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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 1,961
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 1,961 |
I do enough pickup axles, driveline, and gears but I'm no mechanic on these just an observer. I've used and worked on machinery and in industry be it ag, excavation, process equipment, mining and the like they use greasable u-joints, pins, pillow blocks. It's just not true that an sealed joint is more durable on an light duty vehicle. That not the case.
On passenger vehicles it comes down to preference. If your ok with getting under a vehicle every 3k or 4k miles and giving it one or two pumps of grease everything will be just fine but let's be honest and admit most folks don't do this. That's the reality.
U-joints are pretty cheap and easy to replace units on light duty vehicles. The real suck comes along with vehicles in the rust belt when you tear into hubs, transaxle, and ball joint jobs. Those are fun especially AWD type cars and SUV''S like those Subarus. Hate those jobs and they'll have you using curse words that aren't yet invented.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 981 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 981 Likes: 1 |
We have a machine shop that presses in new U joints. He only uses Spicer U joints that are greaseable. He says they are the best there is. You nust grease a greaseable U joint. Some people never grease anything. I was always taught to maintain your equipment and it will last a looooong time.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,843 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,843 Likes: 6 |
my 88 4 Runner, came with a manual 5 speed and the 22 RE engine from the factory...
it also has greasable u joints.... they get greased every 10K, and years ago I was told the best to use was the red color grease, which is what farmers in the Midwest use the most of.. haven't had any U joints needing replacement since I've owned the truck new.. when it had 2 miles on the clock, I took possession of it... Sept 87..
In August 2021, its parked at the place with just short of 590,000 on the odometer...
Guess what I've been doing over the years is working out okay, on the driveline.
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 567
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 567 |
What is the difference in labor over the life of a non-grease u joint vs the greasing at prescribed intervals of greased u joints? Is changing non-greased joints after 120k miles.cheaper than greasing at prescribed intervals?
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 17,263 Likes: 15
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 17,263 Likes: 15 |
Greaseable for replacement joints.
Hands down.
The factory non greaseable joints in your car last a long time because of perfect alignment. last time I replaced one it was $1 more for a greasable one... of course sometimes getting on the zerc fitting requires jacking up and down..... Mopar used the CV style joints instead of u-joints for a while. I think that they went back..
-OMotS
"If memory serves fails me..." Quote: ( unnamed) "been prtty deep in the cooler todaay " Television and radio are most effective when people question little and think even less.
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 5,685 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 5,685 Likes: 1 |
Ssealed or greasable! Do most people keep autos long enough to care? I prefer greasable, I keep things for a long time!
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383 |
If you have a vehicle so equipped you should have it lubed every time you change your oil . 5k
Last edited by Oldelkhunter; 08/15/22. Reason: so equipped
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,183
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,183 |
I've never had a vehicle with greaseable u-joints and the few u-joints that a I have changed were just to prevent future problems on high mileage vehicles. I drove my '68 El Camino 140k before I parked it in 1978 and when I disassembled it a few years the original u-joints were still good (I will replace them). I drove my full time 4wd '78 Chevy truck almost daily from '78-'99 and didn't replace the u-joints until I converted it to part time 4wd in 1998. They still looked good.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,078 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,078 Likes: 2 |
And now days you get into alot of the non serviceable stuff. Staked in U-joints, Carrier bearings that cant be removed. One of those goes out and its sure as hell not going to be a $100 fix
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15,568 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 15,568 Likes: 4 |
The first few vehicles I owned did not have zerk-greasable U-joints (sealed had not yet been invented) and so we had to remove and repack them by hand every so often. Since 1954 I have owned and maintained a lot of vehicles, and now drive several that are more than 50 years old.
Some of our vehicles have 350k and even more miles on them. I have NEVER had a drive line U joint fail on any of them - closing in on 70 years of driving. Just keep them greased. I did hear a noise coming from the front of an old 4wd Chev, and discovered something I never knew existed - a double cardan joint twixt TC and front diff. Needed lube and was able to save it.
As for sealed non-greasable components, I am no expert and have only owned a couple of vehicles having those. And, that is where failures have occurred. Carrier bearing on big pickup, sealed front hubs hubs on modern 4wd, and what next? Maybe the first U joint fail?
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,175
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,175 |
A 2006 GM dually takes the same u joint as a 1981 Blazer. Put Strange racing u joints in your vehicle and don't worry about u joints anymore.
Life is good live it while you can.
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,626
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,626 |
I do enough pickup axles, driveline, and gears but I'm no mechanic on these just an observer. I've used and worked on machinery and in industry be it ag, excavation, process equipment, mining and the like they use greasable u-joints, pins, pillow blocks. It's just not true that an sealed joint is more durable on an light duty vehicle. That not the case.
On passenger vehicles it comes down to preference. If your ok with getting under a vehicle every 3k or 4k miles and giving it one or two pumps of grease everything will be just fine but let's be honest and admit most folks don't do this. That's the reality.
U-joints are pretty cheap and easy to replace units on light duty vehicles. The real suck comes along with vehicles in the rust belt when you tear into hubs, transaxle, and ball joint jobs. Those are fun especially AWD type cars and SUV''S like those Subarus. Hate those jobs and they'll have you using curse words that aren't yet invented. Most all the equipment you mention with greaseable u-joints are probably on a service schedule. Equipment I work on gets the u-joints greased every 5500 miles. We hardly ever replace u-joints. Most personal vehicles might get a oil change when the light or warning goes off. If someone is relying on the person doing their oil change to grease everything... well...
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,296 Likes: 5
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,296 Likes: 5 |
Solids. I’ve snapped front axle U joints that were greasable. Finally changed out my 06 dodge u-joints last fall. They were rusted so badly that I cut yoke and used a 100 ton press to get them out of the shafts. The needle bearings were still ok after 90k miles and 15 years. Perchance a solid starts to die, they’ll usually squeak a bunch beforehand.
Yours in Liberty,
BL
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,078 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,078 Likes: 2 |
Dodges are hard on stuff, for what ever reason. More so than the other rigs
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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 1,961
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 1,961 |
Dodges are hard on stuff, for what ever reason. More so than the other rigs Yes they are. It's easy to see why as the ball joints geometry makes it fight against itself.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 9,472 |
Greasable. I grease them every 10,000 miles when I change my oil. 2012 Toyota Tacoma with 200k hard miles on the original u joints BTW.
Last edited by BWalker; 08/17/22.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 7,988 Likes: 3
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 7,988 Likes: 3 |
The hardest thing on Ujoints is to have the geometry of the opposing faces not measured and adjusted properly. The front pinion flange and the rear of the transmission should be within 2-3 degrees of each other for long Ujoint life and reliable drive line performance. A lot of guys with jacked up trucks and other "enhancements" don't know this or forget to adjust their differential angle and end up breaking parts that don't need to ....
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability.
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Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 3,924
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 3,924 |
Here's a quick PSA for those of you with greaseable zircs.
You know how sometimes zircs get plugged with grit / grime / dried grease, and it's impossible to get them to break loose and accept new grease? No matter how hard you squeeze on the grease gun lever handle?
PITA, isn't it?
Well - simply wipe a tad bit of grease on the tit of the zirc just before you sell the vehicle, to make it look like you really take good care of your shít.
This concludes your PSA for the day - carry on.
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