Recommendations on grease and greasing for a newbie.

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68W65D

68W65D

Joined
Dec 15, 2016
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Location
45th Parallel
I have never used a grease gun or greased a zirk before.
I figure, now is the time to learn.

I am looking for recommendations on a grease gun and specific brands of grease to use and where to use them. My goal is to learn how to grease the drive shaft.

Where else is it important to regularly use a grease gun?
And how often do you routinely grease the drive shaft?

I know there are tons of random threads covering this material, but I was hoping to start a new thread that could be an informative one for people new to this kind of thing.
 
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I don't think you need anything specific in terms of the grease gun itself. It just needs to take a full size tube of grease. A flexible hose attachment will allow you to hit all the grease points on the drive shafts without having to move the truck to get the zirks lined up just right.

Wipe dirt off the zirk. Attach the gun. For the u-joints a few pumps will get fresh grease coming out of the joint. Wipe off any big excess if you like. For the slip joints, I usually give it six or eight pumps. If you see the joint move, you've probably pumped enough grease.

I try and hit the slip yokes with every oil change. U joints once or twice per year.

Nothing fancy required with the grease. I use the moly-fortified Valvoline Palladium stuff.
 
I did this recently, also for the first time. I got a cheapo grease gun, and it took forever. I had to switch hands and take breaks because my hands were cramping up so bad. Perhaps a more expensive grease gun would pump more grease per pump.
 
The only grease fittings under the truck Im aware of are the 4 zirks on the driveshaft. I use Valvoline SynPower Synthetic with moly.

Adding on to the question...
Are there any other items under the track that need to be greased or lubricated? Steering knuckles, pivot points, etc?
 
As a new owner of a 2001, I also would like to know where the Grease fittings are too.
 
No more greaseable fittings other than the 4 u joints and the 2 slip joints on the drive shafts.


Ohthetrees said:
The only grease fittings under the truck Im aware of are the 4 zirks on the driveshaft. I use Valvoline SynPower Synthetic with moly.

Adding on to the question...
Are there any other items under the track that need to be greased or lubricated? Steering knuckles, pivot points, etc?
Click to expand...
 
Lincoln grease guns are nice. I went ahead and spent the money on one Lincoln 1134 (~$40) is very well made and heavy duty and is my dedicated grease gun for Valvoline Palladium grease. I had a small cheaper one I got from a local auto store that didn't really work and went through 3 small cartridges before I gave up and bought the Lincoln. Make sure you watch a few videos on YouTube that show how to load, burp and prime the gun correctly and save yourself a lot of mess and frustration.

Greasing Diagram.

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The ideal setup would be getting two grease guns: one pistol grip version and one two-handed version. The pistol grip version is for the u-joints and should be used with non-moly grease. U-joints don't take as much grease, so the one-handed pump action isn't too tiring, and it leaves a free hand to use a grease needle which I always seem to need for the front u-joint. The two-handed version should be moly-grease-only and is great for the shafts, which tend to take more grease and requires more pumping. I suggest a lock n lube grease coupler for both guns. This will make greasing as close to enjoyable as it can be.
 
I bought a cheap grease gun from harbor freight which works as intended but grease has leaked out here and there making the whole thing a big mess. I just finished up the first tube of grease and have been debating whether to toss it and get a better gun or just keep using the same one.
 
Does anyone else have an issue getting to the front spider? I was able to grease all the joints except that one because no matter how the driveshaft is turned, I can't get the fitting into that tiny space where the zerk is.

Also, I've pumped closer to 20-30 pumps into the slip joints and nothing has come out. I stopped when the joints extended some. Having read the clunk thread, it seems like I should wait and let the new grease mix and hopefully soften the old stuff so it can push through the seal. Any other input there?
 
ewrk1989 said:
Does anyone else have an issue getting to the front spider? I was able to grease all the joints except that one because no matter how the driveshaft is turned, I can't get the fitting into that tiny space where the zerk is.

Also, I've pumped closer to 20-30 pumps into the slip joints and nothing has come out. I stopped when the joints extended some. Having read the clunk thread, it seems like I should wait and let the new grease mix and hopefully soften the old stuff so it can push through the seal. Any other input there?
Click to expand...
I have to use a needle adapter for the front u-joint, every time. As for the slip joints, The first time I had to pump a lot before I saw any movement at all in the driveshaft and it eventually made it out the seals. Keep pumping and, if the driveshaft never settles back down and no grease goes past the seals, just unscrew the zerk to release the pressure and try again with thinner grease.
 
Do I really need different types of grease for my ujoints and driveshafts???
 
Hayes said:
No more greaseable fittings other than the 4 u joints and the 2 slip joints on the drive shafts.
Click to expand...
...on the stock truck. You also may find grease fittings on upper and lower ball joints and tie rod ends, if they've been replaced with aftermarket.
 
Texsun84 said:
Do I really need different types of grease for my ujoints and driveshafts???
Click to expand...

yes. moly additive something for the yokes. bearing/chassis grease for the u joints
 
Gartenmeister said:
So I greased both slip yokes and U-joints with Valvoline Palladium #2 with Moly Multi-Purpose Grease. Saw it recommended on here someplace. Didn't realize I need two different types. Whoops. So how bad a thing is this?
Click to expand...
It really isn't a big deal. Any good grease on ujoints is better than no grease, which I'd bet most of the fleet gets. I grease a few pumps at every oil change to make sure there is clean grease being cycled through.
 
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