Grease nipples?

[Acronymous]

This is horribly basic but I haven't had much to do with greasing universal joints in quite the same configuration as I've got on my 79 series twin cab tail shafts.

The grease nipples are exactly where you'd expect them to be but I find it's really tricky to get the joints into such a position as to make it possible to attach the grease gun coupler to the nipple.

Surely this can't be a two person job requiring re-positioning of the car for different grease nipples?

Is there a coupling that can be used at any point in the rotation of the shafts?

Jules

 

[Beastrider]

Hello Jules - I have a 90 series but I think the layout is similar. I am not aware of any coupling that allows access from any angle. It’s a matter of either moving the vehicle until the nipples are accessible or, if it’s jacked up, just rotating the shaft manually.
Don’t overgrease the sliding joints.

 

[Shayne]

I found the hard 6 inch neck on my grease gun works best , usually have to move the truck back and forth a few ft to get them all and on reading this its just occurred to me to do it on a plank next time , mark the distance to rotate shafts 180 and screw a stop block to the end of the plank .

Too much grease is bad , for me its 2 pumps of the gun only when i'm doing other maintenance and decide i've driven enough miles since last time it was greased .

 

[Bmonck]

what is the result of too much grease? Doesn’t the excess just spin off? Yes it makes a mess but not actually bad is it ?

 

[fbnss]

Not bad for ujs but is bad for the slip joints as they will hydrolock and no longer slip

 

[Shayne]

Hydro locked is a fancy way of saying it gets filled up .

Theres a hollow for air at the deep end of the shaft so it can breathe while sliding back and forth , can't breathe won't slide .

Not a big deal to remove the shaft and degrease if it does fill up but who wants to do that .

 

[Acronymous]

Thanks everyone.

mark the distance to rotate shafts 180

One way or another, this sounds like a good idea. Maybe a chalk mark on the tyre, rotate the right number of degrees? I'm now slightly paranoid about the possibility that I pumped too much grease into the slip joints, though I haven't noticed any strange behaviour from the drive train. Are there definite symptoms?

Jules

 

[Shayne]

Don't worry about it because while pumping grease you trap air so your very unlikely to fill it up in one go . Too much too many times is what does it .

 

[Acronymous]

Thanks, I certainly didn't pump until there was grease oozing out around the shaft, so I'll monitor it and limit myself to a couple of strokes next time

Jules

 

[Raj]

overgrease the sliding joints.

Agree. I learned it hard way. I greased it so much that the shaft spitting grease all over exhaust when ever I drive. I checked couple of times under the car to check whats burning.