Spicer Lubrication Manual - July 2012 - Manual (Page 13)

Driveline
Driveline Lubrication Procedure
Inadequate lubrication can cause driveline failure which can result in separation of the driveline from the vehicle. A sepa-
rated driveline can result in serious injury or death. In order to avoid driveline failure, including driveline separation, you
must:
Among the most common causes of universal joint and slip spline failure is lack of proper lubrication. Properly sized Spicer uni-
versal joints that are adequately re-lubricated at recommended intervals will normally meet or exceed fleet operational require-
ments. Inadequate re-lube cycles and failure to lubricate the joints and slip spline properly not only cause joint failures, but lead
to other problems such as slip spline seizures. Proper re-lubrication flushes the universal joints, thus removing abrasive contam-
inants from the universal joint bearings.
1. Carefully review the lubrication specifications in the manual.
2. Re-lubricate at recommended intervals.
3. Only use approved lubricants.
Spicer replacement universal joint kits contain only enough grease to provide needle bearing protection during storage. It is,
therefore, necessary to completely lubricate each replacement kit prior to assembly into the driveshaft yokes. Each journal cross
lube reservoir should be fully packed with a grease listed on the previous page. Each bearing assembly should also be wiped with
the same grease, filling all the cavities between the rollers and applying a liberal grease coating to the bottom of each race. After
the kits are installed into the driveshaft yokes and, prior to placing into service, they should be re-lubed, through the zerks, using
the same grease.
Lubrication Procedure for Universal Joints
1. Use the proper lubricant to purge all four bearing seals of each universal joint. This flushes abrasive contaminants from
each bearing and assures all four bearings are filled properly. Pop the seals. Spicer seals are made to be popped.
2. If any of the seals fail to purge, move the driveshaft from side-to-side while applying gun pressure. This allows greater
clearance on the thrust end of the bearing that is not purging. (On two-headed zerk fittings, try greasing from the oppo-
site lube fitting.)
3. Because of the superior sealing capability of the Spicer Seal design on the 1610, 1710, 1760, 1810, and 1880 Series,
there will occasionally be one or more bearing seals of a universal joint that may not purge. Seal tension then has to be
released. Bearing seals must purge to ensure adequate lubrication at all four universal joint bearings.
To Release Seal Tension:
4. On Quick Disconnect™ half round end yokes, remove the universal joint kit from the yoke and apply grease. Re-install
the universal joint kit, with new bolts, in the yoke and torque to specifications as listed in DSSM-3264.
5. On full round closed hole yokes, loosen the bolts holding the bearing assembly that does not purge to release seal ten-
sion. It may be necessary to loosen the bearing assembly approximately 1/16” minimum. If loosening does not cause
purging, remove the bearing assembly to determine cause of blockage.
6. Remove bolts and replace.
Note: The self-locking bolt design for full round yokes uses serrated bolts with lock patch and does not require a lock strap. DO
NOT reuse any retaining bolt. If loosening or removal of a bolt is necessary, replace it with a new one.
WARNING
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