Propeller Shaft = Dealer Shaft

T

tahoekarl

New member
Just came back from the dealer today after a SECOND visit just to complete a "30K" service for my 2016 Trail w/KDSS.

Well... it turns out even dealers don’t know how to follow the owners manual.

While at the register following the first visit for maintenance, I asked the Toyota Service Advisor whether they lubed the propellor shaft. He said the unit is self sealed, making it unnecessary. Well, when I arrived home I looked under the car to discover zerk fittings at various point along the shaft. So, I called and spoke with the Advisor asking him why the fittings were there "if lubing wasn’t required". Furthermore, why would my owners manual say to lube the shaft at 30K? He didn’t have an answer and said he spoke with a tech and they said to bring the 4runner back.

So today (two weeks later), I made the follow-up visit and they said the zerks were greased. So curious as to whether they really followed-through, I checked under the car when I got home. I noticed that there was very little if any black grease pushed out at some locations, and at others the seals seemed bone dry! I'm a novice to this, but should I be suspicious to think they just placed a small smear of red grease at the top of each zerk nipple just to make me think they did the job? It doesn’t even feel like they wiped the area clean.. (as I said -- some seals looked untouched and dry).

I've seen in videos there are areas where you want to push out the old grease until the new appears. Am I wrong to think the novice is actually these folks we trust at Toyota? Any follow-on thoughts to this? Are all dealerships like this??
 
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I am far from an expert in this area, but I have been told its not good to pack things so full of grease that it starts popping out the seals. Maybe all it takes is a couple pumps?

Just a thought… if you are already under the truck looking at the zerk, why not just complete it yourself and call it a day? At least then it gets done to your satisfaction.
 
I am on the same page as you. My toyota care just ran out. Did my first at-home service this weekend to find a broken skid plate bolt and that my spare tire hadn't been included in the rotation for the past 20k miles.... $$ says they didnt grease the fittings you mentioned either. Is it really that hard for the dealer to follow their own manufacturer's recommendations? I just dont understand...

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Bumbo said:
I am far from an expert in this area, but I have been told its not good to pack things so full of grease that it starts popping out the seals. Maybe all it takes is a couple pumps?

Just a thought… if you are already under the truck looking at the zerk, why not just complete it yourself and call it a day? At least then it gets done to your satisfaction.
Click to expand...

I'm on the same page. I don't think you keep pumping til it oozes.

Couple pumps and call it good.
 
This is why I don't use the included Toyota Care.

The grease points on the shaft are not sealed like a ball joint. Also grease is normally flung out. Pushing the old grease out with new grease is fine.
 
when i had toyota do my 5000 mile services i asked them to grease prop shafts and they added it to the toyota care invoices and did not charge me a cent. yes it was done i checked...if you dont ask they arent gonna do it. i also have to admit the dealer i use acton toyota here in mass has been plain great to work with. a rule they have is when someone hits the lot they dont send out the wolves...need help go see the lady in the front of the showroom and theyll get you a salesperson...
 
Bumbo said:
I am far from an expert in this area, but I have been told its not good to pack things so full of grease that it starts popping out the seals. Maybe all it takes is a couple pumps?

Just a thought… if you are already under the truck looking at the zerk, why not just complete it yourself and call it a day? At least then it gets done to your satisfaction.
Click to expand...
I do u-joints and driveshafts for a living. You need to make sure all 4 seals purge grease or it's not properly lubed.

You can even go to the Dana/Spicer webpage and see a video showing this.

People fear that they are going to "break the seal" and let contaminants in. The seals were designed to purge grease and maintain their integrity.
 
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you need to lube them until all of the air burbs out followed by some grease. You need to use moly fortified grease on the slip joints. There will be no purge on these and it is highly debated about how much grease to put in. I do 5-6 pumps at each OCI. for the spiders, pump till they purge with the non-moly fortified grease as specified, then stick your finger up in there and scrape out the excess unless you want to smell it burn off the exhaust for the next 20 miles.

Here's a neat video showing a typical lube path
:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-fvddVt-g
 
jhguth said:
I need to hit mine, same grease on all joints?
Click to expand...

(SEE EDIT BELOW)No, per the manual. Moly fortified on slip joints, regular GL on spiders. The manual tells you the two types needed. I got mine from Amsoil, but there is a good bit of diversity on the forum of what grease is best.

Edit to what I posted above since it was pointed out that it is not correct. In the manual, it lists NLGI2 chassis grease for the spiders and moly-fortified OR NLGI2 for the slips. Somewhere on here someone explains why moly-fortified is better for the slips and why you should not use moly-fortified on the spiders, but per the manual, regular NLGI2 is OK for both. Godd luck!
 
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".if you dont ask they arent gonna do it."

When I had my 30k Free service done at McGeorge Toyota the service writer told me that they never do it because it isn't needed.

I waved the owner's service manual at him and got it done. For free.

Cheapskates. And they think they know more than the people who built them.
 
kenwilliams0803 said:
I do u-joints and driveshafts for a living. You need to make sure all 4 seals purge grease or it's not properly lubed.

You can even go to the Dana/Spicer webpage and see a video showing this.

People fear that they are going to "break the seal" and let contaminants in. The seals were designed to purge grease and maintain their integrity.
Click to expand...

In that case, let it flow.
 
kenwilliams0803 said:
I do u-joints and driveshafts for a living. You need to make sure all 4 seals purge grease or it's not properly lubed.

You can even go to the Dana/Spicer webpage and see a video showing this.

People fear that they are going to "break the seal" and let contaminants in. The seals were designed to purge grease and maintain their integrity.
Click to expand...

Thats how I've been doing it on the joints, pump until red comes out then clean off the old stuff with q-tips. On the slip yokes just a few pumps because it usually extend the yoke rather than go past the seal. If I see it move i undo the zerk to let excess out. The best way on the slip yokes is to take the shafts off and clean and re-grease them on the bench.
 
kenwilliams0803 said:
I do u-joints and driveshafts for a living. You need to make sure all 4 seals purge grease or it's not properly lubed.

You can even go to the Dana/Spicer webpage and see a video showing this.

People fear that they are going to "break the seal" and let contaminants in. The seals were designed to purge grease and maintain their integrity.
Click to expand...
i was just here to say the same.
 
My dealer sends out a postcard offering yellow, green and blue levels of routine maintenance. If I wanted a propeller shaft lubricated, I would have to request Blue 30,000 mile interval Service for a Truck, which costs an extra $100. My service writer thinks a 4Runner is a car, which does not get driveshaft lubrication, so I lube it myself when I change oil.

I agree with kenwilliams0803's post in regards to greasing until clean grease appears on all four spider seals (and note exception for the slip yokes).

See also this post started last year: Driveshaft grease per toyota recommended maintenance
 
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