So I had read the "Don't ignore your Grease Fittings" thread and it seemed like a good idea. I read up on it a little bit more and today I went and bought a grease gun and grease from Napa. I ended up doing the front driveshaft and u-joints first because you can spin it. Well, my first bit of problem came on the far rear slip joint. Once I got the end of the grease gun on the zerk, it took an act of God to get it free. Finally I got it with a bit of prying, so I decided to move to the rear of the transfer case (I believe the double cardan joints?). Anyway, there are two zerks in the same position on each side of the cardan joints and I shoved the end of the hose on and tried pumping. It was tough to pump at first but on the second pump I heard a noise coming from the cardan joint. I describe it as a series of popping, not loud but definitely hearable. I didn't think it sounded good but I wanted to get both done so I pumped the other one and the same noise happened on about the second pump. When i pulled the end of the grease hose off the zerk, a little bit of grease oozed out of the zerk itself. On the first cardan joint, a little spot of grease oozed out of the side (not all over like on u joints, but just one spot in the little crack). Now I'm about crapping my pants thinking I'm going to have to replace a set of bearings--maybe worse. Does anyone know if it's normal or not when they set off a series of quiet popping for about 5 seconds or so? Thanks.

 

Lol your fine. The noise you heard was simply the new grease forceing the old grease out of the bearing cups. That sound is completely normal, and aside from spewing grease in every possible direction when you drive it next, you have no problems. One note though, dont over grease the slip yokes on the drive shafts. The master tech I apprenticed under at the toyota dealership I used to work at recommended about 2-3 pumps into each slip joint. He said this because he had to replace a t-case on an older truck, which the owner had recently greased. He had pumped grease into the slip joint to the point where it oozed out the end. In a stupid twist, he then ended up hitting a large bump hard enough that the drive shaft couldn't compress quick enough, and it cracked the t-case housing and shattered the output shaft...

 

Thanks a lot. After I read your reply i thought to myself, wow, did I really think that I had broke something with grease? Haha. Anyway, yes, on the yokes I only put about 2 or 3 pumps in so they should be fine. The hardest zerk to get at in my opinion is the rear u-joint one. I made the biggest mess on that one and I'm not even sure i got any grease in there!!