Ujoint selection for '95 ford

[E150GT]

Hello,
I am needing new U joints for my truck. I do not know if mine are original at 244k miles but since my truck spent one year down at the coast, they are pretty rusty. I do not want to spend another second on the highway like I was last when when my pcm failed. I am not a huge fan of most of the auto parts brands of parts as most are cheap and fit lousy. There are some Spicer units that are considerably more expensive than the house brand joints most auto parts stores carry. Are they worth the extra expense? I wont be doing any off roading or heavy towing. Also, I see most are not sealed units. How often is one supposed to grease a u joint?

 

[Farmer]

Check out Napa, they have a line called Napa Chassis Parts and it's made by Dana/Spicer. Usually I grease them once or twice a year depending on how wet it is. Using a high quality grease that can't be washed out by water is very important.

 

[Trav]

AC Delco Non-Greasable Super Strength from Rock Auto about $13 ea, you don't want to mess with grease fittings, they are old school and not as good for street driven vehicles.
The non greasable have better seals and are solid making them stronger, most OE today use them. Install and forget it.

 

[Lubener]

I use Spicer or Neapco u joints. I don't know if this applies to your 95, I had a 91 Bird. Worst design I have seen. The gas tank was over the drive shaft so you have to lower the gas tank to get the drive shaft off.I would hate to be in that car if the drive shaft ever fell off.

 

[Olas]

After you put the new joints in protect them with a boot/gaitor and you won't have to replace them for a loooooong time

 

[larryinnewyork]

My U-Jounts (Sealed/from factory) went after only 38,000 miles.

I had them replaced with Zerk Fittings.
I now grease them 2x/Year.
But, I don't like the hassle of greasing them as the zerk fitting has to be in correct position.

Next time: They will be 'sealed' and I will buy the 'best' from NAPA
I would want to pull the Caps off and check for grease.
I figure the 'originals' were from a bum batch.

Sealed have been around along time. There accepted by the general public.

Question is - Under normal conditions, how much 'longer' would the U-Joints with Zerks last ? ? ?

 

[E150GT]

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[ABursell]

I'm not sure whether greasable or sealed are actually "better," but I like the idea of being able to add grease although I can also see where the idea that have a fitting right in the X makes it weaker.

SO, I found that Spicer makes some u-joints now that have a grease fitting in one of the caps. I liked the idea and put them in my truck to try them out. I think they use the same part numbers as other joints but have a 1X at the end.

Here is some lube info: http://spicerparts.com/resources/lube-torque-specs