Universal Joint ?

[ExplorerSportNu]

I just recently replaced the two universal joints in the front portion of my rear drive shaft. I replaced them about 3 weeks ago with the brute force joints but now it sounds like they have gone bad again ie. high pitch squeak under acceleration then stops when you reach a certain speed, clunk sound, and shutter, I put the rear on jackstands just too make sure it wasn't the front drive shaft and its deff coming from where they where just changed. Now my questions, I got the joints for the 95 but they were bigger than the originals, so he gave me the u joints for the 94 and they appeared to be the same size, there is no movement in the driveshaft like there was before replacing the joints that is the only thing I did notice not changing. Could it be the amount of lift I have (4"leaf springs/warrior shackles/35's) causing them too go out or the fact that they where for a 94, anyone experience anything like this before?

 

[DB_1]

Do you have a double cardan (CV) rear driveshaft? If you do it most likely that the circulating ball assembly that's in between the 2 U-joints is dried out.
You can take it apart and see if its still useable, grease it up and your good to go or you can buy a new assembly that has grease fittings and you'll have to get a needle adapter for your grease gun (if you have one).
I just went through this with my front driveshaft and i did a write up that you may find useful here: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134134

If you don't have a CV driveshaft well disregard what I just told you...lol. Your driveshaft is probably out of phase because of the lift. You getting any vibration in the driveshaft at any speed...especially when you accelerate from a stop? If so, try to shim the pinion up and see if that helps. They usually come in 2 degree increments. Places like Summit racing will carry the shims.
And on the U-joints, you should have 1310's in there and it shouldn't matter what year the Explorer is...try to stick with Spicer brand joints, much better than the cheapo brands.

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Yeah I do have the double cardan (CV) rear driveshaft. Thats the other thing I forgot to mention, I replaced that part as well (circulating ball assembly) when I changed the u joints but I don't think that I greased that part just put it together, is that ball assembly the usual source of the high pitched squeak? The shutter isnt from a stop is usually occurs around acceleration in the 20-40 mph range.

 

[DB_1]

Did the new circulating ball assy. come with or without the grease fittings? If it did you HAVE to grease it before you install it. They only put enough grease in there to keep the spring in place.
If you got the non-greasable assy. I would think it would come greased BUT I would try and pop the seal off and check it to be sure.

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

I didn't notice any grease fitting's on the ball assembly, just the spring which appeared to be already greased and all the the needle bearings inside of it which were also greased already, but yeah it didn't have any grease fittings to apply more grease in that assembly. If the squeak wasn't so damn annoying I would wait for it too fall off or something but its LOUD

 

[DeRocha]

When you put in the new U-joints did you press in 1 bearing cap at a time or did you try to press in both caps at once? I ask because I tried to same some time and press in both caps at once which caused a needle bearing to slip out of place and wedge itself at the top of the cap . I now fully seat a bearing cap and press it through the other side and then install the opposite cap and press it back through...

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Yeah I put them in one end at a time, guess i'm just going too have to stfu and take it apart again - lol - and see what the problem is, just wandering if it could be do to the lift or not but I would assume not because the stock u joints had no problems with the lift for about 15,000 miles on them and 200,000 on the x itself...

 

[DB_1]

Before you tear the D-shaft apart again try spraying some WD-40 in the ball assy. then drive it around and see if if still squeaks. If it stops then you'll know it needs more grease. You'll have to pop the seal off and grease it by hand since you don't have grease fittings on yours.
If the ball assy. is not the problem then who knows what it could be since you said you changed all the joints out. Any possibility you could have a rear wheel bearing going out?

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Alright I did the wd40 trick into the ball assembly and it for the most part stopped the squeak for about a quarter of a mile then back too squeaking. Now when I go to grease the ball assembly what all needs to be greased ie. spring, ball itself ? Next question the clunk is back as well and i'm sure it's coming from the parts that were just replaced, is the clunk caused by the universal joints themselve's ?

Last but not least is the centering unit in the picture where the ball assembley housed supposed to move back and fourth very easily our should there be a little resistance when moving it, thanks for helping the noob

 

[jwrezz]

If it's been squeaking a while, it needs to be replaced. They do make them w/ grease fittings, but yours if it's original, is not greasable. When I got mine done, I was told by a VERY reputible drive line guy that it prob'ly isn't worth it to install a greasable one. It's also hard to get to even if it's in there. Any way, he replaced it completely and packed it w/ marine grease. He said it'd last longer than the u-joints, and if it didn't to bring it back to him. If you check my pics you'll find the ball and centering thing and the replacement. Good luck,

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Yeah it wasn't one of the greaseable ones and I replaced the whole ball assembley along with the u-joints about a month ago thats why i'm trying to figure out how it could already have gone bad... I know for sure this is where the squeak and clunking sound is coming from because I put it on jack stands again to figure out where the noise was coming from before I ripped that little fu@ker out again and sure enough coming from where everything was replaced

 

[jwrezz]

Did ya pack thenew one w/ grease before assembly? I can't remember how much , or how he got it in there, but I saw the blue grease around it. I'm sorry to say, but sounds like it needs to be replaced again, or at least taken out before any really bad damage can occour.

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Looks like it's Fcked... Well needless to say took it apart and this is what the centering ball unit looked like, my question is the little pins that were in the unit were already lubed with grease, what would cause them to go to **** like this that quick being completley rusted and tore to hell. I was under the impression that this part was sealed