U-Joint Prepacking
 

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...g/6427464a.jpg

This is what it looks like to prepack a U-joint when you don't want to have to fill the cavity by using a grease gun. I was able to get the entire 14 oz. tube in, except for an inch at the bottom of the tube. I worked some heavy oil into the U-joint parts first, then packed it solid with grease.
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...g/112222e5.jpg

I then installed the steel cap with a gasket on each side of the flange and used some of the remaining grease to coat the cap.

Why is it that all the repro U-joint cover bolts have the holes for the castle nuts drilled about 2 threads to close to the head of the bolts?:confused:

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

I never took one apart that had thet much grease in it....

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

What would happen if one got TO MUCH GREASE in the U-joint cavity?

Pluck

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

With original bearing style it would move into the trans, lube the speedo cable, if you installed the "sealed" type of bearing it will find the path of least resistance --and get hot

A wheel bearing that is filled with grease can overheat, I have seen seals pushed out, grease on the brakes, heat marks on the bearings ---the hub was full, but the heat drained the grease from the bearing, but with the original type seals on the A (none)it would probably just push the excess out.

When I was installing the new spindle bearings on my crankshaft grinder it specified 4 grams per bearing --and some limited time no load run in.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Wow Tom, when you put it that way, it sure seems like a lot of grease!

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

That's what Mark had for me to use.

Pluck, as far as too much grease, this is how full I did my 28, except I used the original grease gun on the zerk and had to refill the gun about a dozen times, until the grease came out the speedometer gear opening. No Problem since I filled it 5 years ago.

It just drives me crazy to see dry parts that should be greased, such as all the brake rod pins, etc.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...g/AAUjoint.jpg

I've never seen a problem with too much grease, but I've seen plenty of wear from too little grease and oil. This was the U-joint on a 1930 AA and the splines of the U-joint were rusted tight with the driveshaft splines. Had to heat it red hot and beat it off with a hammer.:mad:

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

About all you can do now is run it on Ebay.
" this item is NOS showing some signs of shelf wear. We haven't tested it" :rolleyes:

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Tom, does your wife ever comment on your soft hands?

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Never been married, but I told Mark's wife, Val that since she lost her tube of lip moisturizer, she could use this Mystik JT-6 as a red lipstick and moisturizer. Two for the price of one!:D

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Did you consider Corn Head Grease?
Clem

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Tom,I am a fan of Mystik grease. Always used in my combines and tractors.
It is great for bearings but not so much for u-joints. I found that the spinning u-joint makes a grease cavity and limits the lube to the joint and will not migrate well to the driveshaft bearing. This is especially true with sealed transmission bearings.I use molly grease mixed with 600W so it just flows off a screwdriver. I will be switching to John Deere corn head grease when I tour as it is convenient. It is a flow able grease also.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

That u-joint is still good!

Red

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Kurt, I read your comment regarding this subject last week when I was on vacation in Florida and so traveling the 600 miles home I got to thinking about your statement again and what troubles me about that comment is this. How many "small-wheeled" trailers are out there that have
those Bearing Buddies on the hubs that actually pack the bearings full plus fill the cavity around the axle shaft where it is completely full of grease?

My experiences has been that these wheels/hubs generally spin very fast due to the small wheel size which should create severe overheating by their nature. I am also thinking that many of these wheel bearings would be "filled with grease" completely from inner to outer bearing when using that Bearing Buddy yet they do not seemingly overheat, --so what is the difference or what am I missing?

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Browsing the V8 forum I saw a post that was directed to the Model A section regarding U-joint lubrication. Sorry if I flip out on this post but it is about the craziest thing I have seen on this site.

This still seams to be a misunderstood part of the car because there have been numerous posts in the V8 section about proper u-joint lubrication. I assumed that the Model A guys had pretty much covered this topic and know that The u-joint is not greased in a conventional way and the grease fitting nipple is actually a nipple for a liquid lube gun. Properly lubed the u-joint requires a liquid lubricant, Ford called it "soda grease" which for various unknown reasons appears to be a slurry of used engine oil and powdered sulfur. This is a heavy liquid that best replicated with the 600W gear lube being marked by vendors today, others have had good luck using another low speed liquid lube John Deere tractor "corn head grease" . In any case the picture posted is the best example of the improper lubrication of a u-joint. The u-joint is liquid splash lubed and the liquid also provides the lubricant to the speedometer drive gear and the upper drive shaft roller bearing. Greases are not noted to be a flowing substance until the temperature escalates to a point where they have a degree viscosity. Usually to generate heat you need friction and if there is friction involved there is a lack of lubrication. This would mean that the u-joint was run dry and generated heat to cause the grease to flow, by that time the damage is started.

Clean out all that grease, make sure that you have a new torque tube driveshaft seal installed, a good set of clam shell gaskets and refill your u-joint with about 3-4oz. of 600W lube or similar and you should be good to go. This method will splash lube the u-joint in a constant bath of lubricant and perpetuate the u-joint life.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

The corn head grease is viscosity 0 based on urea ...just like the Chevron Multifak EP 0. I am trying Chevron Multifak EP 00 lithium based. The cornhead is not fluid until motion occurs so I am concerned about the "U" joint...that is a cavity forms around the spinning U joint. EP00 stays fluild all the time and if it does not leak out of the ball and socket (felt/corkseal) I think the thinner material is better....but I have not run the assembled ball and socket BUT I have packed the shaft bearing and speedo gear...holding great and does not drip(i have the torque tubeo pen and laying downward)the Multifax is waterproof ... avery modern long wear grease specific for bearings etc.

PS do not mix greases of different bases... that is do not mix urea with lithium etc.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

Brent, it is what I was taught in school, and from personal observation, the hubs packed full have little grease inside the actual bearing, and it is black, and smells burned, when I was talking to Storm Vulcan about replacing the spindle bearings on my crankshaft grinder I was cautioned about using too much grease ---that it would overheat.

So I googled timkin bearing lubrication --
http://www.timken.com/en-us/solution...n_Part1of3.pdf

Perhaps the bearing buddys allow grease movement, every thermal cycle the damaged grease is repleneshed with enough fresh grease to have acceptable life, and still I think the bearing life isn't the same, I don't know of many boat trailers that get hundreds of thousands of miles like a car, but I know of boat trailer owners that have had several wheel bearing failures on their trailer, but never on their car, Wal Mart has boat trailer bearing sets, but not car bearing sets --they deal in volume

My theroy on U-joint lube is that the grease is there to keep the leakage past the trans bearing in contact with the U-joint ---it fills the space, and helps seal the ball coupling. --I just keep filling the trans, pump a few strokes in the fitting for the ball socket seal

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

According to the lubrication chart in the original owner's manual, the U-joint gets lubed from a pressure grease gun. I have only used grease on all my U-joints and have yet to have one go bad.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

I was told by someone, that the trans fluid leaks into the u-joint cavity and mixes with the grease to become more fluid. All of the books and manuals that I have say to use grease on the u-joint.

Re: U-Joint Prepacking
 

What about the boat trailers that are used on the sport fishing circuit? These trailers carry boats upward of 3000 pounds for tens of thousands of miles and are subjected to being submerged in water over and over without any bearing failures using the bearing buddies. I fished this circuit several years and never had a competitor fail to make a tournament because of a failed wheel bearing. The boat and travel trailers that have bearing failures many times are because these trailers sit for sometimes months or years with little or no maintenance to the bearings. I would never own a trailer without these devices or at least repacking the bearings every time I pull my trailer any distance over 100 miles.
I do agree it looks like a lot of grease in the joint Tom is packing but, I also prepack Model A joints, just not to that extent.