Found out what strange noise was......

[hammersley]

Check your U joints. I developed a terrible noise about 70 mph but couldn't think it could be U joints as I just had the silicone between the transmission and the T case fail and cause me to start throwing transmission oil all under the rig including the wheel wells. When the T case was out I had all the seals replaced. I assumed the service tech would notice a problem with the U joints since he had the T case out - but no such luck. It turns out that one of my bearing end caps on the U joint was busted - the bearings were falling out. I thought I was having a tire separation problem so I took the rig to Les Schwaub and one of the tech's went with me for a ride, and he didn't think it was a tire. We pulled over and he looked underneath and sure enough he saw the problem. Mind you this was 5:15 PM and by the time we got back to the store it was 5:40. We got her apart and fixed within an hour! This is a POS U JOINT from the factory! Check them! My truck has 97,000 and the slip yoke U joint was not bad but broken! Replaced both with HD U joints from Baxter Automotive here in Portland. I can't believe the cheap ones that came standard.

 

[beaverbeliever]

?????

I had my driveline balanced a few months back at a driveline shop and asked them to replace the joints while it was out. They told me that they were in great shape and that they were a good ujoint and normally go for 100k + (had 45k at the time). They could have sold me replacements but didn't. Now I'm confused... .

 

[hammersley]

Poor Quality?

Well my originals almost made 100,000, but in trying to do that I almost had a catastrophic failure! I've never had a U-Joint fall apart like this one, and they were maintained. It didn't gradually get worn out and then sloppy - It Failed! That's what I call a crummy piece of gear. What year is your truck? And who knows - maybe your u-joints are great and different from the ones I had originally.

 

[beaverbeliever]

Mines a 99 4X4. Actually the more I think about it if I get 100K out of mine I guess that's not asking too much as much as I tow. Do you do some serious towing?

 

[Steve Campbell]

I am wondering...

if the cross has a hole through the middle of it like the greesable type? If so, I could take the two "easy to get at" caps off and add some extra grease. I guess I was making an assumption that these failures were grease related at approx. 100,000mi.



Check it out, 500 posts. Hopefully, now I belong to some kind of club.

 

[TowPro]

Re: ?????

any chance when they had the transfer case out they damaged this "U" joint? was it in the Shaft side that went bad or the Yoke side? I have never seen a Ujoint come apart as you have discribed, short of somebody not seating it into the yoke correct, then trying to "draw" it in using air tools.



Anyway, Hammersley I will say "hi" to the mountians for you this weekend, I will be in Crossfork, and Sproal for the weekend with the new (used) slidin camper. Don't think I will get down to "Jeff's", I will be on the wrong side of the mountian.

Originally posted by beaverbeliever

I had my driveline balanced a few months back at a driveline shop and asked them to replace the joints while it was out. They told me that they were in great shape and that they were a good ujoint and normally go for 100k + (had 45k at the time). They could have sold me replacements but didn't. Now I'm confused... .

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

lost a ujoint and the cv on the front driveline. Both at 110k. No problems with the rear to date. I think I will replace it with a hd just to make sure.



P. S. I just lost my front axel seal at 130k. Im looking forward to that bill. woo hoo. Anymore I celebrate when something breaks. I go out and get a case of moosehead and invite some friends over. It means I get to replace whatever broke with some tricked out aftermarket component.

 

[hammersley]

Starting to put two an two together.

In my post I mentioned that I had a leak between the t case and the transmission, and that it was throwing transmission fluid all over the place, and that is why I went in to the dealer and had the silicone seal and all the t case seals, as well as the output on teh transmission replaced. TowPro asked if perhaps they damaged the ujointd when the did this work. Well here's my thinking.



When I was driving down from Seattle last week, I noticed that I had developed a terrible noise and vibration. I slowed down a bit, but the vibration was still there. When I got off the freeway, to check things out and get some food, I discovered the transmission fluid. When I took into the dealers, I noticed they mentioned that while these seals sometimes leak, they never saw one blow out like this - WELL - I think I've connected teh dots!



I think the U Joint was bad and the vibration caused the silicone seal to go out! JMO



TowPro - Cross Forks was a great place that I use to go to when growing up in North Central PA - but that was 40+ years ago. Fished all over that country. Tell me, can one enjoy the woods today with the "scare" of Lyme Disease?



Have a great time up there. I have my foundest childhood memories of spending time up in that country.

 

[Joe Mc]

Who's are the best?

All this talk about "U" joints is making me nervous - going to Grand Canyon the 4th. Got 95k on the truck not sure if they are original or not. Either they are or have been replaced with stock type - no zerks.



So who's are the best Moog, TRW ???



99 4x4 auto QC 8' bed

 

[hammersley]

Use These ones

Simply the best: Precision U-Joints



http://www.federal-mogul.com/precision/overview.html

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"I've never had a U-Joint fall apart like this one, and they were maintained. "





UMMmmm - exactly HOW do you "maintain" a greasless U-joint?



Do ya take 'em apart every few thousand miles and manually repack them?



The ones in my '91 are the originals, have nearly 120,000 miles of serious use on them, and have NEVER been touched or unusually "maintained"...

 

[hammersley]

The one that went bad had zerks!!!!

Believe it or not - the ones that were on my truck that went bad had zerks - and they were greased every 5,000 miles.

 

[merryman]

I have trouble faulting U joints that "only" go about 100K????? What should one expect?

I sold my last truck with 126K and had had no U joint (or any drive line problems)

I consider that darned good service.

Present truck (01) has only 42K, and I have yet to experience any problem of any sort. Both this and last truck used regularly to tow an 11. 5K fiver.





Vaughn

 

[Deezul1]

155,000 so far with no service on U joints.

 

[fj40charles]

I think Spicer u-joints would be about the best. They offer a heavy duty u-joint, but don't know if they make them for the 1410 flanges. I know they make them for the outer stub axle on the Dana 60 axles on the GM and Dodge front axles with lockout hubs.



Are the u-joints on the driveshaft made by spicer?



Charles

 

[Steve Campbell]

On my last 4x4...

(A GMC-almost hate to admit it now) I changed the last factory joint out at 243,000 miles. I was happy with that. Of course I had changed the front wheel joints 2 times in that same mileage.