M151 Driveshafts

[67N20]

Good morning Drive shaft problems this time

I went to install a supposedly rebuilt driveshaft on my M151a1 And discovered that I can't get to the grease fittings with a regular grease gun, the old, original driveshaft I could. Seems the zerk fitting on the new u joints are at the wrong angle. Also built a little wimpy. Smaller diameter cup shafts.

Is there a source for original, made in the USA, U Joints ?

Thanks

67N20

[markrdje]

Get needle nose fitting for grease gun, then I had to hold it to the zerk, pump handle.Sounds like wrong driveshaft.Try Army Jeep Parts.

[Ron D]

Just a thought. Dismount the u-joint, spin it around and put it back in. That should point the zerk in the right direction so you can get on it.

Somebody put it in backwards. Works on old Chevy's anyway......

Good luck!

[67N20]

I could use the needle point grease tip, however i much rather have the correctly made right part.

I also did turn one u joint around and that made it worse.

Thanks for the come back comrades

67n20

[Rickf]

There are several grease fittings on those joints that you cannot get with a normal fitting and you have to use the pointed tip fitting, no getting around it. Most guys have two grease guns, one with a hose and a normal tip and another with a metal tube and pointed tip on it. I am not talking about the rubber pointed tip or the hypodermic needle type. this one is a tapered steel tip fitting that you hold tight against the ball in the normal type grease fitting. You can actually use it with any type of grease fitting.

[Ron D]

I believe I'd keep searching for the correct u-joint. Doesn't the Army tech manual (parts listing) give any clues?

Part of the problem is that some vendors sell parts they insist are "correct", but there's no marking on the part, it doesn't come in a labeled package, and if you call and ask about it they won't tell you anything. Tell them the zerk is obstructed and you'll get crickets I bet.

If you can find a local old-school drive shaft shop I bet they'd crack that nut in a heart beat.

Btw......I'm not a Commie, "comrade".

Good luck!

[GPW1263]

RonD is correct. Reverse the U joint and all will be well.

[Rickf]

Ron and GPW, You guys must be using an exceptionally thin grease gun fitting because reversing the joint will not accomplish what you need. the interference point is the u-joint cap with the bolts going through it.

[Rickf]

Good morning Drive shaft problems this time

I went to install a supposedly rebuilt driveshaft on my M151a1 And discovered that I can't get to the grease fittings with a regular grease gun, the old, original driveshaft I could. Seems the zerk fitting on the new u joints are at the wrong angle. Also built a little wimpy. Smaller diameter cup shafts.

Is there a source for original, made in the USA, U Joints ?

Thanks

67N20

You say it has smaller diameter cup shafts? Not exactly sure what that means but there is only one u-joint for this application. There are no civilian replacements. It is possible that the old shaft had the wrong joint in it, possibly from a very early straight 151 rear axle shaft. Not sure if the bolt pattern is the same but it did use the same style but a hair smaller joint.

[GPW1263]

With all respect due to RickF (who has been a great source of information to me over the years) I have had this exact experience and the possibility that we may be comparing apples and oranges notwithstanding, flipping the joint did solve the problem. I provided those details on another site.

However, Rick's solution for providing lubrication to otherwise inaccessible grease fittings is certainly just as valid a way to deal with it as anything else.

Replacing parts (ones are no longer available) with something else often brings with it certain limitations (such as inaccessible grease fittings). This really becomes an issue when the next guy comes along and has no clue as to what he's facing in terms of substitution problems. A lot of information about a machine gets lost when a new owner comes along, unless we keep notes and hand them over with the title.

Most of us are intimately familiar with being 'The Next Guy' and with the big ol' bear traps we inevitably step in when we delve into someone else's work. Let's face it, the day is coming when original parts are just not going to be there and other steps will have to be taken to resolve that.

But, in a case such as this, there is a high probability that The Next Guy won't grease it at all, especially if he is faced with even the slightest difficulty getting grease to the joint.....especially if he doesn't know about other options.

For we U.S. based members, Tractor Supply always has a very nice variety of grease gun fittings in stock just in case you want one today, including those little narrow fixtures that RickF is mentioning. They are certainly not the only supplier of such things.

Having options for providing lubrication to your precious machine is worth the effort.

Cheers,
GPW1263

[W. Winget]

This was the Army's solution:

Grease Gun Adapter

V/R W. Winget

[muttguru]

There are several different makes of needle-nosed grease-gun adapters...... here's another one....this is from NAPA:-

http://www.g838.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t ... int#p93508



Ken

[Rickf]

That one that Ken is showing is my favorite. The other one that Winget showed works but they tend to not seal easily. I do not get the one that attaches to the end of a normal fitting like shown by Ken since that gives you another point for grease to leak from, and it will believe me. I get the one that screws right onto the pipe on the gun. You poke that tip into the ball in the end of the fitting and push the ball in and it is surprising how well it seals without a whole lot of pressure holding it in there.

[67N20]

Ron D...... thanks for catching that in my signature, I didn't know if anybody would see that

I do have a skinny needle point and the bigger one, and the narrow tube with the nylon seal on the end. Someone sold me a rebuilt drive shaft with the wrong zerk fitting angle. He probably didn't even notice, I did. and after taking the u-joint apart I noticed that the shaft size was a smaller diameter. If the genuine parts are not available, oh well, I'll make do with knockoff parts. I'll make some phone calls next week after convention maybe i'll get lucky and find a couple

Thanks everyone I do appreciate the information.
67N20

[Rickf]

NOS and good used drive shafts are readily available from the usual dealers.