[Desertstar]

My first greasing of the G today. Everything seemed OK except for the rear driveshaft by which took an extreme amount of grease before I finally saw grease coming out. I almost want to say it took close to 1/4 of a tube.

Now thinking all is hunky dory, search around here and find that it should only tale 3-4 pumps and too much grease leads to transfercase bearing problems.

Should I remove shaft, remove grease and start over or do you think I am OK ? There was no grease on the sliding shaft before I started, leading me to believe it was overdue.

Thanks, Mike

 

[Desertstar]

Thanks KT1...but after greasing went on a 20 mile drive to town and back and found nominal grease on the undercarriage but noticed the sliding part of driveshaft which was formerly dry now appears to be....wel greased.

Mike

 

[Dai]

The critical issue with the joints is that grease comes out of each of the four cross seals. I make sure of this every time I grease the shafts. You are driving out the old grease and filling it with new happy grease. The sliding shaft is also critical and there are those that will say to not over grease this because of creating a hydraulic ram effect with the excess grease and end loading the bearings on a diff, transfer or transmission. I had dry shafts like yours and I greased the hell out of things until I was confident that they were lubricated. Excess evacuates out of the end in mine. Your shafts may be different. The G drive shafts are beautifully built but make repair difficult and are very expensive to replace. Willful neglect is common in the driveline and leads to unnecessary expense later. Be a fanatic and you won't spend thousands. My opinion. '85 was a good year!

-Dai

 

[Desertstar]

Thanks Dai, you seem to be the "grease guru" in these parts. Previous owner replaced the front shaft, so all seemed well there with a few pumps.
I will just go on, unless you recommend removing shaft and starting over. All the universals are OK and had grease coming out as you described.

Thanks again Dai, your comments are always respected.

Mike

 

[Braingears]

I agree with the others...
While greasing the UV Joints (the ends), pump enough grease until a small amount comes out. This not only pushes out old grease, but also pushes out and dirt and oil that may be in there too.
While greasing the splines, only pump several pumps into each. These splines do not move very much and do not require excessive grease. These splines are machined Very Tight. The additional grease causes a hydraulic effect. When you add more grease, it forces the shaft to expand (lengthen).

While working on my driveshafts, I could not slide the shaft with more than 200lbs of force. I had to loosen the grease nipple in order to allow the shaft to move.

 

[Desertstar]

Braingears..Thanks, I noticed while pumping grease into the center propshaft, it starting to expand.
I assume it would return to normal with heat and driving a bit.

 

[Braingears]

Desertstar - 4/3/2006 1:52 AM

Braingears..Thanks, I noticed while pumping grease into the center propshaft, it starting to expand.
I assume it would return to normal with heat and driving a bit.

Do not assume this. You are still applying additional force the the bearings while you are waiting. Simply remove the grease fitting and drive around the block. If you currently driving in a dirty environment, place some tape over the whole when you drive to relieve the pressure

 

[Desertstar]

Swell...you would say that when it is the worst shaft to get access to.

Mike

 

[Braingears]

Desertstar - 4/3/2006 2:25 AM

Swell...you would say that when it is the worst shaft to get access to.

Mike

Which shaft ware you refering to. The Front and Rear shafts are very easy to reach...

 

[Desertstar]

The one between TC and tranny.
Mike

 

[4x4abc]

I remember like it was yesterday that a Mercedes research engineer told me to NEVER pump more than a few strokes into the spline section - otherwise transfer case damage will be very likely.
But his thinking started with a properly lubricated shaft. I guess, a neglected shaft should not receive more than 10 strokes to avoid the pressure effect on the transfer case bearings.

Harald

 

[4x4abc]

I case anyone needs the documentation on drive shaft maintenance and alignment:
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/public/4121propshaft.pdf
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/public/4151propshaft.pdf
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/public/4161propshaft.pdf

actually, there is a good number of documents sitting there on my server http://www.rubicon-trail.com/public/ - most of them related to the G

Harald

 

[Hipine]

No worries

The one between the t-case and trans doesn't slide in and out hardly at all. So all you need to do on that one is unscrew the grease fitting (clean area well first) to be sure and relieve any pressure that might be in there.

The thing you have going for you here is what Harald aluded to. If the shaft was dry to start, then it's probably worn enough that it can't hold the hydraulic pressure anyway. Just keep this in mind if you get new shafts, only a pump or two into the slider.

-Dave G.

 

[Dai]

A sure way to grease the sliders on an unknown shaft is to remove it and grease it well. Compress it all the way to evacuate excess grease, pull it back out and install it. If the shaft is seperated it is critical to check the alignment marks so it is put together correctly. Dave has a great article on the clubgwagen site as well as the information on Harald's site. Vibration city if they are out of phase.

-Dai

 

[Desertstar]

Thanks all, looks like I will need to releive the epressure on the small shaft. Believe me, from now on three strokes and off to the next one. Now on to the differential and transfer case fluid replacement....I think I will research here a little before I jump into it as I am sure there are some special things to watch as well.

Thanks again, Mike

 

[DUTCH]

Desertstar - 4/3/2006 4:45 PM

Thanks all, looks like I will need to releive the epressure on the small shaft. Believe me, from now on three strokes and off to the next one. Now on to the differential and transfer case fluid replacement....I think I will research here a little before I jump into it as I am sure there are some special things to watch as well.

Thanks again, Mike

Just be sure that you are able to open the fill plug before opening and draining the drain plug.

 

[ewalberg]

As dutch said and park it on level ground and fill it to the filler hole. Can't remember which lubes i used, but its all in the archives here ripe for searching.

 

[Desertstar]

Popularity resulted in my purchasing the Redline brand of lubricants...75w90 for the axles and MT90 for the TC.
This will be my first experience with synthetics...for my 2 diesels, I stick to Chevron Delo
Mike

 

[DUTCH]

Desertstar - 4/3/2006 9:23 PM

Popularity resulted in my purchasing the Redline brand of lubricants...75w90 for the axles and MT90 for the TC.
This will be my first experience with synthetics...for my 2 diesels, I stick to Chevron Delo
Mike

You won't be sorry.