Greasing the drive shaft - Issues?

[RobG4]

Hello all,

I am base lining a new-to-me Disco. Most of the items on my list I have never attempted before. I was greasing the drive shaft joints and have some questions about the results.

First off, is this normal/good for the grease to come seeping out of the rubber boot like this?

Second, when I started greasing the zerk on the front joint, grease immediately shot out of the tip of the zerk fitting. It seemed like the pressure was pretty high inside.

Last, when I started greasing the rear joint zerk fitting, black grease started shooting out of the joint ends:

Is any of this normal, abnormal, signs of impending doom?

 

[ERover82]

Pics not working. 1 and 3 are normal. New grease goes in, old grease comes out. Not sure what you mean in 2.

 

[DiscoPhoto]

haha damn... why do people always try to link to their personal mail account attachments. You need to upload to something like Imgur.com

 

[RobG4]

reposted pics

 

[RobG4]

haha damn... why do people always try to link to their personal mail account attachments. You need to upload to something like Imgur.com

Just lazy, thought it might work...it should be able to work like that

 

[ERover82]

#2 looks like the grease is going around the zerk instead of in. I deal with this problem too. It seems that many grease guns have difficulty sealing on to the small zerks our joints use. I often have to re-align the grease tip or press it in place while pumping.

 

[Keanan]

Press the grease gun on tight and hold it straight. Pump slowly. Go slow and keep pushing new stuff in until it comes out.

 

[K-rover]

Grease should not be coming out that side of the boot, It should be coming out the front- where the slip joint is built in.

 

[RobG4]

Grease should not be coming out that side of the boot, It should be coming out the front- where the slip joint is built in.

A little came out of the union where the shaft meets the fork that holds the universal(?), but a lot was coming out of that side of the rubber boot. Does this point to an issue I should look at?

 

[K-rover]

Personally I would take it to a driveline shop and have them rebuild it. They can also tell you if its too far gone.

When greasing the ujoints. You want to keep pumping grease into it until you get fresh grease coming out from all four seals of the U-joint.

When greasing the slip joint your basically filling the rubber boot with grease. Not a big deal here.

The main concern is getting fresh grease coming out of ALL sides of the U joint

 

[scottsdalerrc]

as was mentioned, grease comes out..thats a good thing, and normal. i've had trouble with some of the gun tips not fitting right and have to hold them on straight.
if you're baselining..take the DS to a local shop and have it balanced. then you'll sleep better at night.

 

[antichrist]

When the grease comes back out of the end of the zerk it means a combination of the zerk check valve not working and the u-joint being so clogged that you're pressurizing the channel right behind zerk and the only place it can go is back out the zerk.

 

[RobG4]

For U-joints I was able to get grease to come out 2 or 3 of the ends...but not all of them.

 

[K-rover]

For both U-joints I was able to get grease to come out 2 or 3 of the ends...but not all of them.

Sounds like a rebuild of all the joints is in order. Or a replacement shaft

 

[KyleT]

Tap the grease caps with a hammer lightly, that will help free up some flow in my experience. If not replace it or run it till it gets loosely goosey.

 

[Tugela]

Driveshaft u-joints can be replaced in one hour with standard tools and about $40 in parts. Look for Precision #344 u-joints. They can be had for $20 or less online. Once you rebuild it yourself, then take it to a driveline shop for balancing.

 

[DennyDoler]

Rob,
Come by the shop and ill give you a hand with it.

 

[RobG4]

Thanks Denny I will!

 

[kennith]

#2 looks like the grease is going around the zerk instead of in. I deal with this problem too. It seems that many grease guns have difficulty sealing on to the small zerks our joints use. I often have to re-align the grease tip or press it in place while pumping.

I absolutely hated greasing things until I picked up a Lincoln. It's probably not the best, but it's a damned sight better than what most people use.

A good gun goes a long way to keeping things easy, and the fittings included in the package seem to be quite a bit tighter. No leaks over here.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[ERover82]

Yeah I'm using a Lincoln too. Paid about $70 for it. Had problems getting it to seal on the zerk so I returned it and got another. Same problem. Replaced the zerks and it's a little better, but not much. For some reason my stupid $10 walmart gun seals just fine.