Dr ZEE

Guys,
so following the line in Haynes manual..."look under the vhicle for grease fittings or plugs..." left me with nothing, but I've found only one fitting for the front drive slip joint (is this what I think it is ??? ), please see first attached pic).
I can't see/find any fittings on any joint. So , guys, I've never done this myself, so forgive me for dumb question, but what should I do, how to lube them, or do I have to lube them at all. I would hate to just start pumpin' the grease into any space and hole I can find like crazy ....

Now, here's another thing that confused me right on the spot.
I went cheking the front axle joints, and here's what I've got here (see pictures):
On the driver side - boot-covered joint, so I see nothing, but the boot ..duhhhhhhhh
On the passenger side I have a dry rusty open joint. hmmmmmm
So what does this mean ...arghhhhhhhh
I feel pretty dumb at the moment.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
I also have made bunch of close up photos of all the joints, front / steering/rear ... I can post it(or them) if someone thinks it may help somehow figuring out the condition/type and/or how to lub them 'right way'.

thanks in advance again
/mike

mike albo

the first one is the zerk fitting for the slider tube on the drive line,normal.Not all u-joints have zerk fittings,normal.I personally have never seen the boot on a u-joint before.It looks like a CV joint almost.

Dr ZEE

oh, cool,
thanks.
Yeah I am pretty confused here about my front axle, do I have different "type" of joints there...or what?

So, how to lube a joint with no fitting "correctly"? Do you just pump the grease pointing ..hmmmmm, somehwere and get some amount in there where ever it sticks, sort of speak heh heh?
Here's another photo close-up (see attached) of the joint I have. Whe I look close, it looks like it's sort of sealed, or am I wrong?. I don't get it, if I pump the grease, then where will it go ... Or are this type of joints non-greasable, so you just leave them be??? I have the so-called "for-life" joints on my GMC truck, and that's why I have no clue about how to lube them, as I never even cared to know before

Matt Ellerbee

one a U joint and the other is a CV. found mostly on wj's and zj's. try to find another U joint shaft its much stronger.

and most driveshaft joints are not serviceable. its a sealed bearing deal, not needing regular greasing.

troy fritz

Look for anything with a fitting . There should be 2 behind each front wheel alone then another on stabilizer in front of the axle . Dont forget to wipe them clean befor you grease. You dont want to push dirt into the fittins. Put about 3 to 5 pumps in each. Fill it til the bushing feels firm but not where its pouring out.

COSXJFAN

The shaft with the boot on it came from another Jeep, either a ZJ, or a WJ, as was stated. They are a lot weaker, from what I've heard. If you are going to replace it, find a late model XJ,TJ to get them both from. These will have the larger 297 u-joints in the axle shafts. Then you can keep the old ones for trail spares to get you home in a pinch!! My shafts came from a 1998 TJ for example. Very easy, cheap mod you can do. HTH!!

Dr ZEE

Hi guys, thanks a bunch for helping me out figuring out what the hell is going on here.

So is the "mighty-rusty" one under the passenger side a greasable one? Am I looking in the wrong "place" for the fittings if they are there.
I am attaching the closer shot of the passenger side joint.

Also, what about the steering shaft joints. Mine are pretty greasy all around and are covered with "environmental crap" as well. grrrrr
Should I clean them up somehow and grease them somehow or something like that. ????
I really don't want to do something stupid, I don't mind thinking stupid, as long as I keep my hands in the pockets

The steering shaft joints photos attached.
Thanks a load, guys!