Number of Zerts on Driveshaft?

2018 SR5 4x4. How many zerts total on the front/rear driveshaft? Do they all take the same grease? My first gen took the the moly stuff in the slips yokes

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LOURUMQa6kI

 

2018: zero rear zercs. I think either zero or one front, I forget the year they did away with that last little booger. I thought 2016 was the last with front zerc, but my fuzzy is memory.

 

My understanding is 2017 is when they switched to 0 zerks. They also changed the carrier bearing in '17.

 

Can I use the tractor grease on the 2020?

 

My 2016 has 5 greaseable Zerks. Your 2018 should have non-greaseable joints but post #1 will show you where to look to make sure.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/check-your-u-joints.409042/

 

We really should bring back the Alemite terminology. It would force us all to look up the correct spelling.

But I read that Alemite "bought" the Zerk name just to close in on the market.

Ain't industry great!

 

My 2017 has them on the front driveshaft

 

My 2018 (mid year built) has one zerk on the front driveshaft and none at all anywhere else. Not all trucks in the same year will necessarily have the same number or lack thereof.

 

As far as I can tell…..

2016-2017 has 5 (2 front 3 rear)
2018-2019 has 1-2 (front)
2020+ has none.

All the 2018-2019s I’ve heard of have had 2, one on each end. I don’t know why they’d install one and not the other to match. So I’d think there’d either be 2 or none.

 

Yeah, i always thought it was Zerk, this thread confused me.

 

What was the reason or benefit of getting rid of them?

 

Not needing to do maintenance on them. Non greasable joints are generally reliable enough that not needing to grease them is more of a perk than it is a con to not be able to grease them. Unless someone is dumping their joints down in mud constantly, there is really no reason for a joint to need consistent regreasings.

 

Here is some interesting reading.

“Bottom line on strength: The non-greaseable joint is slightly stronger than a greaseable joint. The exact number, how much stronger, is unknown and we do not believe it to be very significant.

Bottom line on wear life: A regularly greased greaseable joint will outlive a non-greaseable joint. But a non-greaseable joint will outlive a greaseable joint that does not get greased properly.”

https://4xshaft.com/blogs/faq/greas...pJ43HNFfVW3id1PKObS9V0qG3F9pOcakYa7hRtGVXDLzV

 

2018 here. Two Zertz up front.

 

Grease and seal technology improved to a point where the non-greasable U-joints can last a reasonable time, so greasing provisions were deleted, in the same vein as ball joints, tie rod ends, leaf shackles, and wheel bearings.

 

2018 sr5: i have none on rear driveshaft, 2 on front driveshaft universals. first time i greased them they took quite a bit more than expected. fortunately front does not rotate unless using 4WD and i don't use it that often...i use it more to exercise it than need it.
manual says NLGI #2 lithium grease...common but use the right stuff if you are going to go to the trouble.

 

I can confirm the 2023 Trail has zero zerks in the driveline. I crawled all over it like a horny spider monkey just last weekend.

 

No Zerts. There may be some zerks.

 

My '17 has 2 up front, nun in the rear!