Greasing drive shafts how much ?

[candymancan]

Just curious when i was doing my pinion seal i noticed the drive shaft had a grease fitting on the u joint in the rear and one on the shaft. Maybe one on the other U joint too ? I havent looked at the front drive shaft yet.

I got the grease gun out and put 2-3 pumps in the two i saw, but im curious how much you should use ? And how often. MY ZJ doesnt have this many Zerk points on it, maybe 3-5 in the front with all the steering i cant remember off hand but thats it.

Also noticed the passenger side ball joint doesnt have a zerk fitting but the drivers does? Normal ? Or not normal ? An older guy i was chatting with like 2 years ago who said he worked at a AMC dealership said my ball joint was replaced as he went down to look under the Jeep, was the first thing he noticed and he said it was because it didnt have a Zerk fitting.

Was interesting talking to the guy, he told me they would have to grab the doors and put a knee in the middle to bend the doors to get them to seal better and he said this is what AMC told the dealerships to do before they were even sold lol.

Anyway back on topic.. So yea, are there any other zerk fittings i should know about ? Never knew these things had so many

[Phils67]

Some aftermarket ball joints have them and others dont, same with tie rods. Personally i prefer greasable parts. Both driveshafts should have them on the slip joints and all of the universals. For the u-joints i pump them until i see grease come out of every trunion cap, no matter how much pumping, then wipe the excess. That will ensure all 4 sides have lube. You should have them on your tie rods, ball joints, etc in the front end. Also shackles possibly. My old post style leaf springs have them on the posts and the shackles (3 per corner). I dont believe im forgetting any, i doubt you have a bellcrank style clutch, manual steering box or a u-joint style steering shaft, so that should be all. Oh, and the tapered shaft early rear axles like a Dana 53 has them on the outside of the tubes just before the brake backing plates

[candymancan]

I think i saw some of the rear axle by plates.. but i wasnt sure if was the brake bleeder or a zerk fitting. And im pretty sure the steering shaft from the steering wheel has a u joint. swore i saw that.. but i cant remember off hand.. Ill look

How much goes into the slip joint for the drive shafts ?

How often does this need to be lubed

[Phils67]

I would pump til it comes out of the seal then wpe off the excess. Excess collects dirt that can work its way in and cause failure. I am a lubrication nazi when it comes to mine so i give everything about 5 pumps with each oil change but it really goes by use. I have to check the manual but i believe factory says every 3 months. You could probably get away with twice a year if you wanted. Grease is cheap compared to parts. Where there isnt grease there is rust and chance for failure. I also use the rubber brake bleeder caps you see on calipers over every fitting. They work well and keep the zerks clean

[Tatsadasayago]

FYI: There are no grease fittings on the rear axle. What you were seeing was brake cyl bleeders.
I agree with PhilS, you should push enough grease so some of the old oozes out, then wipe the excess off.
It's been far too long since my dealership days, but whenever a rig came in for a service ie; Lube Oil Filter, all the zerks got greased.
Should you do a water crossing that's deeper than the hubs, you should grease to get any water out.

[Phils67]

Mine has them on the rear axle, but I'm also running an original Spicer model 53 at the moment. I was just throwing it out there as to where I've seen them over my 20+ years of Jeeping. Side note, I don't care how much people talk smack about the 53 rear, I have abused this thing with welded spiders and 35s for years now and it has had zero issues. Jussayin'

[candymancan]

Never even heard of your axle before lol so im not sayin anything hah

[Phils67]

Never even heard of your axle before lol so im not sayin anything hah

They were common in Willys pickups, FCs, and early Kaiser era J-trucks. I believe Spicer stopped making them around 65 but they still foubd their way under trucks until around 67/68. You could also find them under Packard cars and a few others in those days. 9.25" ring gear with tapered shafts. The shafts had a press on hub that used a keyway which is prone to cracking. Parts are scarce now but you can still get bearings, seals, and hubs new. Anything else is boneyard or ebay .