[kihun]

so i called toyota dealership and ask them if they grease zerks..
they were like.. what in the world is zerk?
is there any other term??

 

[smoking_rubber]

so i called toyota dealership and ask them if they grease zerks..
they were like.. what in the world is zerk?
is there any other term??

I was just in the dealership yesterday (for 25k checkup) and I asked them the same thing. He looked at me like I was a noob. "That's old school we don't use those anymore."

He was just the appointment/service desk so maybe he isn't aware? Does that mean the mechanic that worked on my truck didn't know either? Are there really zerks on my 2013 FJ? Do I need to get under there myself?

 

[Maxxmoto]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7LPKKU/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3UPOD5O08GT8E

What do you guys think of this here doohickey?

If it will fit into some of the tighter areas that the Zerks live in, it would be a nice solution to the business end of the grease gun getting stuck on the Zerks. I like it. Thanks for the link! :bigthumb:

 

[big green egg]

I was just in the dealership yesterday (for 25k checkup) and I asked them the same thing. He looked at me like I was a noob. "That's old school we don't use those anymore."

He was just the appointment/service desk so maybe he isn't aware? Does that mean the mechanic that worked on my truck didn't know either? Are there really zerks on my 2013 FJ? Do I need to get under there myself?

In my experience, nobody calls them Zerks anymore. If you mention grease fitting nipple-looking thingies, they will know what you are getting at.

 

[slo4x4]

I just did mine last night for the first time 42K they definitely were not being done by the dealership.

Word to the wise for anybody that does it themselves. It is easy to do yourself. Much easier to do with 2 people.( One person can put the car in neutral and push the car to turn drive shaft, and assist in pumping)

If you bought a new grease gun then be mindful that the adapter will grab the grease fittings tightly and doesn't want to let go. I thought I was going to rip the grease line off the gun trying to get the fitting off a few of the fittings.

 

[Jb7710]

Have been feeling "the lurch" fairly frequently since I bought my '07 last month. It's bothered me a little, but I knew it would bother my wife a lot once I let her drive it. I bought the stuff I need to grease my Zerks (am I the only one that thinks Starcraft when I hear that?) last night and will be tackling it this weekend. I'm no grease monkey by any means- never even changed my own oil! I will be now that I bought these ramps and creeper! Never spent so much time at auto parts stores before...kinda fun!

 

[81N4RY]

It's amazing a thread about Zerk fittings is still active after 7 years.

:wink

 

[FJosh07]

Just finished and yes it is a pain getting those couplers to release off the zerks. You have to angle it and wiggle! I got this done thanks to help with this thread and this video:
http://youtu.be/W8p6ESMYvxM

Never done on my 2007 at 73k?!? Just 2-3 pumps and your good!

 

[FJ-6MT]

So I got under there and greased the zerks on my 2013 6MT. I always ask the dealership to grease them when they oil is changed, however, the front u-joint on the front drive shaft took a lot of grease, the others only a little.

I greased the slip yokes until the shafts extended about 1/8". No grease came out. I bounced the suspension up and down, drove back and forth stopping short, drove over speed bumps etc but still no grease has come out of the slip joints. Should I add more grease to the slip yokes?

 

[amaclach]

so i called toyota dealership and ask them if they grease zerks..
they were like.. what in the world is zerk?
is there any other term??

Greese Nipple

 

[DEWFPO]

So I got under there and greased the zerks on my 2013 6MT. I always ask the dealership to grease them when they oil is changed, however, the front u-joint on the front drive shaft took a lot of grease, the others only a little.

I greased the slip yokes until the shafts extended about 1/8". No grease came out. I bounced the suspension up and down, drove back and forth stopping short, drove over speed bumps etc but still no grease has come out of the slip joints. Should I add more grease to the slip yokes?

No, you're not trying to pack or fill up the slip yoke. Centrifugal force will spread the grease out along the splines as you drive.

DEWFPO

 

[Brian Vantana]

Interesting read. Didn't note this diagram illustrating the nipples (Zerks) so I'm adding the link (see Page 2)http://www.purefjcruiser.com/docs/2007%20Toyota%20FJ%20Cruiser%20Repair%20Manual/Maintenance/Chassis/00400610.pdf

 

[FJC-Fan]

nipple clamp review:

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/maintenance-tech/532098-nipple-grabber.html

summary = its a must have !

 

[BrewsterII]

Great information, I got under the truck and was done in 15 minutes. I trust my dealer, then again, I don't trust my dealer. I feel better now! :smile

 

[jasonfjc]

Make sure your pump until grease ooze out of the slip yokes.
If you don't, the old grease will dry up by the seals causing blockage.
You should see grease flung by the slip yokes every time you grease the yokes because that's how they keep greased.
If your car is clean no flung grease by the slip yokes, you have a problem.

 

[javylsu]

Make sure your pump until grease ooze out of the slip yokes.

If you don't, the old grease will dry up by the seals causing blockage.

You should see grease flung by the slip yokes every time you grease the yokes because that's how they keep greased.

If your car is clean no flung grease by the slip yokes, you have a problem.

Thanks for posting this. After reading so many posts about “hydrolock,” I did a lot of digging and came across the factory manuals for both Spicer and Dana. Both of the manuals instruct lubricating until grease can be seen exiting the slide yoke. The Spicer manual actually has you plug the seal near the u-joint with your finger in one of the slide yokes until grease comes out of the slide yoke itself near the splines. It makes sense, the old grease has to go somewhere...

I re-lubed all 6 zerks today with my two new guns and greases, and I can definitely say that I under-lubed the last time. For the slide yokes, I kept pumping and pumping... I must have put at least 20 pumps in each slide yoke. I kept pumping until I saw the grease starting to ooze out of the slide yoke - and when I saw the gunk coming out of the spline, that’s when I knew I had under-lubed the last time. I had only put about 3 or 4 pumps last time fearing the dreaded hydrolock. Seeing that new moly grease coming out was a reassuring feeling. The front slide yoke seal actually made a “pop” sound when it was full, and it dumped the excess grease into the u-joint. A lot to clean up, but at least I know it was properly lubed.

A check after a quick drive (which included engaging the 4WD and flexing the chassis by mounting a few big curbs) revealed a nice pattern of flung grease by both of the slide yokes.

Moral of the story: Over greasing is definitely the way to go on the slide yokes.

 

[DEWFPO]

Moral of the story: Over greasing is definitely the way to go on the slide yokes.

I am going to again urge caution on this. My slip yoke does not have a hole in it to relieve pressure. I checked and double checked.

While I pumping mine up with grease, at one point the pressure abruptly pushed the splined shaft out and created a fair amount of pressure on the driveshaft. It was trying to push the differential and the transmission apart. And there was no grease coming out between the yoke and the splined shaft. Perhaps this is because mine was built in 2006 and the newer yokes have the bleed hole...... but mine did not.

Just a word or caution. Check before you go overboard with the grease.

DEWFPO

 

[javylsu]

I am going to again urge caution on this. My slip yoke does not have a hole in it to relieve pressure. I checked and double checked.

While I pumping mine up with grease, at one point the pressure abruptly pushed the splined shaft out and created a fair amount of pressure on the driveshaft. It was trying to push the differential and the transmission apart. And there was no grease coming out between the yoke and the splined shaft. Perhaps this is because mine was built in 2006 and the newer yokes have the bleed hole...... but mine did not.

Just a word or caution. Check before you go overboard with the grease.

DEWFPO

Sorry, I probably should have been more clear - my slip yoke doesn’t have a “hole” in it either - it’s the OEM unit, which has a press-fit cap that allows grease around the perimeter of the cap if pressure gets too high - similar to the way a sink stopper seals your sink (but with flow in the opposite direction). The reason I mentioned the bit about Spicer’s instructions to “plug the hole with your finger” was to underscore their intent of pumping grease until it reaches the splines, which might require building a bit of pressure by plugging the relief hole with your finger.

I would advise anyone greasing the slip joint to GO SLOW. You want the shaft to move, but I wait until it settles back a bit before pumping any more. My splines probably took so much grease because I don’t think they were ever properly lubed before I bought the rig. I suspect future greasings won’t take nearly as much grease.

Just to be sure, I got underneath the rig yesterday after the drive home from work, and noticed a little bit of moly grease coming out of the seal where the splined shaft enters the slip joint, so now I have positive confirmation that my seals and joints are working properly and are sufficiently lubed.

 

[PandP]

Took awhile but I read thru the entire thread. Great info here on the mysteries of zerks! Love this forum!

 

[jcl78]

Sorry, I probably should have been more clear - my slip yoke doesn’t have a “hole” in it either - it’s the OEM unit, which has a press-fit cap that allows grease around the perimeter of the cap if pressure gets too high - similar to the way a sink stopper seals your sink (but with flow in the opposite direction). The reason I mentioned the bit about Spicer’s instructions to “plug the hole with your finger” was to underscore their intent of pumping grease until it reaches the splines, which might require building a bit of pressure by plugging the relief hole with your finger.

I would advise anyone greasing the slip joint to GO SLOW. You want the shaft to move, but I wait until it settles back a bit before pumping any more. My splines probably took so much grease because I don’t think they were ever properly lubed before I bought the rig. I suspect future greasings won’t take nearly as much grease.

Just to be sure, I got underneath the rig yesterday after the drive home from work, and noticed a little bit of moly grease coming out of the seal where the splined shaft enters the slip joint, so now I have positive confirmation that my seals and joints are working properly and are sufficiently lubed.

I wanted to quote javylsu's post here because I believe it is dead accurate. When I first lubed the zerks, they were bone dry, probably never had been done, because it took so many pumps that initial time. I saw the driveshaft move finally with enough, so I let it settle. Echoing javylsu here, GO SLOW! You do definitely want to see the grease exiting the slip yoke sleeve eventually, then you know you are done. Don't keep pumping without letting the driveshaft settle though. Any "horror stories" about hydrolock on the driveshaft must have come from too many pumps without time to settle in my view.

Now I lube the zerks every oil change (5K miles) and they take only a few pumps before the grease can be seen exiting the sleeve. No issues for me, and the thunk is a distant memory now.

In short:

If you just bought your FJ, lube the zerks immediately. Toyota put them there for a reason, but dealers and owners seem to neglect this service universally.
Pump the slip yoke full of grease until you start to see the driveshaft move, then give it enough time to settle. Then rinse and repeat until you see grease exiting the slip yoke sleeve all around. Careful if you have high mileage not to rush this, because the seal can separate if you go to town on it.
Lube them at least every 5000 miles (I believe Toyota recommends every 1000 miles, but I don't have the time for that honestly.)