Any quick way to clean up a driveshaft slip joint? (1 Viewer)

[CharlieS]

So, I have been scrambling to get ready for a camping/wheeling thing later this week. I'm running out of time... One thing on my list is to rebuild my driveshafts. I have all the parts, just not the time, so it will have to wait until after the event.

When I was reinstalling my transfer case tonight, I discovered that the front driveshaft slip joint (? the part that slides in and out as the suspension articulates) was gummed up and had to be pryed with a prybar to move.

Is there anything I can do to temporarily loosen up the crud and have it move freely? Degreaser, nylon brush, suspension at full droop... Then pump in a little fresh grease maybe?

I just need it to last for 4 days of moderate to hard wheeling, then I'll rebuild on the other end... The u-joints themselves seem to be in good shape.

Thanks for any wisdom you can offer.

 

[mct75]

The grease fitting on the slip joint risks packing the air inside the joint with grease so in compression it "hydrolocks" and can damage the transfer case. Can you not separate the joint and hit it with some fresh grease? I would think some p-blaster should be enough to get it to come apart, and if not, you probably shouldn't be wheeling on it!

 

[robnicko]

as above,
remove the zirk and you should be able to separate the two sections.

be sure to mark the orientation first and then soak both slip ends in a bucket of turps or kero to soften the old grease, wipe away as best you can then brake cleaner dry off and regrease the splines manually before putting back together. Screw the zirk in last after mounted in the car.

 

[60 toy ota]

if the above doesn't work you could also pump grease into the zerk and force the yolk out similar to a hydraulic cylinder.

I would think some p-blaster should be enough to get it to come apart, and if not, you probably shouldn't be wheeling on it!

this is well said.

 

[greentruck]

if the above doesn't work you could also pump grease into the zerk and force the yolk out similar to a hydraulic cylinder.

Agree. This can be a problem if you're servicing the shaft, pump it full and leave it that way. But you should be able to use it to your advantage. I'd recommend loosening the zerk first to insure it's not bound up, then retighten. Start pumping grease into it until you see the shaft move, then pump some more so that it moves more. Loosen zerk again, this time completely, and it should spew grease out and the shaft should shorten up, although you'll likely still need to unbolt the yoke and pry to get it even shorter to remove. Since you plan to clean it out well once apart, you might find using the lightest grease possible advantageous as this will help things that are bound up come apart more easily.

 

[landtank]

The proper way to service the slip yoke really isn’t that big a deal.

Put alignment marks on the slip yoke to the dust shield and then the dust shield to the shaft.

Slide off the slip yoke and clean the splines and lightly grease, press off the dust shield and clean those splines and lightly grease and the inside of the dust shield. Then reassemble aligning the marks and grease as usual.

 

[CharlieS]

Thanks all.

 

[lumbee1]

as above,
remove the zirk and you should be able to separate the two sections.

be sure to mark the orientation first and then soak both slip ends in a bucket of turps or kero to soften the old grease, wipe away as best you can then brake cleaner dry off and regrease the splines manually before putting back together. Screw the zirk in last after mounted in the car.

THIS!

Take note of orientation, then remove the zirk fitting. When you are trying to separate the two pieces of the driveshaft you are creating a strong vacuum. Without the zirk fitting, air will flow and the two pieces will separate easily.

BTW, putting the shaft back together requires the same method. With the zirk hole open, air will push out.

After you have greased the driveshaft to your satisfaction, reinstall the driveshaft on the truck, then reinstall the zirk fitting. Done.

 

[Kernal]

FWIW was working on a new driveshaft this week, first pull the slip yolk out, remove all the yellow assembly grease (not required), clean up the male and female splined shafts. Your choice of solvents, TCE seems to work well
after the dust cover is removed.

Once clean apply your favorite grease, reassemble (remove zerk if needed to push in slip yolk). I've been using Loctite LB 8012 Moly Paste on the splines followed by grease, some people use GM or Ford PTFE lubricant paste designed for driveshafts.

Without pulling the dust cover you can tip the driveshaft upside down and blast the grease out using Brake cleaner (Trichloroethylene type) for example. Wear eye protection.

Photo showing rear slip yolk splines cleaned up.

This is a used rear driveshaft with the dust cover pulled off (using a simple two jaw puller). Reinstalled the dust cover using a couple of used spindle bushings stacked end-to-end (perfect fit over the splined shaft and brass so no damage to the splines). Struck the bushings with a dead blow hammer (not shown) to knock the dust cover (new) into place. Important to lube the inside of the dust cover also to help it slide down over the shaft, it's a very tight slip fit. Next time I might try freezing the shaft first with dry ice. Can't really (shouldn't) heat up the dust cover much (you don't want to damage the seal). FWIW