The Ford Barn

ItsA31 · 09-18-2016, 02:12 PM

Does the transmission drain gear oil into the U-Joint housing enough to lube the U-Joint? Does the gear oil then drain backward to lube the driveshaft bearing?

If not, what type of lube have you been adding to the U-Joint housing? I hear some use grease, and some use gear oil.

Dollar Bill · 09-19-2016, 03:12 AM

If the transmission bearings are the original style then some oil will migrate into the clam shell and mix with the grease.

The engine & transmission are about 3 degrees off level so the gear oil won't run back into the transmission unless you leave it parked with the front wheels in a ditch.

Ford's original spec for universal joint grease was 600w thickened with sodium tallow soap (good luck finding that). Some prefer Corn Head Grease, others regular wheel bearing grease. IMHO, either will work just fine.

Steve Plucker · 09-19-2016, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsA31

Does the transmission drain gear oil into the U-Joint housing enough to lube the U-Joint? Does the gear oil then drain backward to lube the driveshaft bearing?

If not, what type of lube have you been adding to the U-Joint housing? I hear some use grease, and some use gear oil.

Where did you "hear" that "some use gear oil" in the U-joint housing?

Pluck

Kevin in NJ · 09-19-2016, 08:30 AM

Ford was fairly clever, or should I say he hired the best engineers.

The original oil was fairly thick and did not move as much as some as these substitutes we see today. A small amount would get past the slinger and trickle down into the U joint. The grease being packed around the U joint will keep the oil on the U joint. So it is likely the leaking oil is just as important for the lube of the U joint as the surrounding grease giving off some lube over time.

So improving the tranny to fix the problem with using the wrong oil that is too thin with shielded bearing may not the best idea. You might be circumventing an engineered design feature.

ItsA31 · 09-19-2016, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Plucker

Where did you "hear" that "some use gear oil" in the U-joint housing?

Pluck

Here:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/t...-shaft.761071/

ItsA31 · 09-19-2016, 11:06 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dollar Bill

Ford's original spec for universal joint grease was 600w thickened with sodium tallow soap (good luck finding that). Some prefer Corn Head Grease, others regular wheel bearing grease. IMHO, either will work just fine.

It sounds like Ford was trying to create something like a very soft grease similar to today's 'self leveling grease', like Corn Head Grease. Even if such a grease was commercially available at the time, I bet ford found it cheaper to make their own at the factories and service centers.

Zener424 · 09-19-2016, 11:31 AM

It seems like original transmission bearings weren't sealed so the transmission oil leaking past the bearings combined with the grease that was pumped into the U-Joint housing did the trick. With a rebuilt transmission and new sealed bearings you won't get the oil leaking past the bearings anymore so lubrication would depend on whatever is in the U-Joint housing.

I have a rebuilt transmission with sealed bearings. I recently cleaned my U-Joint, replaced the felt seal and filled the entire cavity with John Deere Cornhead Grease (NLGI grade 0) as recommended in other threads on this site, and I now find it leaks out. I'm not sure that Cornhead Grease is thick enough. When I replenish any that leaks out I plan on using John Deere Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease (NLGI Grade 2). I figure it should be ok to mix because they are both a Polyurea type of grease.

ItsA31 · 09-19-2016, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zener424

It seems like original transmission bearings weren't sealed so the transmission oil leaking past the bearings combined with the grease that was pumped into the U-Joint housing did the trick. With a rebuilt transmission and new sealed bearings you won't get the oil leaking past the bearings anymore so lubrication would depend on whatever is in the U-Joint housing.

I have a rebuilt transmission with sealed bearings. I recently cleaned my U-Joint, replaced the felt seal and filled the entire cavity with John Deere Cornhead Grease (NLGI grade 0) as recommended in other threads on this site, and I now find it leaks out. I'm not sure that Cornhead Grease is thick enough. When I replenish any that leaks out I plan on using John Deere Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease (NLGI Grade 2). I figure it should be ok to mix because they are both a Polyurea type of grease.

Great info. Thank you.

I saw on this site that 'self leveling grease' was one of the recommendations for the steering gear box. That sounded good.

Now my thought is, why not 'self leveling grease' for the U-Joint? That would be pretty close to Ford's original mixture. I'm sure Ford did not fill the entire housing; probably 1/5 full would be more than enough. Maybe someone here can set me right if I'm on the wrong path here...

Tiny · 09-19-2016, 05:50 PM

The Ujoint will take a full 1lbs can of grease. Loads of fun when doing this in a show quality interior

SeaSlugs · 09-19-2016, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiny

The Ujoint will take a full 1lbs can of grease. Loads of fun when doing this in a show quality interior

yea tell me about it - when tightening up the clamshell bolts it squishes out like playdoh...

Then its even more fun to get back into it a month later

RonC · 09-20-2016, 04:28 AM

[/FONT]Ford's original spec for universal joint grease was 600w thickened with sodium tallow soap (good luck finding that). Some prefer Corn Head Grease, others regular wheel bearing grease. IMHO, either will work just fine.[/QUOTE]

The Ford grease for the universal joint equates to NLGI 1 "soft". Corn grease is NLGI 0 "very soft" and multi purpose wheel bearing grease is NLGI 2 "normal grease".

09-18-2016, 02:12 PM	#1
ItsA31 Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 77	U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question Does the transmission drain gear oil into the U-Joint housing enough to lube the U-Joint? Does the gear oil then drain backward to lube the driveshaft bearing? If not, what type of lube have you been adding to the U-Joint housing? I hear some use grease, and some use gear oil. __________________ G. Alexander (Alex) Chompff Fervently Maintaining a 'State of Arrested Decay'

09-19-2016, 03:12 AM	#2
Dollar Bill Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Keystone Heights, FL Posts: 647	Re: U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question If the transmission bearings are the original style then some oil will migrate into the clam shell and mix with the grease. The engine & transmission are about 3 degrees off level so the gear oil won't run back into the transmission unless you leave it parked with the front wheels in a ditch. Ford's original spec for universal joint grease was 600w thickened with sodium tallow soap (good luck finding that). Some prefer Corn Head Grease, others regular wheel bearing grease. IMHO, either will work just fine. __________________ I Love Anything That Turns Money Into Noise

09-19-2016, 08:30 AM	#4
Kevin in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South East NJ Posts: 3,398	Re: U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question Ford was fairly clever, or should I say he hired the best engineers. The original oil was fairly thick and did not move as much as some as these substitutes we see today. A small amount would get past the slinger and trickle down into the U joint. The grease being packed around the U joint will keep the oil on the U joint. So it is likely the leaking oil is just as important for the lube of the U joint as the surrounding grease giving off some lube over time. So improving the tranny to fix the problem with using the wrong oil that is too thin with shielded bearing may not the best idea. You might be circumventing an engineered design feature.

09-19-2016, 11:31 AM	#7
Zener424 Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Staten Island, NY Posts: 77	Re: U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question It seems like original transmission bearings weren't sealed so the transmission oil leaking past the bearings combined with the grease that was pumped into the U-Joint housing did the trick. With a rebuilt transmission and new sealed bearings you won't get the oil leaking past the bearings anymore so lubrication would depend on whatever is in the U-Joint housing. I have a rebuilt transmission with sealed bearings. I recently cleaned my U-Joint, replaced the felt seal and filled the entire cavity with John Deere Cornhead Grease (NLGI grade 0) as recommended in other threads on this site, and I now find it leaks out. I'm not sure that Cornhead Grease is thick enough. When I replenish any that leaks out I plan on using John Deere Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease (NLGI Grade 2). I figure it should be ok to mix because they are both a Polyurea type of grease.

09-19-2016, 05:50 PM	#9
Tiny Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Redding Cal Posts: 1,388	Re: U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question The Ujoint will take a full 1lbs can of grease. Loads of fun when doing this in a show quality interior __________________ Blackwall Panthers Nor Cal chapter

09-20-2016, 04:28 AM	#11
RonC Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 1,868	Re: U-Joint and Driveshaft Lube Question [/FONT]Ford's original spec for universal joint grease was 600w thickened with sodium tallow soap (good luck finding that). Some prefer Corn Head Grease, others regular wheel bearing grease. IMHO, either will work just fine.[/QUOTE] The Ford grease for the universal joint equates to NLGI 1 "soft". Corn grease is NLGI 0 "very soft" and multi purpose wheel bearing grease is NLGI 2 "normal grease".