Greasing front driveshaft
- Thread starter mnfeo2
- Start date
Put the plug back in, the grease nipple weight will tend to unbalance the shaft, and they also have a habit of coming loose and flying off.
Peter
Peter
rovercanus said:
I'll try and find the relevant GKN tech Bulletin for you, but you are, of course, entitled to your opinion
Peter
I wouldn't touch a GKN u-joint. They are junk. It wouldn't suprise me if they said their fitting flew out.
If you buy a driveshaft with zerk fittings, I'm willing to bet it was ballanced with the fittings. I'm also willing to bet the plugs weigh the nearly the same if not more then the fitting itself.
If you buy a driveshaft with zerk fittings, I'm willing to bet it was ballanced with the fittings. I'm also willing to bet the plugs weigh the nearly the same if not more then the fitting itself.
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GKN joints are made in Europe, nothing wrong with the quality, especially the ones made in Germany, which is where the rubber donut coupling is made also. I don't know if the supply chain to North America uses any far-east product?
Agree that if the grease nipple was originally fitted, then not a problem, but that wasn't the OP's question.
The U/J grease nipple is fitted on almost all of the front shaft REAR U/J's and the rear shaft FRONT U/J's. The plugs are fitted to the sliding spline joint, (which is actually plastic coated on the male splines) and that is the one that causes the unbalance problem.
All of our front shafts have that configuration, the one on the vehicle now and the two spares we have.
I haven't looked at the Series III shafts that my son has stashed away, but he can't really go fast enough to make them spin out of balance anyway especially with the 2.5n/a diesel he has just fitted
If you're anywhere near Buckley MI or Portland IN this August, let me know and I'll look you up, maybe even buy you a beer....
Peter
Agree that if the grease nipple was originally fitted, then not a problem, but that wasn't the OP's question.
The U/J grease nipple is fitted on almost all of the front shaft REAR U/J's and the rear shaft FRONT U/J's. The plugs are fitted to the sliding spline joint, (which is actually plastic coated on the male splines) and that is the one that causes the unbalance problem.
All of our front shafts have that configuration, the one on the vehicle now and the two spares we have.
I haven't looked at the Series III shafts that my son has stashed away, but he can't really go fast enough to make them spin out of balance anyway
especially with the 2.5n/a diesel he has just fitted If you're anywhere near Buckley MI or Portland IN this August, let me know and I'll look you up, maybe even buy you a beer....
Peter
listerdiesel said:
You go to the Steam Show?
I've never attended. It's about 2 hrs north.
I accidentally drove by about 20 years ago, and have been haunted by the memory ever since.
Two Cold Soakers said:
Lifetime Member of the club!
atriot: Fantastic show, lots to see and they have a full-size railroad in the show grounds (which are owned by the club as well)
Well worth a day out, we stay at Cadillac in the Super 8 normally.
Peter
The GKN u-joints I have gotten were made in Japan purchased at Napa. They were way under sized and lasted about 2000 miles on the truck.
I use made in the US Neapco u-joints now and wouldn't look back.
I use made in the US Neapco u-joints now and wouldn't look back.
Nasty, sorry to hear that, we tend to buy Hardy-Spicer in the UK or another branded part.
If you EVER get stuck for anything LR, let us know, we are 50 miles from the factory and have a daily drop off from our dealer in Bedford.
Happy to get small items and air-mail them over.
Peter
If you EVER get stuck for anything LR, let us know, we are 50 miles from the factory and have a daily drop off from our dealer in Bedford.
Happy to get small items and air-mail them over.
Peter
getting back to the original post, if I remember correctly, the reason to remove the nipple is so the frame cross member directly below it doesn't shear it off at full suspension extension.
ptschram
Well-known member
rovercanus said:
Me too, had a set of them last exactly 96 miles before they disintegrated. I took the pieces back to Napa in a zip-lock baggie and got my money back.
I only use American-made Precision universal joints.
Peter-you'd damned well better be stopping to visit me when you drive past!
ptschram said:Peter-you'd damned well better be stopping to visit me when you drive past!
We will be booking flights tonight, 18th August we fly to Chicago then drive up to Cadillac, 19th 20th and maybe 21st we are at the Buckley MI show, then we trickle our way down to Muncie IN over a couple of days, with a diversion to some place I can't pronounce! Churu-something or other?
Portland IN show is 25th to 29th August, we fly out on the 28th to go back home, broke but happy
Did the CD's turn up OK?
Peter
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ptschram said:
Never had U/J failures in that time-span, generally hardly any at all over the years, apart from a couple where there were obvious assembly problems, usually a needle dropping into the middle of the cup and getting squashed.
We buy the Precision Centering bearing for the DII front shaft.
I know that Britpart have some 'unusual' suppliers for the fast-moving stuff, which we try and avoid when buying.
Peter
adriatic04 said:
Will it go hand luggage?
We already have a large 'King-Dick' double open-ended spanner for the Charity Auction at Portland, and SWMBO also brings some English china for the ladies to bid for also, so space might be limited!
'King-Dick' is a genuine English spanner (wrench) brand, promise!
Peter
ptschram
Well-known member
listerdiesel said:
My Disco used to eat front driveshafts for breakfast, never did figure out why, it wasn't lifted that much.
LOL, years ago, I was in the clutch and driveshaft shop and asked Sid the good ol' boy who did the u-joints if I could watch as I wanted to make sure I was doing it right.
After watching him he asked me if I did it the same way and I responded that I was a whole lot more gentle and didn't beat the everloving shit out of the u-joints. He laughed and asked if I wanted to estimate the force of running versus assembly!
I've found (even moreso since I started buying directly from the UK) that quality can range widely.
I knew the great- grandson of the guy who started Precision-met him while I was in college. His great grandfather told cool stories about Henry Ford, Arthur Chevrolet, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. Then again, the stories I could tell about the grandson "would burn off both your little ears"!
roverMc said:
You're a bit late to the party.
You can read the original response at the top of the thread if you wish
Peter