What ate my front u joints? Dana 44

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,121
Reaction score
6,037
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
So, when I replaced my axle shaft last fall for snow plowing, i confirmed it had no play and was greased, as I did the same to my driver side u joint. I did about 8-10 hours of plowing all combined last winter, and right now my u joints are barely holding on. Most of my snow plowing was done in low speed, if that matters.

To me, this just seems... insane that the u joints are so worn out and almost on deaths bed already, Id hate to pull the shafts and put new U joints in just to do the same thing next summer, if this is caused by something else. Is there anything I should look at for what is causing it? Or, perhaps, should I look for beefier drive shafts?

I found a set on 4wheelparts.com that have good reviews and people say the yokes are beefier and the u joint is beefier, but is that a bandaid on another issue kind of thing?

I know turning in 4wd and the fact I have a large, heavy bumper and a heavy iron plow im sure put a lot of stress on the front axle, but to me, one season of mild snowplowing seems insane quick to eat u joints.
 

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
28,956
Reaction score
23,465
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
Were they the cheapest U-joints that the parts store had to offer? If so, I'll blame poor quality.
 

1987 GMC Jimmy

Automobile Hoarder
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
5,848
Reaction score
2,387
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Jesse
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V1500 Jimmy
Engine Size
350
This is you:

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

What grease did/do you use?
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,121
Reaction score
6,037
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Unknown, age of either u joints are questionable to be 10+ years at newest, and most likely NAPA brand. My grandpa shopped a lot at NAPA. I have a whole shelf of u joints and bearings that are NAPA. A few Moog, a few carquest, but mostly NAPA. Uh, do you by chance have a few part numbers I can check my shelf for, or a good number I can cross reference? or is there a way to identify when I remove them?

If you think its Ujoint quality, im inclined to believe your experience on such matters. So I could see if I have new ones on the shelf that are old, and that would tell me they were likely that. But, I can only say that for certain on the driver side, because the passenger side was donated gracefully by the frame sitting behind my shed, which was my grandpas brothers truck that he sold to him which he took parts off it(as did I, such as my hood and passenger drive shaft hehe). Those u joints would be of unknown mileage, origin, and quality. but it had no play and I greased before the season, but that doesnt mean it wasnt cheap either.
 

1987 GMC Jimmy

Automobile Hoarder
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
5,848
Reaction score
2,387
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Jesse
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V1500 Jimmy
Engine Size
350
I looked at the data sheet, and this seems like a good lithium-based grease (what you want on suspension stuff and u-joints). It should do the job well. I’ve been using the brown lithium grease, but this looks like a winner, too. Unless you were running at -11*F or colder, or it’s not compatible with a different grease that was in there before, and it didn’t get completely purged when you lubed, I don’t think I’d be inclined to blame the grease.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,121
Reaction score
6,037
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Wait... -11 or colder... uh.. is my grease not good below that? A good chunk of my snow plowing was sub zero.

Whoops, maybe that did it?

What kind of grease should I use sub zero
 

1987 GMC Jimmy

Automobile Hoarder
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
5,848
Reaction score
2,387
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Jesse
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V1500 Jimmy
Engine Size
350
Wait... -11 or colder... uh.. is my grease not good below that? A good chunk of my snow plowing was sub zero.

Whoops, maybe that did it?

What kind of grease should I use sub zero

I’ll attach the data sheet I read for the Mystik. The low temperature range is actually exceptional for that one. The brown lithium grease I use says zero degrees on the bottom end, and the store brand moly-based grease says the same. Phillips 66 makes a low temp moly grease for polar proximal trucks and equipment running consistently between -30* to 32*F ambient temp if you’d feel better using that.

So you were working at eleven below or less? My condolences. It’s hard for me to think the grease just totally lost lubricity when it got real cold; that -10* threshold is approximate according to the paper, and I wouldn’t discount the comment on quality nor would I exclude part age/wear either. I also don’t pretend to be a grease expert. If I was you, I’d also read up on using moly versus lithium as your chassis lubrication agent and see how you feel. Phillips 66 is saying their moly is GTG on suspension and driveline, but DANA/Spicer recommends lithium for their u-joints. It doesn’t look like there’s a lithium product better than what you’re using, though, at least not one that I see.

http://www.docs.citgo.com/msds_pi/591094.pdf

https://phillips66lubricants.com/product/moly-low-temp/
 

Ricko1966

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Posts
3,934
Reaction score
5,685
Location
kansas
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
c20
Engine Size
350
Are the joints 10+ years + 8-10 hrs old? If so I'd say they've lived a long life replace them with new, and repeat in 10 yrs 9 hrs.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,121
Reaction score
6,037
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Are the joints 10+ years + 8-10 hrs old? If so I'd say they've lived a long life replace them with new, and repeat in 10 yrs 9 hrs.
Well being old but almost never used shouldnt make much of a difference I wouldnt think
 

Ricko1966

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Posts
3,934
Reaction score
5,685
Location
kansas
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
c20
Engine Size
350
IDK how much they were used,what quality they were, how they were maintained, if condensation got in them and rusted all the rollers etc.etc. At 10 yrs 8+ hrs my first reaction is they were old.
 

AuroraGirl

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2019
Posts
9,121
Reaction score
6,037
Location
Northern Wisconsin
First Name
Taylor
Truck Year
1978, 1980
Truck Model
K10, K25
Engine Size
400(?), 350
Good replacement brand recommendations? I guess its time to learn how to replace u joints! Yay learning
 

Grit dog

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2020
Posts
5,882
Reaction score
9,622
Location
Washington
First Name
Todd
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
454
There’s no explanation. You have unknown age parts on a 40+ year old truck.
you replaced an axle shaft with what? A whole used shaft including an old u joint? What was “wrong” with the other shaft?
Put some new u joints in it and call it a day. They wear out. Not much more to it.
Spicer is the best off the shelf quality.
 

Memaloose

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Posts
490
Reaction score
1,355
Location
Dolan Springs, AZ
First Name
Tony
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
350
Amen to the short advice.
Old U joints fail, hardly anyone greases them.
I checked all the original U joints for tightness on a K20 I bought, greased them, hit the road and had one fail. I replaced them ALL at the same time soon after, better to be safe than sorry.
A heads up on snow plowing, grease before use and grease after use. Snow, water, moisture can get in a crack, freeze then damage a U joint, grease is cheep!
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
41,848
Posts
903,426
Members
33,362
Latest member
Dhatch84
Top