Grease rear uni joint

[renato]

After i cursed the engineers i took it all apart and cut away about 3 inches on the cover that blocks our beloved grease fitting

[Guest ratchethack]

After i cursed the engineers i took it all apart and cut away about 3 inches on the cover that blocks our beloved grease fitting

The rear U-joint is easily greased with the rear wheel out. Taking the bevel drive off (simple and easy enough in half a minute with the wheel out) gives full access to the grease fitting on the cross.

 

I suspect you refer instead to the FRONT U-joint, and not the rear??

 

If so, the first big Q is -- Can you now access the fitting through the cover?

 

The next big Q is -- If you cut away 3 inches, wot's left of the cover?? Not enough to provide any protection in the event of a U-joint failure it would seem? So why put something without any function left in it back on??

 

Please advise. After disassembly of the FRONT COVER (swingarm out), with exactly this in mind, I was forced to conclude that drilling a simple access hole for the grease gun would be futile -- without also reversing the U-joint cross in it's trunnions. If you refer instead to the front cover, maybe you've proven me wrong, or maybe your components have different dimensions than mine??

 

Enquiring minds. . . (well, you know)

[renato]

The rear U-joint is easily greased with the rear wheel out. Taking the bevel drive off (simple and easy enough in half a minute with the wheel out) gives full access to the grease fitting on the cross.

 

I suspect you refer instead to the FRONT U-joint, and not the rear??

 

If so, the first big Q is -- Can you now access the fitting through the cover?

 

The next big Q is -- If you cut away 3 inches, wot's left of the cover?? Not enough to provide any protection in the event of a U-joint failure it would seem? So why put something without any function left in it back on??

 

Please advise. After disassembly of the FRONT COVER (swingarm out), with exactly this in mind, I was forced to conclude that drilling a simple access hole for the grease gun would be futile -- without also reversing the U-joint cross in it's trunnions. If you refer instead to the front cover, maybe you've proven me wrong, or maybe your components have different dimensions than mine??

 

Enquiring minds. . . (well, you know)

 

yes front u joint, it was a access hole, and i now have no problems greasing it and you do what to grease the rear u joint? i have no problems with that one, now im confused

[Guest ratchethack]

yes front u joint, it was a access hole, and i now have no problems greasing it and you do what to grease the rear u joint? i have no problems with that one, now im confused

YIKES!

 

It's been 3 months since I thought about this, but now you've got ME confused, Renato.

 

The title of the thread is 'Grease Rear UNI Joint', but you refer to the front U-joint cover??

 

Just checking: You are aware that there are 2 grease fittings at the rear U-joint? One is in the U-joint cross (same as the one on the front). The other one at the rear is actually on the shaft trunnion, and lubes the shaft splines.

 

I had the same thought as you did WRT access to the front grease fitting through the FRONT U-joint cover. My idea was to simply drill a hole in the cover for access to the grease fitting on the cross. While I had the swingarm out, I took the cover off, and discovered that a hole in it would STILL not allow access to the fitting through the hole, because the fitting faces rearward. Now if the U-joint were dismantled and put back together with the cross and fitting facing forward (looks doable enough) -- then it appears that it would be accessable through a new hole in the cover.

 

I didn't do it, too far off on the wrong end of the effort/benefit continuum for Yours Truly.

 

I'm still wondering how this worked for you -- and (again) If you cut away 3 inches, wot's left of the cover??

 

I b'lieve this might be one o' those times where one photo would be worth a thousand words. . .

[fotoguzzi]

yes get a photo! I found the front joint pretty easy to lube once I had the right tool.. from ACE hardware i got a grease fitting with a swivel head so it can fit up the cover from rear and then swivel to the angle needed to reach into the zirk.

[sullvarni]

yes get a photo! I found the front joint pretty easy to lube once I had the right tool.. from ACE hardware i got a grease fitting with a swivel head so it can fit up the cover from rear and then swivel to the angle needed to reach into the zirk.

I also got the Ace hardware fitting up here in Canada and ground the tip down a little,and got it on the front zerk with not to much dinking around, The harder part was getting it off but a few taps with a long screw driver and job done dont' have to remove anything.

When i read some of the previouse threds on this topic it sounded like some kind of torture,i thought there had to be a easyer way,you have to make sure the fitting is on top of the shaft of course then i sit on the ground faceing rearward with the grease gun between my legs and manoeuvre the grease fitting in to place,if anyone wants to see the fitting i could post it.

 

Ratchetback thanks for the info on the eratic RPM idle,i found the problemo it was at the end of the throttle cable where it joines the plate near the throttle body was hung up,"Live and Learn"

 

STU.

[dangerous]

NOW... what is it with Guzzi and going backwards? ok so my 1100i sport had a hole in the guard around the front uni, so remove the 2 screws that hold the rear master on and bamo... straight in with the grease gun.

 

However with my 04 V11 there is no acsess hole on the guard... so with great dificalitys and the rear wheel out I can get a needle point tip on a flexy hose in if and ONLY if the uni is in the right position, this meaning its a 2 man job.

 

So... I have considered drilling a hole in the guard around the front uni as acess... anyone done this?

[fotoguzzi]

if you grease the center zirk (the spline area) with the wheel off, grease will push the driveshaft out making it longer and the axle no longer aligns. so I had to take off the zirk and push some grease back out while pushing the back of the shaft in. put axle back on then refill the zirk fitting.

[gstallons]

You want to grease the fitting of the splined portion afer everything is installed.

[dangerous]

The rear and center (spline) nipples are a piece a piss to grease up... we are talking about the frount uni nipple, so no ones had a crack at drilling a hole like the sports have?

[savagehenry]

Hi Dangerous, If I understand your inquiry correctly, Yes it's been tried and does not help. Since the zerks fitting points toward the rear of the bike, you still don't have clear access to it even if you drill the guard. And I just did a major overall bike servicing. I found that once you have the wheel and final drive off, it's just as easy to simply remove the front portion of the driveshaft and grease it fully as you also rotate the u-joint through it's entire range of motion. If it is going bad, you will know it right then. Another added bonus of doing a job thoroughly, plus that shaft costs about $700.00 so it is not a part I want to grease "pretty good", I want it right.

[Greg Field]

If your bike has more than 7,000 miles on it, I can almost garantee that the front joint will feel stiff, no matter how many times you have or have not greased it. To judge what I'm talking about you have to remove the whole shaft, which means removing the swingarm. It will remain stiff until it's completely worn out, and which time it will feel loose. This is based on a sample of over 80 u-joints examined. Is greasing worth it? I do not know. I grease mine anyway. It is stiff as hell, so it is not worn out, at 30,000 miles.

[dangerous]

Hi Dangerous, If I understand your inquiry correctly, Yes it's been tried and does not help. Since the zerks fitting points toward the rear of the bike, you still don't have clear access to it even if you drill the guard.

Ya... tis what I was thinking, that it wouldent work.

 

Hey now... the word "zerk" by this you are meaning the nipple aye? you know the knobby bit ya push the grease gun over?

I ask this out of interest, a US term for what we down under call a "nipple"

[grossohc]

Hey now... the word "zerk" by this you are meaning the nipple aye? you know the knobby bit ya push the grease gun over?

I ask this out of interest, a US term for what we down under call a "nipple"

 

 

Yep, the Americans call a grease nipple a zerk.

[gstallons]

The grease fitting we all see was invented and patented by Oscar Zerk. Arthur Guldborg and his father invented the grease gun while working for for the Alemite Die Cast Co.