Check Your U-Joints

You are right, I am sure it was a clever innovation, and it must have worked. I will try it myself next opportunity just to increase my flexibility in options for greasing zerks. Thank you for your followup comment, and I hope I didn't sound like the A-hole I really never wanted to be.

 

No offence taken, my friend.

I once had a relatively close friend call me out on the possibility getting a tire / rim bead-lock with ether and a cigarette lighter. This was pre internet, he'd never seen it happen and couldn't wrap his head around the possibility. No monies were exchanged, but he insisted on seeing it for himself.

cheers.

 

Just found this and about to go verify my grease and if it's good to go I'm going to check mine out. Like 38k miles on my 2017 4x4 and never knew to check it, just had new suspension followed by a regear and with an empty bed I have vibrations but with a couple hundred pounds in bed most vibrations go away. However I now have a whining noise at higher speeds and when decelerating which is louder at higher speeds.Idk what to even do but i'm desperate at this point. It really all feels ok but the whine just doesn't seem it should be there. East coast gear supply and a local well known mechanic says that aftermarket gears will just be louder and that things should be fine as long as everything seems normal other than the whine and it doesn't get worse. At lower speeds like 50 or below its almost non existent. Im assuming this is like any other gear grease fitting....just fill it until you see grease? What signs would it give if it were dry?

 

Ok,well I am laying under my 2017 TRD or 4x4 auto and do not have the grease fittings.edit...... found them both, greasing them now

 

Your 2017 most likely lacks a greaseable rear driveshaft.

Keep pumping until you see grease come out all 4 seals. It's a purge and replace procedure; not a top-it-off one.
It's not very scientific, but;
-zerks are pristine
-takes a large amount of grease to purge all 4 seals; I'd say anything more than 5-7 pumps
-can hear air migrating through the joint as grease is applied

If to far gone, they usually give off a high pitch squeal before failure.

 

See; first post, EDIT No. 2

 

Correct I got that on the rear so if they were too be bad what would that cause? So just pump the old out until I see new clean grease right?it was probably about 10 pumps each u joint. Also I tried to clean up some of the old black grease but wan't really able to get to it.

I did I'm speaking of the front, is it possible one doesn't have greasable fronts?bc I sure ain't seeing them anywhere at all??..

 

Ok nm found the one, but not the one under the plate

 

Hey guys, I have a 2016 TRDOR DC, trying to locate the two front drive shafts, i have RCI front, transmission, and T case skid plates. which one do i need to remove to access them? thanks.

 

I just have front and trans skid plates and can still reach the nipple when the shaft is rotated correctly.

 

both nipples? aren't there two up front? i can get at them from the sides?

 

I posted the part numbers for ujoints here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/greaseable-ujoints-for-late-2016-and-2017-tacomas.521461/

Note that for ATs the cup diameter is smaller than the cup diameter on the MTs, so look at the part numbers carefully. I put greaseable ujoints in at 700 miles. Regreased at each oil change.

 

Yes both nipples.

 

Hey. I have a 2016 TRD OR DCSB. I used to grease the zirks on my old land cruiser with every oil change so I'm familiar with it. I found great pics in this thread of the counts and location of the fittings on the shafts and u joints, but in terms of procedure, in case something changed in the design of these since 1996, does one still add grease to the u joints until a touch of the old grease comes out? Then for the shafts, just add a couple of pumps? On the land cruiser, greasing the two shafts was super tricky because they were a slip yokes so if you added to much grease, it extended/ pushed back too much and could wear out the needle bearings. I always just did 3 pumps to avoid this. Is this still how it works?

Thanks for the help!

 

Did a lot of reading and I just want to confirm that I understand this correctly...

The 2017 and 2018 Tacomas have 2 zerks that need to be greased on the front and the rear are NOT designed to be greased. Is this correct?

Also, are dealerships really greasing these? I spent a few years working at a dealership back in the day and cannot recall a single time the techs would lubricate anything.

 

Correct.

Dealerships are likely not lubing it...
I'd be surprised if dealerships even have grease or a grease gun on premises.

 

Is this different for the 2016?

 

That’s what I noticed on mine. Wondering if what the other gentleman said is accurate in that I should not be lubing some of them?

 

Thank you! Is this grease gun adequate enough? https://www.lowes.com/pd/STP-Mini-M...H_Ml&cjevent=61b9dc2165ea11e9809d03bf0a24060b

Or would you recommend something like this?

$52 Lincoln 1134 Extra Heavy Duty Pistol Grip Grease Gun, 6" Rigid Extension, Dual Lip Follower, Variable Stroke Mechanism, 18 Whip Hose with Coupler

https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Lubr...rue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

I'd get the full size...more choices and availability of greases.