2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission OK - again U Joints going south - HELP - I Need RTEALLY HD Ones.....

[hammersley]

Ok so I have over 450 HP and 900 ft lbs at the rear wheels... . and over 325,000 miles - BUT I've replaced 5 sets of u-joints - main driveline. Does somebosy make some better REALLY HD Ones?????

 

[bmoeller]

What have you been using?

What kind of grease and how often does it get done?

My '99 is on its 2nd set, and the '97 still has the OEM joints.

 

[DIESELWRKS]

check out the options here. Home also since you have replace them that many times is there a particular order they have failed. that may lead to something else.

 

[DGamelin]

I use spicer, you have to clearance the yoke a little to get them in an 04.



_________________________

93 250 2wd xc 354 auto 270k

04. 5 3500 4wd qc dully 373 6speed 94k

 

[David411]

is your driveshaft properly balanced?

 

[SRath]

Are you re-using the u-joint yoke straps and bolts? You should not. They are designed to stretch once.

 

[hammersley]

1. Is your driveshaft properly balanced? Not sure - but I can always tell when the U Joints are going out as I get a vibration above 70..... when I have new U Joints there is none that I can feel. There is a driveline service company here in Portland - what's involved in checking it out... ... also is there anyway to install larger U Joints... I mean the yoke at the rear end lookd like a problem to change.



2. The Yoke bolts - they have never been changed - are they easy to find?



3. Niot sure what grease I use at the moment - what is the best?

 

[SRath]

What tends to happen when you reuse the straps and bolts (which any good driveline/axle/driveshaft shop should have and cost only $6 per kit for genuine Spicer), is the u-joint caps begin to spin in the yoke and soon the u-joint is hammering the yoke centering ears apart, too (Dana 80). Once the yoke is worn to where the u-joint no longer fits extremely tight, it will eat u-joints like candy, and do it faster each time as the wear increases.



I just went through all of this on my Dodge, so I'm speaking from expensive experience and this info is straight from the excellent driveshaft/axle shop we have locally. In my case, the transmission shop that fixed my 5th gear nut re-used the old straps and bolts. It held together for over a year, but those already-stretched bolts and straps allowed my u-joint caps to spin and wear the u-joint saddles in the yokes, then they started slopping side-to-side, too, until one of the the rear yoke's "centering ears" or whatever you want to call it, actually cracked. I had to wire-wheel and look real close to find that.



It is all a big snowball. Once the stretched straps and bolts let the caps spin, they wear the yokes. Once the yokes wear, they allow the u-joint to hammer side-to-side. Once they can move even slightly off center, they throw the whole massive (rear) driveshaft off-balance, which in turn trashes everything even faster. If left to go long enough, it will cause pinion bearings and transmission/t-case/carrier bearings to fail, too.



If you put in new u-joints, or even on the ones you have now, make a mark of some sort on the u-joint caps in relation to the yoke. Drive awhile and check the marks. The caps should never spin or move even a fraction. Nor should it have ANY side-to-side slop in the yoke.

 

[Hammer]

I am in agreement with Scott on this one... .



The u-joint straps and bolts are ALWAYS overlooked when one does the drivesshaft u-joints. They should NOT be reused at all and new ones should be put into their place. I had the same issues with mine a few years ago and since then not a problems.



Another issue with failing u-joints is the torque load placed on them when we modify the trucks. You should ALWAYS use the best joint as when you go cheap they will fail alot sooner. Also its not reccomended to use a greasable joint and they tend to fail the fastest. I use nothing but non-greasable Spicer joints in both my front and rear driveshafts. I also rid myself of the CV joint in my front driveshaft and went to 1410 Spicer joints up front and a moly driveshaft.



I had my first set(the factory ones)wear out at around 95k and this set has been in ever since and I am now at 220k. I will probably drop the driveshafts in the spring,look them over and if the joints show wear I will do them just to prevent any issues from popping up... ... . Andy

 

[fest3er]

I will try to remember this advice if I ever replace my D/S ujoints. The front D/S was out-of-balance or out-of-round from the factory and replaced early on. Since then, I've never touched the D/S ujoints; they're original at 260K miles. Of course my anemic slug of a truck (which, BTW, has been known to leave a slimy trail behind it on occasion), doesn't have the power to break stuff, so ujoints should last longer.

Now if I could just find a quality, long-lasting ujoint for the front axles, I'd be a little happier.

 

[SRath]

That's odd to have axle shaft u-joint problems, Neal. I'm in complete agreement with Andy about the sealed-for-life non-greaseable Spicer u-joints being the best ones for the money. There are $300 u-joints out there for really gonzo rigs and wallets, but I know nothing more about them than I cannot afford them.

I did let the local Spicer dealer/driveline shop manager talk me into trying Spicer greaseable joints with Amsoil synthetic grease in my rear shaft this time. I have non-greaseable Spicers in the front. We'll see which last longer, though the front definitely should given less use, so it will be a real challenge for the rear.

Of all the moving parts in my entire frontend and driveshafts, Neal, the ONLY parts still in good shape when i rebuilt everything (but replaced anyway) were the factory Spicer axle shaft u-joints.

 

[JMcCoy]

There are u-joints out there (I can't remember the manufacturer) that are greasable through the cap ends. This is supposed to make them easier to grease and are stronger, due to the lack of hole drilled into the u-joint body. I installed them on my swamp buggy over a year ago. Not many miles, but so far so good. Good luck.

 

[WestTN]

You really need the solid non-greaseable ones. They are stronger because they are not drilled. I learned that on my old '89.

 

[Thumper]

I wonder if we can get yokes that use the u-bolt instead of the strap.

 

[JMcCoy]

That is why they drill into the cap's end. Caps rarely break, unless the body breaks and smashes into the cap. Unless you are competition pulling or mudding, there are other problems causing U-joint wear. As mentioned before: bolts/straps, driveline angles, yokes. If the carrier bearing is bad, it might shake things up a bit. I would also get your driveshafts re-balanced. I prefer greasable u-joints. I live where there is a lot of water and mud. I have broken many u-joints. All were dry and rusted on the inside. Let us know what yours looks like on the inside. Good luck

 

[DMcLeod]

The shop manual says to mark the driveshaft to yoke mounting before dissassembly so you can install it the same. I'm wondering how important this is, and if the reason is to keep things balanced. If a guy has had his driveshaft out a few times with no regard to this marking/alignment, should he get things rebalanced at a driveline shop? Do they balance the whole driveline on the truck, or do they just balance individual components such as the driveshaft? Not trying to hijack, here, but could be that imbalance leads to premature failure of ujoints. I've got some new vibrations after clutch replacement that I'm wondering might be due to driveline imbalance. I've got 165k miles on stock ujoints.

 

[24Vpirate]

I wonder if we can get yokes that use the u-bolt instead of the strap.

nope you have to do it yourself. i have a shop locally that does them for me. get rid of the straps and go 3/8 u-bolts. to do it right you need to drill off set to the strap holes. when done right you will see some of the old strap threads in the holes then mill flat the new lock waser and nut seat. install u-bolts and dont look back at those cheese d**k straps and 1/4 inch bolts. 900 lb/ft tq and 1/4 inch bolts dumb.

 

[Thumper]

Never been a fan of those straps either. I built a off road buggy out of a 1st gen truck and he is having a lot of problems wit the straps loosening on it. Put new straps in but the yoke is probably worn out now. I think I will try to modify the yoke for u bolts.

 

[Joe Mc]

I wonder if we can get yokes that use the u-bolt instead of the strap.

Yes - see permalink #8 for all the pictures https://www.turbodieselregister.com...oint-straps-converted-u-bolt.html#post2092559

As far as having the shaft balanced: assuming your QC has an 8' bed - there's a two pice shaft and a carrier bearing, best bet is to take the truck in to the shop and let them R & R it. Tell them to check the carrier bearing, if it's bad make sure they have the correct replacement in stock before you have them balance the shafts, otherwise it'll all have to coem out again once teh new carrier bearing arrives (if needed). They put the shaft in a shaft balancing piece of equipment (almost like a lathe) depending on the size of the equipment they can mount the carrier bearing on the equip to spin the whole shaft (both pieces connected) or do each individually. Once determined the shaft is straight, they'll figure how much weight is needed and where - then they'll weld it to the shaft and check again. Almost like balancing tires.

I hope the link with the pictures and part box is helpful. All I did to get the u-bolts for mine was drive to the local parts house where a friend works and ask him to look up the size cup on my truck's joint, then see if he could find a set of U-Bolts like a frud uses that met the size cup on mine. I took the box with the two u-bolts outside and matched up to my truck. Looked like it would work so I went for it. Scariest part was drilling the holes where the stock strap bolts threaded into the yoke. Going slow with periodic shots of oil worked well to keep the bit cool and it worked like a charm.

 

[24Vpirate]

spicer part number for the u-bolts is 3-94-18x hope this helps. if you try to follow the strap holes you will be doing a s**t job. you will put the u bolts in a bind and pinch the u-joint cap doing more damage then good.