How I grease my front driveshaft

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04UZJ100 said:
I had both wheels up on the same side while rotating tires. I was able to spin the drive shafts by hand while in Park. That’s gonna be my go-to technique from now on.
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Definitely a viable option, but IMO involves more setup than diagonal ramps and a single floor jack, no jack stands needed.

I do believe my process is one of those things that the description makes seem far more complicated than it is in practice.
 
LX4x4 said:
My grease gun is loaded with this, this is OK to use? I think it's either this or red and tacky that is common. I read it is ok to just use lithium that is non-moly everywhere. Although If the vehicle is newer and I don't see any grease exiting the slip joint then I don't add grease to the slip.

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Link didn’t work for me, but as long as it’s a NLGI #2 grease it’ll work.

Toyota specs grease in the slip joint irrespective of whether any is coming out. And if none is added, none may ever come out? But it will dry up and become ineffective..
 
Thanks for this. Did my 2020 HE today. Valvoline moly mix in slip joints, 6-8 pumps. Mystic in u joints. With 28k miles I don’t think this was ever done by the dealer. I will add that, the only plate I had to remove was a superficial cover over the front u joint of the rear drive axle. And using flexible hose guns, I was able to do the entire rear driveshaft without having to rotate anything. So no need for me at least to lift one side of the rear axle to spin anything. I did have to lift one side of the front. As a matter of fact the front most u joint was a pita.
 
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quick question which protection plate to take off to grease the front drive shaft? Is it the passenger side one or the back one that is plastic? thanks
 
j404 said:
Thanks for this. Did my 2020 HE today. Valvoline moly mix in slip joints, 6-8 pumps. Mystic in u joints. With 28k miles I don’t think this was ever done by the dealer. I will add that, the only plate I had to remove was a superficial cover over the front u joint of the rear drive axle. And using flexible hose guns, I was able to do the entire rear driveshaft without having to rotate anything. So no need for me at least to lift one side of the rear axle to spin anything. I did have to lift one side of the front. As a matter of fact the front most u joint was a pita.
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Why waste your time at the dealer for anything?
 
Building on this thread:
- Greased today the drive/propellor shafts for the first time at 32k miles (owned the vehicle from new, looks like dealer never did and the factory so so)
- Used Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty NLGI#2 for the spiders and slide yokes
- Used LocknLube LNL 252 grease gun with flexible hose and LocknLube Grease Coupler which works well and fits in the small space at the spiders
- 5 to 6 pumps on the slide yokes and after driving relieved pressure at the shaft zerks, no back flow of grease. Looks all good.
- Used four ramps and did not need to turn a rear wheel to align the rear drive shaft to access the zerks, got lucky
- Front shaft required putting the car in neutral and jacking up one front wheel
- LC200 on hand brake, that worked fine
- Turning off ignition was followed by annoying buzzer inside and out to warn not in park..., was able to leave the key inside and close the door shutting down the intense noise outside as the buzzer inside was still going. Oh well...
- Otherwise this worked like a charm as noted by bloc

During test drive all was good. Applied the brakes several times hard per FSM. Then relieved pressure at the shaft slide yoke zerks, no back flow of grease, all good.

For now appears adhoc play felt or slight clunk is gone when suddenly changing on/off the accelerator. Looks like factory wise not a lot of grease is put in the slide yokes as reported by others. Surprising.

I have also started an xls to track all the maintenance I am doing on the Cruiser.

Next are first oil change of the differentials and transfer case (bought the Ravenol kit). Motor Oil/Filter wise Toyota dealer did every 5k to date with 0W20, next at 35k I will do with 5W30 and every 5k thereafter.

Happy I have started doing my own maintenance on the 2021 Cruiser, like I am already doing for the 2014 535d.

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04UZJ100 said:
Why waste your time at the dealer for anything?
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I do everything humanly possible to avoid the dealer. I bought my LC certified so am going to have to take it in for oil changes every 10k and am dreading it. I have horrific luck with dealers screwing things up.
 
j404 said:
I do everything humanly possible to avoid the dealer. I bought my LC certified so am going to have to take it in for oil changes every 10k and am dreading it. I have horrific luck with dealers screwing things up.
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Yes...My last oil change at the dealer resulted in oil on the ground in my garage. The clowns at the dealer spilled used oil onto the factory skid plate/cover (probably in the process of removing the drain plug) and rain water made it overflow. Removed it to check what was going on, expecting potential drain plug leak. Ended up using up engine degreaser and some paper towels to get it back to new. Last time the dealer will do an oil change as I am out of 3year or 36k miles in any case. Agree with certified you better just have the oil changes done there. An option is to remove the skid plate/cover yourself before you go to the dealer. That way they cannot make a mess and you are also sure they do not gal threads on the cover bolds or lose some all together. Oh well...
 
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j404 said:
so am going to have to take it in for oil changes every 10k
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Why?

Also 10k isn’t often enough to avoid piston ring sticking in the long term as outlined by car care nut.
 
bloc said:
Why?

Also 10k isn’t often enough to avoid piston ring sticking in the long term as outlined by car care nut.
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I’ve dealt with enough warranty BS to know if the dealer doesn’t do the scheduled maintenance they will fight me on any issues. I know, magnassun moss, etc etc it’s just not worth the headache.

I plan to have the dealer do 10k, I will do 5k in between. So 30k miles I’ll DIY. 35k dealer. 40k DIY. 45k dealer.
 
j404 said:
I plan to have the dealer do 10k, I will do 5k in between. So 30k miles I’ll DIY. 35k dealer. 40k DIY. 45k dealer.
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Good plan, given your experience. I still couldn’t stomach giving the dealer the opportunity to mess mine up.

I’m sure you’ve read about locking the glove box..
 
bloc said:
I still couldn’t stomach giving the dealer the opportunity to mess mine up.
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I’m right there with you. Last March we bought a Toyota Sienna and not only did it come with 2 years free oil changes, it only came with one key that’s now waiting on me at the dealership… I can’t bring myself to make the appointment to even get the key.
 
joephilly said:
Using a Lock-n-Lube connector and flexible tube, I was *just* able to reach the zerk fitting from the driver's side by removing the heat shield shown in the middle of the picture here (with 1x of the 2x 12mm bolts visible):
View attachment 3048238
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Do you still remember if these 12mm bolts are into a captive nuts or just a normal nuts?

For the latter, I'll need socket/wrench on both sides to remove and put them back on? Slightly worried putting them back on as I have slee skids on.
 
m12345y said:
Do you still remember if these 12mm bolts are into a captive nuts or just a normal nuts?

For the latter, I'll need socket/wrench on both sides to remove and put them back on? Slightly worried putting them back on as I have slee skids on.
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Captive nuts.. you’ll only need a tool to turn the bolt itself.
 
Just greased all six zerks, they are pretty easy to locate after seeing all the pictures and know where to expect them. Thanks all.

Quick notes:
  1. I bought Lincoln 1134 Pistol Grip Grease Gun mentioned on this thread which in hindsight is a mistake. The NPT (?) tip/coupler is difficult to use; I managed 5/6 but ultimately gave up on the infamous rear zerk of the front shaft. I end up buying the LockNLube Coupler; the Swivel is also a nice add-on. It's a lifesaver, easy on and off. If you are looking for a grease gun altogether, I'd highly +1 to others recommendation: this LockNLube kit.
  2. If you are using grease gun for the first time, look up a youtube video on how to load grease. The caps on both ends of the grease cartridge have to come off, unlike the caulk gun. And don't forget to purge air.
  3. For those with SLEE skids, you don't have to take them off. Just take cat protector panel off and remove the heat shield panel mentioned in #31. A swivel socket is helpful.
 
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m12345y said:
Just greased all six zerks, they are pretty easy to locate after seeing all the pictures and know where to expect them. Thanks all.

Quick notes:
  1. I bought Lincoln 1134 Pistol Grip Grease Gun mentioned on this thread which in hindsight is a mistake. The NPT (?) tip/coupler is difficult to use; I managed 5/6 but ultimately gave up on the infamous rear zerk of the front shaft. I end up buying the LockNLube Coupler; the Swivel is also a nice add-on. It's a lifesaver, easy on and off. If you are looking for a grease gun altogether, I'd highly +1 to others recommendation: this LockNLube kit.
  2. If you are using grease gun for the first time, look up a youtube video on how to load grease. The caps on both ends of the grease cartridge have to come off, unlike the caulk gun. And don't forget to purge air.
  3. For those with SLEE skids, you don't have to take them off. Just take cat protector panel off and remove the heat shield panel mentioned in #31. A swivel socket is helpful.
Click to expand...

You're awesome. I'm behind on this mostly because I thought I'd have to take my slee skids off. Guess not
 
m12345y said:
Just greased all six zerks, they are pretty easy to locate after seeing all the pictures and know where to expect them. Thanks all.

Quick notes:
  1. I bought Lincoln 1134 Pistol Grip Grease Gun mentioned on this thread which in hindsight is a mistake. The NPT (?) tip/coupler is difficult to use; I managed 5/6 but ultimately gave up on the infamous rear zerk of the front shaft. I end up buying the LockNLube Coupler; the Swivel is also a nice add-on. It's a lifesaver, easy on and off. If you are looking for a grease gun altogether, I'd highly +1 to others recommendation: this LockNLube kit.
  2. If you are using grease gun for the first time, look up a youtube video on how to load grease. The caps on both ends of the grease cartridge have to come off, unlike the caulk gun. And don't forget to purge air.
  3. For those with SLEE skids, you don't have to take them off. Just take cat protector panel off and remove the heat shield panel mentioned in #31. A swivel socket is helpful.
Click to expand...
The Lock N’ Lube coupler is definitely the way to go. I also have this one as well, it makes quick work of the front zerks that are more difficult to reach.

 
which grease did y'all use?

it seems like the Lithium-complex grease formulations are moving towards Calcium Sulfonate.

Lithium’s Supply Volatility
At Lucas Oil, our core commitment is delivering an exceptional customer experience. An unavailable product simply doesn’t meet our high standards. Over the past decade, the global demand for lithium has surged due to the rise in battery production, making the supply of traditional non-soap grease thickeners increasingly unpredictable. Recognizing this market shift, Lucas Oil seized the opportunity to enhance our grease formula while also ensuring a more stable supply chain.

New Red “N” Tacky® Formula – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

www.lucasoil.com www.lucasoil.com

Lucas X-TRA HEAVY DUTY GREASE use Polyurea thickener. Someone on another forum a few years ago called Lucas and asked about Polyurea being compatible with other greases...and They said: "*This is a Polyurea based grease and absolutely IS NOT COMPATIBLE with ANY OTHER FORMULATION of grease. PERIOD. In short, if it is not Polyurea based it is not compatible."

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Used Claude AI....
Toyota calls for lithium complex NLGI #2. To be fully compatible, a grease needs:
Lithium complex thickener (or functionally compatible)
NLGI #2 grade
Moly content depends on location: recommended for slip yoke/cardan center

1775947019834.webp

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