Sqeaky U-Joint - not the typical question though

[moran75]

Hi all

 

65 Riv -  I have a squeak I think from front of drive shaft, specifically the u-joint at the slip yoke.

 

Its quite noticeable after initial start up especially at low speeds under load  - but gets a lot quieter after driving for a few miles and in the same locations/at same speeds.

 

Anyway.....my question is - if it is indeed that front u-joint would this quietening down be normal, as maybe the spinning joint warms up and therefore maybe softens the noise?

 

Or does the fact that squeak gets quieter point to something else, because if the front u-joint is faulty it would be squeaking consistently all the time, regardless of how long i've been driving..

 

If you see what i mean...

 

Many thanks in advance

 

Kev

 

 

[Jim Cannon]

The u-joint needs to be greased, if it has a grease fitting, or replaced. There is no benefit to putting it off.

 

Mine only squeaked when backing up. When I took it apart, one set of little roller bearing needles was frozen with rust. There was no grease fitting.

 

 

[1965rivgs]

  Put the car on a rack to see if you can target where the noise is coming from. Pull the driveline asap and fix it. That squeeking has officially placed you on notice.

Tom

[moran75]

38 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

  Put the car on a rack to see if you can target where the noise is coming from. Pull the driveline asap and fix it. That squeeking has officially placed you on notice.

Tom

Consider it done 😀

[telriv]

Do as Tom says it will only save you hassle in the near future. AND, DON'T get a u-joint with a fitting in it. Buick used what they did for a reason & the joint in your car has lasted 50 + or - years.  A solid u-joint installed properly will really outlast a grease-able one believe it or not.

[crowvet]

On 6/20/2020 at 5:26 PM, telriv said:

Do as Tom says it will only save you hassle in the near future. AND, DON'T get a u-joint with a fitting in it. Buick used what they did for a reason & the joint in your car has lasted 50 + or - years.  A solid u-joint installed properly will really outlast a grease-able one believe it or not.

I agree, once the joint is full of grease it has no where to go, If you grease it you bust the seals that keep the grease in. If the seals are broke it allows contaminates in and grease out. So in my opinion the joint has already failed at this point.