U Joint Service Interval

I keep coming across you must grease u joints every 5,000 miles. Is this what everyone else has heard?

Has anyone found grease-able u joints that can go longer than 5K before being greased?

 

I grease mine every time I do an oil change, that's around 10k miles not had any issues.

For what it's worth if your truck it 2WD it may not even have greaseable U joints.

New trucks even the off-roads are coming with sealed joints not greaseable.

I use Spicer joints, they are the OEM. (They make the ones for Toyota.)

 

I’m still on OEM joints.
I grease mine once a year in October.
I drive about 9-10k per year. I’m at 149k now.

I use Lucas Red n’ Tacky #2

 

Every oil change no questions about it

 

Same.

They will last a long time without grease no doubt. But why bother. Its so easy to grease them while you're already under the truck.

 

Once every year... sometimes a year and a half. Still on OEM at 120,000 miles.

 

Probably do mine twice a year. I use the Lucas Red and Tacky grease. Mine have zero play at 170K miles.

 

I use Mobil 1 10,000 mile oil so i would probably doing greasing of joints then.
Had Moog sealed u joints since 240K now I'm at 288K and seems like one at least is starting to fail clicking.
I will never buy Moog again, hoping my Moog ball joints don't wind up going out too.
So I think I will go with Spicer this time only question is greaseable or non greaseable.

 

My owners manual says every 15K. I only drive this truck around 5K a year. Not a big DIY guy anymore but it doesn’t matter how many times I ask the lube jockey to grease them, they won’t do more than one or two. So I crawl under there once a year and do it. I figure before it starts snowing and 4WD comes into play is a good time.

 

The front driveshaft is the one that gets neglected the most at lube shops.
The one closest to the cat is a PITA when the cat is hot. You have to go over it to get to the zerk.

 

Does your driveshaft have 3 u joints on it and is it a two piece ?

 

Yes it should have 3 joints on a long/short bed double cab 2WD.

 

My truck has 5 U-joints with the zerk in the cap. EZ PZ to pump a stroke or two into each joint at each oil change interval. I run a 5 kmile oil change interval.

It doesn't take much to lube a joint.

 

I grease all 5 on the rear shaft every 5-10k. I replaced all 5 after 100k as a preventative measure. I’m hopeful the carrier bearing will go 200k+.

 

Every 5000 or Six months. Get a good grease gun and it's easy.

 

What?

You have 5 universal joints on the rear drive shaft?

I hope you meant 3 on the rear driveshaft and 2 on the front driveshaft. Total of 5.

 

I replaced my carrier bearing with a Spicer one which is a TRUE OEM replacement. the same Spicer part was taken off and it was not making any noise or any signs of wear at 182,000 miles.

 

Yes exactly mine has one at the yoke near tranny, one after carrier bearing and right before the rear diff. there is one too.

 

If it is over-greased will grease fly out like when greasing ball joints?

 

X3 - every oil change.