Inaccessible grease point on double-cardan joint

[POD]

twr7cx's thread about his Tom Wood driveshaft reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask for a while about the Tom Wood double-cardan shaft I have installed on my 130.
The greasing point on the yoke in the centre of the double-cardan joint can not be accessed by the supplied tool except by unbolting the shaft from the transfer case input. When the shaft is rotated so the grease nipples are at the bottom, the joint is pinched together so the tool can not be inserted. With the shaft rotated to where the grease nipple is on the outside of the bend, it is inaccessible due to obstacles such as the transfer case itself. This has resulted in this part of the shaft only getting grease when I have time to unbolt the shaft. Has anyone else come up with a solution to this problem?

[Mick_Marsh]

twr7cx's thread about his Tom Wood driveshaft reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask for a while about the Tom Wood double-cardan shaft I have installed on my 130.
The greasing point on the yoke in the centre of the double-cardan joint can not be accessed by the supplied tool except by unbolting the shaft from the transfer case input. When the shaft is rotated so the grease nipples are at the bottom, the joint is pinched together so the tool can not be inserted. With the shaft rotated to where the grease nipple is on the outside of the bend, it is inaccessible due to obstacles such as the transfer case itself. This has resulted in this part of the shaft only getting grease when I have time to unbolt the shaft. Has anyone else come up with a solution to this problem?
Have you tried grease nipple extensions?
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/168.jpg

[loanrangie]

Have you tried grease nipple extensions?
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/168.jpg

They wont wont work Mick due to the already limited space in the joint.

[Chops]

G'day Pete, there's a grease nipple kit you can buy which has various sorts of extensions and nipples which should be able to get in there. Chris (rangieman) has one, so he might chime in later with some more info. Not sure if he got it from Bunnings.

[POD]

The grease point in the d/c joint doesn't have a nipple in the normal sense, it has a little concave gizmo and they supply a tool that goes onto your grease gun in place of the standard grease-nipple fitting- a tapered plastic arrangement that has a radiused end that you hold onto the concave thingy. A picture would help here, might have to get under there and take a photo.
It would be fine if the joint was straight when the suspension is at rest, or even if I could get to the grease fitting at the horizontal position. Removing a floor panel to access the grease point from above- where the joint is open- would be an option but if you have to go to that much trouble it's easier to unbolt the propshaft from the flange.

[Mick_Marsh]

Is this what you are describing?
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/167.jpg

This type of grease nipple is all over the Merc.

[remer]

Thats the one.
Tom supplies a needle tip with the shafts when new, I lost mine but now use a airgun needle that srews into my grease gun, you do need to take that end of the prop off to access the nipple though

[POD]

What Remer said.

[steveG]

I've got a TW shaft on the front of the county and have the same issue.

So far I've just taken the shaft off to grease it, but have been thinking about either:
1. A "U" shaped pointed grease fitting so that you can get into it from underneath with the grease nipple at the top, or
2. Drilling a hole in the floor panel and fitting a grommet thats easy to remove when you want to grease it.

Steve

[MLD]

i use one of these

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/158.jpg

but given your description what about something like this

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/159.jpg
macnaught - purchased through backwoods. get onto the macnaught web site and see if they have a needle grease point that suits your needs.

[Chops]

Your other option is to get a piece of flexible hose to screw on the gun to take your long fitting (?).

[rangieman]

G'day Pete, there's a grease nipple kit you can buy which has various sorts of extensions and nipples which should be able to get in there. Chris (rangieman) has one, so he might chime in later with some more info. Not sure if he got it from Bunnings.
Im here [wink11]and i got the kit from super crap ,It was about $50.00 from memory and i remove my shaft off the T/C to do it with this tool from the kit[biggrin]
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/158.jpg

[remer]

Mine looks like the needle valve you would use to inflate a footy but is about twice the size

[rick130]

The easiest way is to use the MacNaught needle point and take the floor out !

Easy peasy then, ;)
I've dropped the t/case end too, until I thought bugger it, and took the drivers floor out.

[POD]

The U-shaped needle thingy might be worth a shot. I have a flexible hose on the grease gun but there isn't room to get it in with the fitting facing upward. Taking the floor out is problematic now as I glued mine all down with sikaflex a while back!

[350RRC]

The easiest way is to use the MacNaught needle point and take the floor out !

Easy peasy then, ;)
I've dropped the t/case end too, until I thought bugger it, and took the drivers floor out.

To really adhere to the landrover spirit you don't take the floor out, you just cut another hole in it to access what you want. [biggrin]

My transmission tunnel is like swiss cheese and sometimes I can't remember which patch is for what haha.

cheers, DL

[twr7cx]

twr7cx's thread about his Tom Wood driveshaft reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask for a while about the Tom Wood double-cardan shaft I have installed on my 130.

I have a previous thread on this - Greasing Tom Woods Driveshafts (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/204382-greasing-tom-woods-driveshafts.html) - never found a solution for doing it in situ.

[dranoweb]

I put long grease nipples on my perentie UJ's. I found nice skinny ones that cleared it well - bursons for $6.https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/07/89.jpg

[twr7cx]

I put long grease nipples on my perentie UJ's. I found nice skinny ones that cleared it well - bursons for $6.

The grease nipple being discussed is not on a UJ. It's for the ball of the double-cardan. The reason why a flap special type is used is because the knuckles close over it - if a normal grease nipple or a long unit (such as what you have pictured) were fitted it would be crushed by the knuckles when the shaft rotates around. If it was two days ago when I had my front tailshaft out I would have taken photographs to illustrate for you but I've refitted it now.

[dranoweb]

Ok that makes a little more sense. Well the inverted type of nipple previously suggested might be your best bet then.

[rick130]

Ok that makes a little more sense. Well the inverted type of nipple previously suggested might be your best bet then.

That's what it already has ;)

It's the centring bearing for a double cardan shaft which is impossible to access from below due to the angle of the shaft.

[dranoweb]

Maybe find a solution that makes it easy to remove?

[bee utey]

It's the centring bearing for a double cardan shaft which is impossible to access from below due to the angle of the shaft.

How much does the angle improve if you roll the front right wheel up a car ramp on its own? Then use a bottle jack to allow the wheel to rotate to align the grease nipple to the best position.

[rick130]

How much does the angle improve if you roll the front right wheel up a car ramp on its own? Then use a bottle jack to allow the wheel to rotate to align the grease nipple to the best position.
Don't know and won't be doing it on the Deefer ever again. :(

I think I got into it from the side once, but I could be mistaken???
I just remember greasing it before installation and the last time it was done the floor came out as it was easier than dropping the shaft which had happened in the interim.

[POD]

How much does the angle improve if you roll the front right wheel up a car ramp on its own? Then use a bottle jack to allow the wheel to rotate to align the grease nipple to the best position.

Worth a try, will give it a shot this week.

[POD]

Ok I tried the front wheel up, no go. Maximum articulation of the right front wheel only gives around 10-15 degrees of movement to the propshaft and only opens the bottom of double-cardan joint by a millimeter or so.
I tried the local Bunnings for the grease gun fitting set, couldn't find it but came away with an air gun set with a nozzle that might work.

[Mick_Marsh]

Ok I tried the front wheel up, no go. Maximum articulation of the right front wheel only gives around 10-15 degrees of movement to the propshaft.
Understandable. You need to lift two wheels. If you lift the front left, you also need to lift the rear right. Lift them under the axle. Just far enough to allow the wheel to spin.

[POD]

Not going to cut it I'm afraid, the front diff would have to go up by more than a foot from resting height to be able to get the supplied tool into the joint, the double cardan is of course the fulcrum point for propshaft movement so large movements at the other end make a very small difference at the joint. A quick look yesterday showed there was no chance of getting at it from the bottom by axle articulation. Back to trying to get a tool in from the top.

[Mercguy]

Unsure of which type you have - theyre likely to be either the flush type or the button head type.
Mine are the flush type.

Macnaught's needle coupling leaves junk everywhere, I used to use them on my Merc, but now I have these.
MS24203-1 / MS24203-1 FLUSH FITTING NOZZLE, FLUSH FITTING COUPLER (https://www.saeproducts.com/flush-fitting-nozzles.html)

Either way, you can order the bit you need here:
GREASE FITTING COUPLERS | GREASE FITTING COUPLERS, GREASE GUN COUPLERS, ZERK FITTING COUPLERS (https://www.saeproducts.com/grease-fitting-coupler.html)

See if this is what matches your UJ fitting.
FLUSH TYPE GREASE FITTINGS, FLUSH ZERK FITTINGS, NAS516-1A, NAS516-M1 (https://www.saeproducts.com/flush-grease-fittings.html)

These are the button head type, which you can easily grease with a special 90º fitting. If you have the button head type.
Button Head Grease Fittings, Button Head Zerk Fittings, Giant Button Head Grease Fittings (https://www.saeproducts.com/button-head-grease-fittings.html)

[remer]

Hope this picture of the grease port and tool attached

[Old Farang]

On the "Drive Shaft Maintenance" page of Tom Woods website he himself posts that the only way that he knows how to grease it is to remove the shaft, at least at the T/C end. He also shows a picture of the tool, which I assume is the tool he supplies with a new shaft.

I have to wonder if it is not possible to drill out the centre yoke housing into the centre pivot point, tap a thread into it and fit a grease nipple of your choice on the outside of the yoke. Maybe you should take it up with Tom.

He also makes some recommendations concerning grease.