What grease for front spindle bearings?
- Thread starter 40TUDE
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I agree, either is fine. I like molybdenum for it's rejuvenating properties, just be careful moly is a heavy metal. The FSM spec calls for #1 grease, your wheel bearings, propeller shafts & u-joints (spider) are all #2. You can use #2, but you may notice creaking in slow turns on cold mornings.
Last edited:
Use a high grade like Amsoil, Royal Purple and others. Synthetic is hard to beat if using good stuff. No cheap grease. Good grease will last a long time if applied correctly and will save you a lot of dollars in the long term. A couple of tubes of high end grease is a lot less than one bearing. Not to mention a spindle.
I'm using some USA car-quest EP #2 with moly. As stated above any good grease will do, more important is to do it often to avoid contamination and break down. Also, make sure if you switch grease you get all the old stuff off as not all greases are compatible with each other. The only reason I try to use the same stuff each time is to make the job faster, in my case car-quest is closest so I can always get a match quick.
Oh and the Slee spindle grease tool is awesome fast for doing this job right.
Oh and the Slee spindle grease tool is awesome fast for doing this job right.
I used M1 synthetic last spring and now 6 months later the pan I keep my grease guns in is covered on the bottom with red "oil" separating from that grease. It's a mess and I'm not going to use the rest of that tube because it's missing so much "oil". I'm going to try something else next time.
I think we're spaeking about same bearing; (spindle bearing = drive shafts' slip joint) is brass spindle bushing and needle bearing ,aren't we?
Thanks Andy, I didn't know slee had one, I'll stop by and pick one up. I bought one off ebay that's good for 4runner's but useless for series 100, if anyone needs it let me know.
Last edited:
Maybe I could have been more clear...
Spindle bearing: Supports the front CV shafts.
Driveshaft slip joint: The splined connection between the front and rear parts of the driveshafts...i.e., between the transfer case and differentials.
Steve
Ok Steve, I've called propeller shaft a drive shafts also, until I got my FSM.
FSM & Owners manual calls for #2 NGLI in slide yoke, although I did use #1 NGLI to loosen up, now they move freely so I use the recommended #2. Note the Owners manual calls the "Spindle bearing" as used in this thread: Front Drive Shaft Thrust Bushings
Last edited:
I've had similar experience regarding significant oil separation from Schaeffer Extreme Pressure Moly grease. I was expecting better...
Whereas several varieties of Amsoil grease, #1, #2 and their highly water resistant grease didn't separate out in storage nearly to the degree the Schaeffer did...
Not a grease expert but I wonder how effective the grease is in application after its oozed a significant % of its oil during relatively short term storage (<6 months)?
Edit: Good related 411 here: http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28761/storing-grease-to-avoid-bleed-separation-
My front end is making a racket/creaking on bumps and turns. It’s plenty cold up here in Maine. I used No. 2 last time I greased (21K ago). Should it stop when it warms up (after driving a while)? It seems pretty persistent.
I’m not 100 percent sure it’s the spindle but it creaks on bounces and on turns. I’ve replaced the brake pads and slathered all the bushings in Fluid Film trying to chase it down.
Not sure - its happening on both sides.
Has graduated from a scraping sound (like dirt and cinders in the bushings being ground) to a creaking. Trying to diagnose.
Forgot to follow up. It was primarily the driver’s side upper ball joint.
I had assumed it was lower but bought the uppers too just for kicks. Swapped out all four. (Third winter in Maine finally made it too hard for me to get everything off, so more accurate to say a local repair shop swapped them out.)
Did post in another thread that it also smoothed the ride out a bit, too
No, Toyota doesn’t sell just the ball joints. You must replace the complete upper and/or lower control arms if you insist on original. (I have used Toyota everywhere else but the hood and hatch struts.)
I went with 555 from @cruiseroutfit - Cruiser Outfitters/Teq. I see they are out of stock now though.
Others here have used these. I don’t think anyone’s reported big issues or put enough miles on to compare them with OEM expectations. (I had 205 on my truck when I replaced, noise had been coming for some time.)