Grease for u-joints?

[SC Maintenance]

I have a handful of greaseable u-joints that are the only things with a zerk anymore. Mostly I have bought whatever walmart had. Since I need to buy more I maybe should be more discerning.

I read some grease articles and it seems maybe the main difference is the thickener? Possibly thicker is better for u-joints - stays in longer?

Any recommendations are appreciated. Not really looking for anything boutique, and would rather buy a couple tubes not a case.

 

[JWC86]

There is documentation out there saying that grease with high moly should not be used in u joints. Also lots of people saying they use moly grease for XXX,000 miles without issue so not sure how big of an issue it is.

If you want to play it safe you could have a grease gun for u joints with a non moly grease, this is what I do.

I think my current tube is Valvoline VV615

 

[GRUMPYDUDE2]

Maybe not the best, but, Lucas Red n Tacky is easy to find and will work well for you.

 

[drtyler]

Valvoline 615 multi-purpose red grease

 

[cptbarkey]

I went down the same rabbit hole for months. I've since invested in a case of Schaffers 238 for everything, especially U-joints. The cheapest Supertech or Travellers or high temp will do you fine. I'll let you know in the next 5-10 years how things go with my GX460, trucks and tractor ujoints.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I went down the same rabbit hole for months. I've since invested in a case of Schaffers 238 for everything, especially U-joints. The cheapest Supertech or Travellers or high temp will do you fine. I'll let you know in the next 5-10 years how things go with my GX460, trucks and tractor ujoints.

Rabbit hole for sure.

I googled it and it looks like Schaffers is high moly? But as @JWC86 said I have also read not to use high moly - supposedly it can cause the needle bearings to bind up?

 

[burbguy82]

I have a handful of greaseable u-joints that are the only things with a zerk anymore. Mostly I have bought whatever walmart had. Since I need to buy more I maybe should be more discerning.

I read some grease articles and it seems maybe the main difference is the thickener? Possibly thicker is better for u-joints - stays in longer?

Any recommendations are appreciated. Not really looking for anything boutique, and would rather buy a couple tubes not a case.

anytime anyone asks about grease, I recommend Royal Purple. In the past I have had amazing results.

 

[64bawagon]

You want an NLGI #2 Lithium EP grease, available everywhere and cost effective. No need in overthinking it.
I use Mystic JT6 or Lucas Red N Tacky in all my stuff, chassis, wheel bearings and it even works to keep squirrels off my bird feeder pole
Try to stick to one kind of thickener though, the Lithium is most common.

 

[cptbarkey]

Rabbit hole for sure.

I googled it and it looks like Schaffers is high moly? But as @JWC86 said I have also read not to use high moly - supposedly it can cause the needle bearings to bind up?

Read the debate on both sides, neither were conclusive, but plenty of forum threads speculating.

 

[drtyler]

Rabbit hole for sure.

I googled it and it looks like Schaffers is high moly? But as @JWC86 said I have also read not to use high moly - supposedly it can cause the needle bearings to bind up?

Dana/Spicer makes a lot of ujoints, and they don’t recommend the use of moly grease.

 

[wings&wheels]

I've used Mobil 1 grease for as long as I can remember on everything chassis and driveline where grease is spec'd. No issues to date. That said, I would say that any quality chassis grease is fine and regular service is probably more important than which quality grease you choose.

 

[zfasts03]

JT6 for me!

 

[facility1]

mystik jt-6 (red grease),,works fine in u-joints

 

[Creekside]

Any grease is better than no grease-and that's how the majority of U-joints are running around. The big mistake we learned about in Heavy Duty Drives class is most people that do grease don't do it correctly. The seals are designed to be able to vent grease and you need to pump until you see it exit from all 4 caps.

Personally, I use Schaeffer 219 in anything from light duty cars and trucks to ag equipment and OTR trucks. I used Mystik JT-6 High-temp with 3% moly everywhere before that. I don't think moly is as big of problem as it's made out to be in most applications.

 

[tblt44]

I use lucus red n tacky

 

[buck91]

I'd be comfortable with almost any gc-lb rated lithium complex #2 from a decent mfg. My favorite all-purpose is Valvoline Synpower which has about 1% moly per valvoline (not terribly high). Plenty of other options. Lots of more waterproof options, too, if you're application calls for it.

That said, I go for sealed u-joints 99% of the time. I guess if I was building some type of trail rig I'd want greaseable though...