk fitting, jump up and down on the rear bumper a few times to bounce the suspensions, then clean up the grease and screw the zerk back in. That way the driveshaft won't be trying to force grease out of places it shouldn't.
 
what do I do?

So tomorrow when I get home I will have travelled about 80 miles, ok to remove the zerks and jump on the rear then? It still clunked today. If there is something wrong is it something I can fix with tools or do I need to replace something?
 
I'm thinking the seal at the front of your driveshaft may be going out?
I have the same 4runner as you and I have only ever had grease come out the slipyoke seal. When I grease it lasts about 4,000 miles before the clunk returns ever so slightly.
 
I've had grease come out of that end too, but I packed a ton of grease in there, like 75+ pumps of the grease gun. I don't think your seals are going out, but I guess it could be a possibility? I think there's just so much grease in there that it's starting to seep out of every crevice it can. Think about the force that is put on the slip yoke when driving due to suspension movement--there's a reason that Toyota says to only put enough grease in to expand the slip yoke by a millimeter or so. That's why its a good idea to unscrew the zerk fitting and relieve some of the pressure.

That being said, I don't think the zerks adequately lube the slip yoke without putting in excessive amounts of grease. If I were you, I'd take the drive shaft out (should only be a handful of bolts, mark it so you can re install it the same way). That way you can disassemble it, clean all the crud out of there and properly lube it, maybe inspect the seals too.
 
Pulling the drive shaft is easy. I bought mine certified pre owned and had no idea how much or what condition the lube was in. Mine was bone dry, so I lubed the spines and reinstalled it and added more via the zerk. Still had a clunk every once in a while but I need to lube it again..I want to think it was 4-6 bolts that holds it on.
 
Yeah..I have nowhere near that amount in mine. I need to add a few more pumps. I do wonder however if it IS in fact possible to crack the TC due to the grease not being able to compress in the slip yoke. I didnt think the grease would seep out like that, guess ill have to try it.
 
thanks!

This weekend I will mark, pull them,clean,inspect,grease the spines,reinstall and grease the slip yoke zerks with a non synthetic molt ngli2 grease...and report back.
thanks!
 
Ok, didn't get around to pulling the driveshafts yet. Grabbed a second grease gun and grease. Read too much and don't know which one to use. I read moly is great and then moly is smoke and mirrors. Read GM spec grease is the only grease that meets the manuf spec. Read a dealership mechanic ran next door to Ford and picked up some grease and the clunk was gone forever. I read that the tubes mixture is thinner/(read no-good) because properties have to be different for pumping? Good grief:redbrick:. So...I I'm going to pull the drive shafts and try to clean everything...what grease should I use see my options below. Please help:
 

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thatsbug said:
Ok, didn't get around to pulling the driveshafts yet. Grabbed a second grease gun and grease. Read too much and don't know which one to use. I read moly is great and then moly is smoke and mirrors. Read GM spec grease is the only grease that meets the manuf spec. Read a dealership mechanic ran next door to Ford and picked up some grease and the clunk was gone forever. I read that the tubes mixture is thinner/(read no-good) because properties have to be different for pumping? Good grief:redbrick:. So...I I'm going to pull the drive shafts and try to clean everything...what grease should I use see my options below. Please help:
Click to expand...

^^I had all these same thoughts last weekend when I greased... Confused!!!

I think I ended up using basically what is on the bottom right (only in the tube), but like you, I'm all stressed because its not ''moly''...

Someone will inevitably tell me my driveshaft will fall out, and my transfer case will blow up or crack and I'll be all stressed.. haha

I'm just not going to worry about it. I think I saw the shaft grow by about a total of about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch in length, and the clunk is gone.

I just hope all is well. I was trying to do the right thing for maintenance, but may have done worse? Oh well.. I'm not about to pull the shaft. Too many other things going on!


- Sent via Tapatalk for Android
 
I agree with this method, it seems the grease is "spread" around the inside of the drive shaft when it is spinning think like cotton candy. I get the clunk ever so slightly after about every 3000 mi. I just add a few pumps as necessary and allow the porp. shaft to spin it all around and even it out. If it still feels like a clunk I do it again... Nobody can tell you exactly how many pumps to put in just feel it out. As to why yours keeps coming back so soon? not sure my man...

I am interested in knowing the creditability of the "don't over fill it" mentality, it seems like if it needs filling you fill it; if it get too much it will compress out on its own... am i right in thinking this way or is it because its too much at on time and it blows a seal?
 
I went through the whole cycle of concern about which grease, too. I view it like motor oil. Getting it done is vastly more important than what you get it done with.

FWIW, I, and many others, have used a lithium based grease with moly on both spiders and slip. No failed spiders that I know of. I'm confident non-moly grease would have worked fine, too.

I've stopped caring about the clunk at all because there's no concern over its effects, and the cause is an open question. YMMV.
 
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