i was reading an article over at 4x4wire on lubrication points on the chassis(u-joints, double-cardan joints, and slip yokes) and i was wondering if this was hard to do. it dont seem hard to do at all. does any one have any pointers or ideas on where i can get the grease from? thanks guys...oh by the way i have a 1990 4runner.

 

Hey man your right it is very simple to do! You will need a grease gun with a flexible hose though or you can't get all the zerks. I forget how many there are off the top of my head but there is quite a few like 6 or 8. You'll have to rotate the driveshaft just a hair probably to get them all as well. It only takes 2or3 pumps each to get old grease to come out. Once the old stuff starts coming out your good to go.

 

I further add a picture of the "Zerk" fittings. ( Circled in red ).

This is where you attach the "grease gun". As your Slowly filling the joints with grease, you will hear the air escaping the joint. Its like a series of pops. Then you start to see the grease coming out of the boots inside the joint. ( Blue arrows ). Stop at this point.


I think mine need lubed.

Jay

 

thanks guys..any ideas where to get the stuff to grease it with?

 

I bought my last grease gun and a couple of tubes of grease at WalMart. You can get them at any autoparts store and most hardware stores. The tubes of grease will clearly state something like 'for use on all chassis and driveline points, etc. I have always liked a moly-blend grease.

 

I use Valvoline Part#633 Moly-Fortified Lithium Grease NLGI #2 at all 8 grease points.

 

ok thanks guys. so i will just put the grease tub in the gun and put it on the zerk and pump it right? is that all there is to it? the zerks are a little dirty so i should probably wipe them off to right?

 

that's all you have to do..and go ahead and wipe the zerks off before you starting pumping grease into them

 

One more thing, if the zerk fittings don't take grease really easily, they may be kinda froze up, espicially on older trucks. It's a good idea to just buy a little multipack of new fittings at the parts store and replace any difficult ones rather than fighting with them. It's only a few extra dollars for the new zerks and it can save time and hassle. Good Luck!

 

ok..i took your advice and i bought new ones...i could replace the straight ones just fine...but i am having trouble with the 45 degree ones. any ideas on how to replace them?

 

The 45 degree zerks can be a PITA, especially if they are tucked away. You usually need a low profile wrench and the fingers of a contorsionist. Have you tried to grease them to see if they would take grease o.k.? Maybe you can get by without replacing some of them?

 

the one i am trying to replace needs replaced. i put the grease in and it came right back out. im not sure what to do now..

 

WHere/which one is it? Can you post a pic? If it someplace like down inside a U-joint, you may need to drop the drive line to change out the zerk. If rust is the reason its not taking grease, con you try spraying it with WD-40 or PB blaster or something? Without seeing it, I'm out of ideas, sorry...

 

Here is a pic from 4x4wire the one i am trying to replace is the double-cardan that is right by the transmission. so i guess this pic is kinda a bad pic..but it might help. thanks loosehead...

 

Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but I'm new to this forum and the world of Toyota trucks. After researching this topic on this forum, I jacked up my 4runner this weekend and searched for the zerk fittings but found none. However, I now notice that most of you who participated in this thread have 4WD models. Do 2WD models also require driveshaft lubrication? I'm trying to find out if I'm blind or if I'm wasting my time looking for the zerk fittings.