Anybody else have a hell of a time greasing the driveshafts on their D1?

 

get under the truck to find the nipples aren't down, get in, inch it forward, get back under to find you went the wrong way and have to guess the distance to get them down again.

All of this times 2 because the front and rear never line up the same....

yes, lots of fun

 

Well duh! Chock front NS wheel and both rear wheels, jack front OS wheel off the ground - turn propshaft from under vehicle.

Now chock both front wheels and rear NS wheel and jack rear OS wheel off the ground, release hand brake (that's the 'e' brake if you speak American instead of English) and turn the rear prop by hand from under the vehicle.

 

Sometimes you need a needle fitting to grease them due
to the fact that you can't get the grease head on the
zerts, when you get one just press the BB in the center
of the zert just make sure that you have at 90 deg or it
grease will go every where but the u-joint.

 

I just changed my oil last night after work and it is twice as difficult in a dark garage with a work light and the truck is up on ramps.
So I have decided that I am just going to take it to the quick lube and let them grease it. If they charge me $10 it will be well worth it to me to not mess with it anymore.
A 15 min oil change takes 2 hours because of the troubles with greasing.
Good to know that I'm not the only one with trouble though.
Thanks for the replies guys.

 

Too damn cold out to grease. It probably won't even come out of the gun. I got my nipples lined up in a nice row when I replaced them on the front shaft, I'm glad and amazed I remembered to do that.

 

Do not grease the u-joints when its under 32 deg or 0 cel
it will damage them.

 

I use full synthetic grease so it doesnt "harden" when cold and it has been unseasonably warm here is West MI.

 

I think the needle bearings get pushed out when the
u-joint is cold, not sure about syn grease.

Its 60 here going to 72 to day,,,,I can take the heat not
the cold.

 

So the grease in the u-joints is to hard and pushes on the needle bearings?
That makes sense.