I seem to keep replacing my front U-Joints once a year. The passenger side has been done twice in the past year and a half. And I did the front drive side one last summer, and now there is play in the joint again. It might be because I am using NAPA U-Joints but I wanted to get your guy's opinions.

My alignment in the front has been off since I bought the truck. Would a bad alignment cause the front U-Joints to keep braking?

 

Who makes the NAPA joints... I would of tried a different manufacture after they broke the first time.. I could see a bad alignment wearing out ball joints or tie rod ends but not u joints...

 

alignment has no affect on u-joints.

even the cheapest chinese should last more than a year.
what's happening with yours ?
are the seals failing?
do you have rust inside ?
are you filling the cup with grease at install?
i'd guess poor seals, road salt, and not enough grease.

Precision makes a very heavy duty greasable. the number might? be 377, but i'm not sure. about $30 at napa, or about $20 from amazon or rockauto. you have to use a grease needle to insert grease, as they don't have a regular zerk, but a little mini-thing.

 

I wouldn't think the alignment would cause this ether, just the only thing I could think of off the top of my head. I never added my own grease to the joints as they come per-greased. NAPA makes the joints, not sure if some one else does and they just throw their name on it.

I think this time when I do the job I am going to get the higher end joints and one's with a grease fitting. Not sure what fails first on them, but from the looks of it, they dry out.

 

on new u-joints, i remove the caps and fill them full of grease. it seems to me like they don't have enough in them. plus it helps hold the needles in place.

 

Going to have to give that a try when I do the driver side again. And hopefully get some joints with grease fittings at the parts store.

That way I can grease them up every oil change.

 

I'm pretty sure he's talking ball joints. I've never seen passenger or driver side u-joints. So in that case, yes alignment could have an adverse affect on ball joints and or tie rod ends. Just my $.02...

 

^^^ As you have a 4x4 you also have driver and pass side cross joints on the front diff, there inside the knuckle behind the wheel. napa cross joints are what I also use, they are just a cheap u joint nothing special; mine last about the same time.

 

Really you only get the same time out of it? I'm gonna more expensive joints when I do them again. I have NAPA U-Joints for my drive shaft, and they came with grease fittings.

Thanks for the input.

 

Yes thats it, I prefer to take my front axles out to service the the joint, you need to have it in your hands to tell whats going on with it. At $16 a u- joint it's not worth greasing them I just install new ones.