U-joint

[PO51]

I'm quickly putting my 28 open pickup together to trailer down to church for a trunk or treat event, How do you grease the U joint mine does not have a zert fitting on the clam shell cover that encloses the u joint, I'm only going to drive it about 1 mile before it get dis assembled again.

[P.S.]

Without the grease fitting on the clamshell, I don't know how you could grease it except through the speedometer gear hole with the speedo gear drive removed. You would have to pump a LOT of grease in there to get it to the U-joint. Tom Wessenberg greases the U-joint well before ever putting the rear end in the car. That's excellent advice.

[Tom Endy]

The grease fitting for the U-joint is usually found on the lower right side of the transmission rear bearing retainer.

Tom Endy

[PO51]

OK I found the parts and in the inner half sphere theren is about a 5/8 hole is there a zert fitting that goes in there or do you just pump the grease in through the hole? If it is just a hole how does the grease stay in?

[racingrufus]

Mine has the grease fitting, how many pumps should you pump into it.

[Joe K]

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If yours is the earlier style "ring" type universal, grease is essential as the ring unit has not bushings or bearings. I've packed mine by hand with good gobs of grease during assembly as I don't have zerks on my covers.

Later OEM and aftermarket "clevis" type universals (made probably by Dana-Spicer then and now - they've got the market almost all to themselves) are not needful of grease as they come pre-lubricated. Some of these type universals targeted at open drive trains DO have zerks (usually at the apex of the cross) but a lot don't and even in open drivetrains are usually designed to last the life of a car (although I have NEVER owned a car that did not need a universal joint sometime in it's life.)

Still, I would give the model A clevis type a good all over coating of grease before I put my axle together simply to prevent corrosion on a part that might otherwise be subject to captured/entrained water picked up from the road.

Joe K

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by PO51

OK I found the parts and in the inner half sphere theren is about a 5/8 hole is there a zert fitting that goes in there or do you just pump the grease in through the hole? If it is just a hole how does the grease stay in?

The inner half sphere is what the driveshaft housing pushes against to move the car forward. It needs to be kept well greased as the driveline is bouncing up and down over each bump in the road. It's the outer cast housing, which fits over the bell on the front of the driveshaft, that has the grease zerk, or should have one.

I remove the two bolts holding the speedometer gear and pump grease in the zerk until it comes out the speedometer gear opening, It may well take a full tube of grease to make this happen. I use the original grease gun and had to refill it between 10 and 12 times before grease showed at the speedometer opening.

[Allanw]

I spent Sunday afternoon on my back under the car filling an empty UJ housing... I kept going until I thought my arms were going to fall off.

It's still not coming out the speedo opening.

I hope my arms have recovered by next weekend - I'm tempted to order a pneumatic grease gun

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Allanw

... I'm tempted to order a pneumatic grease gun

Amazon $75

[PO51]

Can I put lots of grease around the U joint before I connect it to the driveshaft? I'm installing engine and trans into a rolling frame before the cab goes on.

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by Allanw

I spent Sunday afternoon on my back under the car filling an empty UJ housing... I kept going until I thought my arms were going to fall off.

It's still not coming out the speedo opening.

I hope my arms have recovered by next weekend - I'm tempted to order a pneumatic grease gun

If your transmission doesn't have a sealed rear bearing, you could be pumping the transmission full of heavy grease. Just a thought. Its best to pack the area around the U joint with grease when it is installed.

[Mitch//pa]

i have the same gun carl posted a pic of.. it works great

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by PO51

Can I put lots of grease around the U joint before I connect it to the driveshaft? I'm installing engine and trans into a rolling frame before the cab goes on.

Yes you can. I put almost a full tube in this one before I installed the tranny.

BTW, I always place the 2 holes in the inner cap shown in the second picture at 9 and 3.

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

BTW, I always place the 2 holes in the inner cap shown in the second picture at 9 and 3.

And depending on the production year of your half sphere/clamshells - you may not have a choice.

Joe K

[Allanw]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

If your transmission doesn't have a sealed rear bearing, you could be pumping the transmission full of heavy grease. Just a thought. Its best to pack the area around the U joint with grease when it is installed.

Yeah.. nah - it's a sealed one!

I put in some while assembling, but didn't want to make it too messy or cover it with crud while assembling.

Now I just have to deal with "Grease Gun Arm"

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Allanw

...Now I just have to deal with "Grease Gun Arm"

See post #9

[beechboy]

If you don't have a zerk, can you drill and tap the housing and install a zerk?

Thanks

[Garychinook]

H.
Ii guys,
Certainly new to the model A thing and not new to automotive. So I thought the ujoint was lubed by trans lube draining back and around the ujoint. I don't get how packing grease all around the outside of the ujoint lubes it.
Is there a modern sealed ujoint that is available to install in the driveshaft to eliminate the issue?

Gary

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by beechboy

If you don't have a zerk, can you drill and tap the housing and install a zerk?

Thanks

If your bearing retainer doesn't have the zerk, then feel around for the hole for the zerk. I haven't seen one without the grease zerk or at least the hole for one. If you need original parts give Bert's a call. Bert's 800-321-1931

Gary, that red grease isn't just packed around the joint. It's packed solid and will also get some tranny oil over time. Remember greasing is needed for the bell as well as the U-joint. The grease also lubes the speedometer drive gear.

[Joe K]

Certainly new to the model A thing and not new to automotive. So I thought the ujoint was lubed by trans lube draining back and around the ujoint. I don't get how packing grease all around the outside of the ujoint lubes it.

Is there a modern sealed ujoint that is available to install in the driveshaft to eliminate the issue?

The original U joint for the Model A was a so called "ring U-joint." With no actual bearings that could be changed, these WERE lubricated with gobs of grease.

Along about 1930 or so, Ford changed over to the so called "yoke" U-joint which is two yokes and a cross more in the modern pattern. (The change over is documented in the Service Bulletins IIRC) These were originally self lubricated for life - but Ford continued to put gobs of grease into the U-joint housing for reason that Tom explained (lubrication of what is essentially a ball & socket joint - and whereby the entire rear axle is allowed to move relative to the frame/body.)

Spicer (now Dana-Spicer) was the originator of this yoke pattern of U joint. And in the 80 years since then nobody has really come up with a better U-joint solution and competed with them. Well, maybe the invention of the Rzeppa CV joint or it's variants? (A universal joint is NOT a cv joint)

Its probable that with the U-joint change Ford cut back on the amount of gob that they put into the U-joint housing - but nobody really knows.

I do know that on other vehicles today the yoke type joint is totally exposed to the weather and road dirt - and since they're life lubricated and sealed (mostly) they last the life of your car - or should. Although as I indicated above it seems like EVERY car I own eventually ends up with a new U-joint. But I'm kind of frugal and keep my cars a long time.

The original oil sealing arrangement in the back of the Model A 3 speed transmission is a "slinger plate" which is actually more of an oil shield. Some mixing of the transmission oil with the U-joint grease was likely to occur - but we're talking about a car and an age when 5000 miles was a LOT of miles to drive in a year. Nobody really gave it much thought. And if they thought about it at all, they simply topped off the transmission and repacked the U-joint when that ring type arrangement wore out (with no bushings or bearings, the ring type is a flawed design - but as flawed as it is many have survived. Good gobs of grease I guess?)

Most restorers of the 3 speed transmission use a "sealed & lubricated for life" bearing in the back shaft of the tranny. This removes the bearing from lubrication by the transmission oil - but also keeps the bearing cleaner - dirt is what kills bearings. And the rear bearing seal double duties and keeps the transmission oil IN the transmission - and likewise the grease IN the universal joint.

The best U-joint to buy is the modern Dana-Spicer type. Today that is all that is available anyway.

Edit: Tom, I don't think my lower clamshell has a grease zerk. The upper has the finger - but I don't seem to remember any place in the lower to put grease. The sphere does have the two holes and I believe it's all the unevenly spaced bolting. So it's not likely to be assembled incorrectly.

I'll confirm this this weekend.

Joe K