Problem greasing the front U-joint of the front propeller shaft

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mark71

mark71

10 Year 15 Year
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Finally got under there to grease all the fittings, but how on earth do you get to the front-most grease fitting? It is not only in an awkward space but the clearances are too tight to get the grease fitting past the yokes and engage the nipple.

How have you guys been doing it?
 
90 Degree grease fitting.
 
I've been fortunate enough to steal something like this from the workshop when I need to pump grease. It has a long flexible hose and manages to reach every grease point
Lubrication-Equipments.jpg
 
MScruiser said:
90 Degree grease fitting.
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The 90 degree bend would be helpful, but a slim head even more important to fit in the tight space of the yokes. Obviously yours works, so do you remember where you bought it or the brand? I don't want to order one and it be too big.
 
A long "needle" injector is very inexpensive and on a hose will work magic. Just snap it onto your existing rig for five bucks or so.
 
A long "needle" injector is very inexpensive and on a hose will work magic. Just snap it onto your existing rig for five bucks or so.
 
Followup: the needle-type injector was key to completing the job. Works very well for everything except the front drive shaft and it's rear-most u-joint (90 degree is the key here).

Next time I want to grease the u-joints, I think I'm just gonna pull the drive shafts. Bet it will take less time.
 
If pulled is it something that has to be rebalanced?
 
Good question, but I am assuming no. Hopefully someone else can chime in?
 
Willy beamin said:
If pulled is it something that has to be rebalanced?
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Before pulling, I would mark both flanges with a dot of paint to make sure that you reinstall in the same orientation. If done, then I would think no re-balancing would be required.
 
As part of the baseline on my new-to-me 2014 LC, I did the 4 spiders and 2 driveshafts this weekend. After reading all the posts about needing special fittings (needle and right angle) I decided to start with my Lincoln grease gun w standard straight Zerk nozzle and see how far I could get with equipment I had on hand. I could get a solid and straight connection on each Zerk and fill spiders until grease came out of all four cups on each one with the common straight nozzle. For those having issues with the 2 front spiders, I'd suggest chocking the rear wheels, raising the front wheels off the ground (using jack stands), putting the trans to neutral and manually rotating the front driveshaft to find the correct angle to get a good straight shot at those zerks. The best angle at them is not from straight below. I went after the rear front spider from the top and the front front spider from the side. There was plenty of room. Use a good one-hand grease gun like a Lincoln as the other hand is needed to steady the nozzle at the Zerk fitting. Make sure you observe grease exiting all 4 points on the spider. You want to push out the dirt and much of the old grease. With mine, I had several that had a lot of grease coming out of 2 or 3 of the points but not the 4th until I gave it a few more pumps. The most time consuming part of this job is raising the front wheels initially, the removing of skid plates (incl transfer case skid plate) and then cleaning off the pumped out excess grease when the job was done.

One more tip, don't assume the nozzle on your grease gun is ready to tackle zerks from out-of-the-box. I always have to break free the joint (almost invisible when tight) that allows you to adjust the nozzle depth onto the Zerk. It just needs to be loosened a small amount to get it to properly seat onto the Zerk and not pop off. You may have to adjust it a small amount for each Zerk. Hope this helps. It should be a :banana: job.
 
I also could not get my fitting into the front or rear spiders on the front driveshaft. Mine is just too big to fit into that tight space!

(And I'm using ALL of my willpower not to make a juvenile joke here.....). Please, someone else do it so I don't have to go back and edit my post!
 
NLScooby said:
I also could not get my fitting into the front or rear spiders on the front driveshaft. Mine is just too big to fit into that tight space!

(And I'm using ALL of my willpower not to make a juvenile joke here.....). Please, someone else do it so I don't have to go back and edit my post!
Click to expand...

"If it doesn't fit...you must aquit!"

-Or were you thinkin of another (cough) response? ;)
 
image.webp
NLScooby said:
I also could not get my fitting into the front or rear spiders on the front driveshaft. Mine is just too big to fit into that tight space!

(And I'm using ALL of my willpower not to make a juvenile joke here.....). Please, someone else do it so I don't have to go back and edit my post!
Click to expand...
I could not approach the Zerk from directly underneath with the Zerk on the spider facing directly down. The Zerk is most visible in that position but you can't get the nozzle on it. The bend in the spider in that position does not allow access to the Zerk. I had to approach the rear front from above the spider almost blindly but the spider bends away allowing more clearance. The front one I had to rotate the front driveshaft and come at it from an angle on the side.

Above is the grease gun I use.
 
MooseRDS said:
View attachment 1292605
I could not approach the Zerk from directly underneath with the Zerk on the spider facing directly down. The Zerk is most visible in that position but you can't get the nozzle on it. The bend in the spider in that position does not allow access to the Zerk. I had to approach the rear front from above the spider almost blindly but the spider bends away allowing more clearance. The front one I had to rotate the front driveshaft and come at it from an angle on the side.

Above is the grease gun I use.
Click to expand...
Aha - I think that was the issue - I had it perfectly lined up to get at it from the bottom and could see them all - but couldn't get the nozzle tip in there!
 
NLScooby said:
Aha - I think that was the issue - I had it perfectly lined up to get at it from the bottom and could see them all - but couldn't get the nozzle tip in there!
Click to expand...

You should also try the needle. I was skeptical, but it worked like a charm.
 
A needle into a zerk? What the...?
 
Yup. Size of a small nail, except hollow. Available at most auto parts stores. Beveled tip seals against the zerk while depressing the ball to allow the grease to enter. Was pretty amazed at how well it worked.
 
mark71 said:
Yup. Size of a small nail, except hollow. Available at most auto parts stores. Beveled tip seals against the zerk while depressing the ball to allow the grease to enter. Was pretty amazed at how well it worked.
Click to expand...
I've not tried a needle valve on a Zerk. Does it seal sufficiently to pump enough grease under pressure to squeeze out the old dirt and grease from the 4 ends of the spiders? I had to push a decent amount of grease at pressure to get the old grease to exit. Thanks.
 
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