Questions running threw my head..

[JLEONARD]

To put the fitting in compression means that you have to figure which direction the joint turns and which side is the driving sid

That means that some of you guys have seen many u joint cross failures that are attributable to this fact? Or is this theory that is possibly insignificant?

Or was it a fatigue failure that would have happened anyway?

I personally have never seen this type of failure, but I don't work on big high hp trucks very often.

My son, who is in the general auto repair business has never seen this type of failure.

Also... a non-greasable u joint should yield a good service life if it is made properly. I've always gotten 100K + out of them.

Jay

 

[boatpuller]

The only times I have seen this type of failure is on high HP drag cars, I would agree that on our trucks we will usually just wear out the joint/or fatigue. Not instantaneous destruction.



Caleb

 

[MMiller]

In the failures with ujoints I experience, usually the needles get crushed into oblivion. This usually happens from dropping the clutch or spinning the tires and catching traction. On drive shafts I don't usually have cross problems unless the ujoint is too small for the application, ie standard 1970's 3/4 ton ujoints(dodge) in my modified 440 truck(4spd) with the t-case in low side hooked to the sled, or the same truck with a dana 44 front. It was just a ticking time bomb. The last time I did joints in my 93, they weren't junk yet, but the needles had actually worn grooves in to the cross(on the compression side)! No torque being made there. I agree the non greasable are slightly stronger, but when I am in the dirt, water, etc I need to grease them to keep them alive. I have never had a cross problem in my 93. But I am not making the high hp some are.



Michael

 

[sparks57]

Originally posted by boatpuller

The only times I have seen this type of failure is on high HP drag cars, I would agree that on our trucks we will usually just wear out the joint/or fatigue. Not instantaneous destruction.



Caleb

You ever seen a sled pull man? :-laf

 

[dpuckett]

I think he is refering to SANE use of our pickups.



BTW- this puts my count in the quadruple digits.

 

[boatpuller]

Haven't seen one yet but hope to see one this summer, I was refering to those of us that use our trucks on the street.

 

[sparks57]

I know... just giving ya crap man.



Sane use??? Who ever said I was SANE???? :-laf



You just wait...

 

[Greenleaf]

I was thinking again... ... ... ... .



I believe what somebody was trying to say was this; the zerk fitting is installed pointing to-wards the center of the drive shaft tube.



Looking closely at a cross, one will notice that the zerk is not drilled in the center of said cross, but rather at a very slight angle. The zerk then appears to lean in one direction. Make sure that the direction it is leaning is in the direction of the center of the tube.



Some joints have the fitting in the cap while others have the fitting in the center on the cross aka the side. These have 90* zerks so as to enable the gun fitting aka coupling to be placed onto the zerk.



I must end..... left a bus running in the shop and now filling the office with smoke and fumes>>>>>>



Auck! Gag! Caugh!! *$%@^&&*&$^%$

 

[bgilbert]

Well all, I'm leaning towards the non-greaseable spicer u-joint. Still trying to figure out what series is correct so I can have a heads up when I go to Napa or whomever sells the spicer u-joints. ? I've heard 1310 and 7260 now..... ? Always like to have the heads up before calling or showing up at the parts store. . Thanks, Bill

 

[boatpuller]

Greenleaf,

That wasn't what I was trying to say, looking at the cross like you say, 2 of the arms are attatched to the drivingside and 2 are attatched to the driven side, when you install the cross you want the zerk to be between the drive and driven side in compression when the truck is going forward, when the truck is in reverse the hole that the zerk is in is trying to be pulled apart.



Let's say that we are looking at the cross formed by the ujoint on the back of the transmission from the rear, when the truck goes forward the cross will be turning counter clockwise, if the arms of the cross attatched to the transmission yoke(drive side) are at 9 and 3 on the clock and the arms attatched to the driveshaft(driven side) are at 12 and 6 we should install the joint so that the zerks are at 1:30 or 7:30, that will put them in compression when the truck is going forward.



Hope this explanation is easier to understand,

Caleb

 

[dpuckett]

Second explanation was MUCH more comprehendable.



-DP

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Hey Dan,



I just caught up on this thread/topic... . been a tad busy. . sorry. .

I have some brand new spicer universals around here somewere, I'll try to dig them out and pull a number off them for you.

They were the "high end" unit when I went to get them. They had some distinctive color seals to differentiate them from the "regular" ones...



Bob.

 

[boatpuller]

Like I said not to good with words but if I could take a pencil and draw you a picture it would be easy.

Glad I was able to make it understandable.



Caleb

 

[JLEONARD]

A note about the cross in u joints... .

We use them and test them in out steering intermediate shafts... actually we test them to death and then some... much more severely than they would ever see in a vehicle.

I'm sure the driveline U joint guys do too...

I have never seen a cross failure...

Our yoke ears break and twist up, bearings break (they don't dry out), shafts break... but the crosses don't.

The cross should not be the weak link in semi normal use.

Jay

 

[bgilbert]

BUSH!!!! Wheres that part number for those high end spicer u-joints????? Did u buy greaseable or non? Bill

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Ahhhh crap... . ok hold on, I'm going out to the truck in my scooby PJ's... ...



PB. .

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Ok here ya go... .



Spicer 5-160X is the number on the box... . sorry for the wait. .



pb.

 

[MidwestMotorman]

It is unusual for the cross to break, unless someome used dime-store junk ujoints. The only time that I have witnessed a break was on a sled pulling truck. I once broke both rear yokes (rear t-case yoke and rear axle pinion yoke) instead of the ujoints when my rear carrier siezed on my 76 W100

 

[bgilbert]

(Spicer 5-160X is the number on the box... . sorry for the wait. . ) Bob are these nongreaseable? I hope so. . Bill

 

[bgilbert]

Searched the net and seems like the Spicer 5-160x corresponds to a 1410 series u-joint. ? Still would like to know for sure. Plus havent found out if this is the # for greas or non. ? Bill