transmission, universal joint ? oiling discussion

[old ugly]

as per ford service, that states,
"the universal joint is housed in a globular member, which is filled with lubricant to provide OILING of the moving parts."

there is a grease fitting that the lubrication charts say is for the universal joint.

the globular housing is fairly large inside if it were to be full of grease it would take almost a full tube.

on disassembly of these torque tube housings oil seems to always run out.

with the steering box grease is not supposed to be used as it will squish away from the gears which would happen to the universal joint as well, i would guess.

the inner housing ball side holes and the end hole where the universal exits are higher than the tranny fill holes, which to me would indicate that that chamber is supposed to be full of oil, not grease

ok here is the short of it.
why is it suggest that a one sided shielded rear bearing should be used on the main shaft?
is the universal supposed to run in oil? or grease?

[Patrick L.]

If original the clamshell is filled with grease, 1 14.5 oz tube. remove speedo drive and pump grease into cavity until it is seen at the drive. Again, 1 14.5 oz tube. Because the rear transmitter bearing is not sealed trans oil will migrate into the clamshell and mix with the grease. Precaution, if too much grease is pumped into the cavity it will just migrate into the trans which isn't a good thing.

If a sealed rear trans bearing is installed then its up to the grease to do all the work. So some guys use a 'sloppy' grease such as Corn Head grease.

[old ugly]

Originally Posted by Patrick L.

If original the clamshell is filled with grease, 1 14.5 oz tube. remove speedo drive and pump grease into cavity until it is seen at the drive. Again, 1 14.5 oz tube. Because the rear transmitter bearing is not sealed trans oil will migrate into the clamshell and mix with the grease. Precaution, if too much grease is pumped into the cavity it will just migrate into the trans which isn't a good thing.

If a sealed rear trans bearing is installed then its up to the grease to do all the work. So some guys use a 'sloppy' grease such as Corn Head grease.

i guess with the standard oem non-shielded bearing, on a regular maintenance schedule and over time that area would end up with a sloppy oil/grease mixture that would be thin enough to properly lubricate the u-joint.
and
maybe the inner bearing shield would stop the grease from entering the transmission.
makes sense.

on that note. i am wondering, what is the advantage of the one sided shielded bearing?

ou

[Werner]

I installed sealing lip bearings in the front and rear of the transmission so that people wouldn't always show where I parked due to oily oil sludge. That's why I also installed the universal cardan casing with much silicone-sealant.

Dry!

[chrs1961815]

I like the John Deere cornhead grease for the universal. The problem with using regular grease is the u joint just whips it to the sides. The cornhead stuff behaves more like oil during a heat cycle and that allows it to stay in place more.

[ursus]

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I have to wonder if regular CV Joint lubricant could work well in the U-joint. Is usually an "O" or "OO" rated lubricant and appears to behave much like the cornhead grease.

[old ugly]

Originally Posted by Werner

I installed sealing lip bearings in the front and rear of the transmission so that people wouldn't always show where I parked due to oily oil sludge. That's why I also installed the universal cardan casing with much silicone-sealant.

Dry!

dry is nice.

what type of lubricant for the universal do you use in there?

ou

[old ugly]

if transmission oil comes in contact with the cornhead grease do they mix together ?

ou

[old ugly]

Originally Posted by chrs1961815

I like the John Deere cornhead grease for the universal. The problem with using regular grease is the u joint just whips it to the sides. The cornhead stuff behaves more like oil during a heat cycle and that allows it to stay in place more.

i like that idea. im having a tuff time finding it locally.

thanks
ou

[ursus]

Originally Posted by old ugly

if transmission oil comes in contact with the cornhead grease do they mix together ?

ou

JD Cornhead grease is a synthetic polyurea type lubricant. The charts show it to be incompatible with the typical petroleum derived grease products so it may not be compatible with the 600W that many folks use in the transmission. But, if you are running straight STP it may be OK.

[Bob Bidonde]

After restoring the car, who has had a u-joint fail because of the lack of lubrication?

[rotorwrench]

Ford originally called out a lubricant that was gear oil mixed with soda soap. The soda soap is still used in sodium based greases as the binder for the oil to give it lubricity. Mix the oil and grease and a person has a semi-fluid lubricant that doesn't flow as easy as straight gear oil but well enough to lubricate the bushings in the U-joint.

The John Deere corn head gearbox grease was designed to do the same thing for a complex gearbox that would otherwise leak more than they desired.

The model A transmission has a baffle for the rear main shaft bearing that does a pretty good job of minimizing oil leakage as long as the transmission isn't overfilled with lubricant. A bit of oil seepage shouldn't affect the U-joint lubricant all that much. Some folks leave the rear seal in the bearing if they purchase the late type SKF bearings during overhaul and that would further slow any tendency toward seepage.

[old ugly]

Originally Posted by ursus

JD Cornhead grease is a synthetic polyurea type lubricant. The charts show it to be incompatible with the typical petroleum derived grease products so it may not be compatible with the 600W that many folks use in the transmission. But, if you are running straight STP it may be OK.

i have used STP in the steering box.
question?
do folks run straight STP in the transmission?

good discussion here thanks all.
ou

[Patrick L.]

Originally Posted by old ugly

i have used STP in the steering box.
question?
do folks run straight STP in the transmission?

good discussion here thanks all.
ou

I have found that enough transmitter oil gets back into the clamshell to make just the right viscosity goop.

As to your question of STP, I've never been a fan even when Studebaker owned it and we had to push the stuff. It really has no lubrication qualities, but, there are some that do use it in the transmitters.

[Werner]

Originally Posted by old ugly

dry is nice.

what type of lubricant for the universal do you use in there?

ou

I use (only!) for this universal joint a thin mineral grease (gear fluid grease NLGI 00) to which I add some MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide).



Addition to # 4: I also sealed the screw connection on the speedometer drive with plenty of silicone sealant.

[GeneBob]

By the description of the cornhead grease, could you put this into the steering box to reduce leakage?

[Patrick L.]

Originally Posted by GeneBob

By the description of the cornhead grease, could you put this into the steering box to reduce leakage?

Some have.