Guys,
Took another look at my drive shaft and found an allen set screw in place of the grease fitting.

Went down to the autoparts store and found assorted metric grease fittings.

This is for the front drive shaft and puts grease into the slide part.

This must not have been greased for a long time.

Yet - I have a grease fitting on the front U joint.
No grease fittings on the back two U joints..

What kind of drive shaft do I have?

Is this an original?

I did grease the front U joint again
and the sliding fitting on the front drive shaft with this new grease fitting.

I just don't want to take up pole vaulting anytime soon.

 

Here is a picture of the set screw.
Hopefully putting in a grease fitting does not upset the balance of the front drive shaft.

The grease fitting is probably 3x the weight of the hex screw.

Picture of set screw attached.

 

The set screw is factory. They did that so the grease fitting does not hit the crossmember and break off during suspension flex. When I grease my driveshafts I just remove the set screw and borrow the zerk fitting from the rear shaft then put it back when I'm done.

 

This. Don't leave it on jfall you'll smash that sucker!

 

Good advice guys and thanks!
There is always a reason why things are done as they are.
I'll take that fitting off and put the set screw back in!

Yeah, I would have left it in.
You guys saved me from myself.

 

It's also so it stays away from the passenger side cat, which it hits on mine... I will buy that off you though!

 

You have a factory shaft and you might want to rebuild it with grease fittings before the sealed u-joints fail and take out your transmission.

 

Thanks guys.
I went back under there today and saw the grease fitting clears the cat by about 5mm
on the drivers side.

Debating leaving it in

 

the problem may only be present at flex. then it could snap on contact. That being said, I have left mine on between a couple of oil change/greasings (forgot)with no problem. but I have two other front shafts I can use, if need be.

 

Ok Got it.

You are saying - when the shaft retracts or flexes in - when the shaft length
decreases - the inward traveling part hits the grease fitting cause the grease fitting is too long and interrupts the travel inward?

Looking it at another way - the grease fitting protrudes into the travel path of the inner part which is doing the contracting and travelling into the outer part.

I never thought of that - and that could be bad very bad.

Good reason to put the small hex screw back in.

I just hate taking this thing off and back on.
But who needs trouble.