Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Adding zerk fittings to a stock ujoint bearing caps.

[Opz01]

After reading a few old threads on driveline u-joints I decided to buy new ones from Dodge and install grease zerk fittings in the center of the bearing caps before installing the new u-joint. Someone once told me that the body of the stock bearing was hollow like the ones that come with zerk fittings. (Which is where I got the impression that I would only have to do two caps 180 degrees apart for balance reasons per u-joint. ) As I found out this isn't true. It looks like it is, but the center does not go through to the other side. The hole is a little deeper than the bearing. This meant that I would need to put four grease zerks per u-joint right? So before drilling and tapping threads one needs to remove the bearings from each cap. To save time all eight bearing caps bearings where removed and ready for the drill press. To my dismay a push punch wouldn't leave an indentation for the . 040 drill bit to pick up. So I tooled the bearing onto the drill press with out a punch mark. This is when I discovered that the material the bearing cap was made from is actually harder than a cobalt drill. Sometimes these simple ideas just don't pan out…

Opie

 

[Whitmore]

If you want to put zerts into something... ... ... . go for the front end steering components, I did all of mine when the truck was new and everything is still tight.



Cheers , Kevin

 

[The patriot]

I did the fittings on the ball joints, problem was I was pretty intent on getting them in the center of the cap. Now that I did that, the upper joints are a major PITA to get grease into.

I got a special fitting for the grease gun, and it's a little easier, but still a PITA.

It would be easier if it wasnt a 4 wd.

Eric

 

[Opz01]

Originally posted by Whitmore

If you want to put zerts into something... ... ... . go for the front end steering components, I did all of mine when the truck was new and everything is still tight.



Cheers , Kevin

Trac bar too?

Recently I twisted a aftermarket driveline ujoint. It makes a distict driveline vibration when this happens!