U-Joint Failure, was it the grease?

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A few years back I had to change the U-Joints on the front axle shafts of my 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. (Dana 44 axle)

I used:
- Moog Super Strength U-Joints (with zerks)
- Pumped U-Joints full though the zerks with Amsoil Dominator Synthetic Racing Grease (no moly), prior to reinstalling the shafts in the axle

About 3000 miles later the joints failed, binding and getting real hot.

2nd time around I used Spicer U-joints (no zerks) and all is good for years now.

Upon disassembly of the failed Moog joints the roller bearings/grease had fused themselves as one. There was no longer any roller action of the bearings and major friction and heat was happening.

So since then I am hesitant in using Amsoil Racing grease.

Did I do something wrong with installation? Or are the Moog joints not good for this application? The Moog joints seemed to install fine and movement was good without binding when reinstalled.
 
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Could have been the grease. A NGLI#2 lithium type grease is normal for the application. The Spicer joints cost a little bit more than the Moog and there may be a reason for that. There are several brands of grease that meet the NGLI#2 specs that work well in u-joints and wheel bearings. Valvoline Durablend Synthetic Blend Grease is the one I keep around.
https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/grease-gear-oil/synthetic-blend-grease
Mobile One is another good choice
https://mobiloil.com/en/synthetic-grease/mobil-1-synthetic-grease
 
Too many variables to say either way.

If the zerks were in the centre of the crucifix, then the centre section would have been beefed up to handle the extra equipment and porting...my in and of itself have been binding.

You changed two things
 
So many variables. Moog is not a manufacturer of U Joints, hub bearings, etc they source much of that line from China so God know what you actually got. Poor quality part, lube fail, buggered installation, take your pick your guess is as good as mine.
 
I replaced failed spicer non zerk ujoints on my 07 tacoma a few years ago. I put moog zerk ones with the zerk on one of the caps instead of the cross. These zerks are smaller than standard and a pita (you need a special tip to greas them) but they have been good. I grease them every 5k with grean grease NLG2. Nothing special about this grease, it was i picked up for my boat trailer bearings. It seem s to work fine for ujoints. Probably 20k miles on them.
 
Hard to blame any sort of grease on a failure in 3000 miles unless you used JB Weld.
laugh.gif


I blame junk parts.
 
It sounds like the grease in your failed u-joint lost its oil and left only thickener. U-joints actually need a lighter grease like Grade 1.5, so it can flow back under the needles after being pushed aside.

There is a good grease for this application. It is Kluberplex BEM 34-132. It is calcium based to resist washout, good for 2000 hours at elevated temperatures, and the product data sheet mentions it is good for micromotion applications.
 
Thinking out loud - if they were "pumped full", could these be too full, sort of like electric motors, where too much can be far worse than too little?
 
I think almost any grease would have made it 3000 miles. I probably would have regreased about the time they failed. I just think poor quality parts.
 
Originally Posted By: danez_yoda
I put moog zerk ones with the zerk on one of the caps instead of the cross. These zerks are smaller than standard and a pita (you need a special tip to greas them) but they have been good.


It's the same "pointed tip" grease gun used to grease the tip sprocket on a chainsaw bar
 
Definitely equipment failure, not grease. I don't use aftermarket parts for that reason. But, OEM are becoming obsolete for my application.

Schaeffer's makes an outstanding grease! I've heard good things about Amsoil too!



Respectfully,

Pajero!
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Thinking out loud - if they were "pumped full", could these be too full, sort of like electric motors, where too much can be far worse than too little?


According to Spicer and other U joint manufacturers, there is no such thing as 'too much grease'. They recommend pumping them full and pushing grease out of the lip every time you lube. I'll try to find the paper on it and post a link. Ran into this when replacing some joints on my truck.
 
Originally Posted By: bchannell
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Thinking out loud - if they were "pumped full", could these be too full, sort of like electric motors, where too much can be far worse than too little?


According to Spicer and other U joint manufacturers, there is no such thing as 'too much grease'. They recommend pumping them full and pushing grease out of the lip every time you lube. I'll try to find the paper on it and post a link. Ran into this when replacing some joints on my truck.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-fvddVt-g
 
How about using Dana Premium Synthetic Grease - SPL1051

BUT it is not Lithium based but Calcium Sulfonate, is this okay in a Toyota 4 Runner driveshafts?
 
Researching this more. I bet I had a grease capability issue between the Amsoil Series 2000 Racing Grease/Dominator Grease and the grease that came in the Moog Super Strength U-Joints.
 
Originally Posted By: zfasts03
Researching this more. I bet I had a grease capability issue between the Amsoil Series 2000 Racing Grease/Dominator Grease and the grease that came in the Moog Super Strength U-Joints.


What kind of grease capability issue?
 
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