U - Joint Question

[timebak]

Today I was doing maintenance on my '05 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 that will roll over 100,000 miles in a few weeks and I was up under it checking and lubing. The main drive shaft u-joints don't have grease zerks but I was giving them a close inspection, looking for excessive play, etc.

I noticed a line of grease slung out onto the bottom of the floor pan from the front u-joint of the main drive shaft. Again, this is a factory sealed u-joint with no grease fitting. There wasn't any excess play in the joint yet, and the other two joints in that shaft looked just fine, but I'm getting ready to make a 3,000 mile trip in that truck next month. I wonder if I ought to go ahead and replace the u-joints in that main shaft since it's obvious that the front joint is at least somewhat low of grease or may even be dry. I sure don't want to be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota or Wyoming.

What do y'all think?

 

[KB2008X]

Yes, that's a good idea - change both of them and insist on quality parts and workmanship.

Keith

 

[Trav]

Quote:
I noticed a line of grease slung out onto the bottom of the floor pan from the front u-joint of the main drive shaft. Again, this is a factory sealed u-joint with no grease fitting

It sounds like your right about the grease coming out of the joint, probably a seal let go.
Changing them would be good preventive maintenance.

AA has brute Force joints that are US made and high quality.
I was a fan of grease fittings but i used these on a few vehicles years ago and they are still going strong, they are a good joint.
I probably wont bother with greased units again unless its in a heavy duty off road application.

 

[timebak]

I really appreciate the replies guys, but Boy do I ever feel like a moron. A friend assured me that all Tacoma 4x4's had grease fittings on the u-joints, but they're in the ends of the spider legs. So, though it's been a LOOONG day, I put my shoes back on, got my flashlight, and went back out and crawled back under my Taco. Felt around and found the zerks, pointing straight up, where I couldn't see them. I'm not used to seeing zerks in the ends of the spider legs like that. I had initially looked for them in between the legs and on the faces of the spiders (like they are on the front drive shaft). Didn't think to look on the end of the legs.

Got the grease gun back out and pumped 'em full of Lucas Red & Sticky #2. Good stuff there, man.

Thanks Y'all. I guess this is like Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say: "NEVERMIND!!"

 

[Trav]

Great at least you don't need to do joints in it now, although if this joint keeps throwing grease because of a bad seal it can be a PITA keeping up with it even with a fitting.

Check the zerk and make sure its not bad and letting the grease out.

 

[Rob_Roy]

It is good that you followed through. Any zerks on the front end?

 

[mechtech2]

Is it possible that the oil line on the car bottom was from a trans seal? Something like that?

 

[Lyman]

The grease trail could be from a lube tech not wiping off the zerk after lubing it.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: timebak
I sure don't want to be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota or Wyoming.




It's been my experience over the decades that U-joints give plenty of warning that they are dry and failing. They don't just "fall out" in the middle of nowhere.