Double cardan maintenance

[79_Limited]

Well the next item on my list is to see what needs to done about the double carden. I doubt this was ever maintained by the PO because everything else has been neglected.

What do I need to do to avoid it taking a chunk out of my tranny?

Replace it with a new one?

How do I maintain it if I don't have to replace it.

Greg

[ February 04, 2004, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: yumyum ]

[89grand]

All you should have to do is grease it regularly like twice a year. You'll need a grease gun, of course, and a needle adapter for the grease gun. I've done mine and it was kind of a pain at first until I figured out how to use the needle adapter. Also, park it on flat ground and put it in neutral because once you're under there doing it you'll want to be able to roll it back a little to get to all of the grease fittings. It would be a lot easier to do it with a grease gun that has a foot pedal or something instead of the pump type, since you have to hold the needle in place and pump it at the same time.

Don't ever count on the discount oil places that do a halfassed lube job because they will not even bother with this.

[ February 03, 2004, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: 89grand ]

[79_Limited]

Steve,

Will any standard needle adaptor fit?

Greg

[89grand]

Well I bought some generic needle adapter at AutoZone and I was able to make it work by pressing the end of the needle into the grease fitting while pumping the grease gun lever. It's not paricularly easy but once you get it going it doesn't take very long. Maybe there is a needle adapter specificly for these but I didn't see one.

The double carden has normal grease fittings but there isn't enough room to get the grease gun on it without the needle.

[BIGYELLOW78J10]

The needle adaptor you need is not the little hypodermic type but is a needle about the same thickness as the zerk fitting itself. I think I paid $7 for mine at napa.

It's more trouble, but it is WAY easier to grease the shaft off the jeep. That way you can inspect it and make sure you get grease in every fitting. And you can try to determine if you have a Double Cardan with a permanently lubed centering bearing as is possible with a rebuilt shaft - maybe I think.

Good luck. There are also various holes in the tranny cross member that may allow you to get the angle you need to grease the fittings. I still might pull the sjaft, cause everyone needs alittle alone time with their qtrac shaft every now and again.

[carrotman]

There is a grease gun tip with a real hypodermic needle for greasing "permanently greased" tie rods and ball joints. But you want one like a stubby pencil to grease the flat zerks. I use it to grease the rear drive shaft U-joint, the center bearing on the Cardan, and the U-joints at the front wheels. I took off the front drive shaft to check the Cardan, but getting the nuts loose on the Model 20 transfer case was a bear. Had to jack up the chassis to get enough droop on the wheels to get access.

[skunked]

I tried useing one of the ones from Advance Auto, bent like a straw on the flat zerks. I suggest one from Napa or Snap-On. The Napa one is approx. 8 and the one from Snap-On is $13.

[skunked]

Just tried the Napa adapter and it works fine.