Drive shaft grease nipple

[stonedrive]

Hi everyone, how easy is it to add a grease nipple to female spline drive shaft, how hard to drill hole and what size nipple to use. Cheers Steve.

[MandM]

Hi Steve it's easy, these are the grease nipples I used, just clean the Burr from the inside that you will get when you drill it easy to do, grease the splines as normal, I used black moly (will find that in a moment), then fit assembly to car pull back the rubber boot and pump in grease just until you see it coming along the splines , you can also dill a hole in the plastic u/j cover so it can be greased without pushing towards the wheel etc etc (Will find a picture)

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[MandM]

more photo's

moly.jpg P1030505.jpg P1070950.jpg

[MandM]

PS if you are coming this way , you can a few of these nipples

[stonedrive]

Hi Martin, thanks for that. Can you tell me what size unf hole to drill to take tap for grease nipple. Would it be tapered or straight tap. Can’t take you up on offer for nipples not coming that way for a while. Cheers Steve.

[MandM]

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if you have metric nipples you can use them, it doesn't matter, think i just didn't take the number 1 tape all the way through so the thread nipped the nipple thread but it will tighten to the shaft , it does not need to be very tight.

[MandM]

I think I drilled the plastic UJ cover with a 16mm drill so it would take grease gun end.

[stonedrive]

Hi Martin, excellent info thanks very much. Cheers Steve.

[Lingen]

It looks a very neat solution, but surely the shaft will need to be withdrawn from the yoke to a point where it has cleared the grease nipple, before you are able to get any grease in there, or at best only to one or two of the splines. The other risk is is that if you overfill the cavity behind the core plug with grease, the plug is very likely to get pushed out when the shaft gets pushed back in to the yoke as the suspension flexes.
Then you will have to dismantle the u/j to replace it.
Mike.

[MandM]

I don't have any problems getting the grease in with the driveshaft in it,s driving position on the car, you can see it move along ALL the splines by just removing the tie wraps from the rubber boot and push the boot towards the the wheel. But yes if you pump grease in like a mad man It Could possibly push the core plug out, but the grease will rather move in the path of lease resistance towards the rubber boot .

As I said before grease the splines in the normal manner when putting them together, then when fitted etc, pump in grease until it starts to move, a lot better and easier salutation to the keeping the splines lubricated. works for me

[Lingen]

That is useful information. I wonder why Triumph didn't fit them? The shafts would have lasted so much longer had it been simple to lubricate them regularly.
Mike.

[022Dave]

That is useful information. I wonder why Triumph didn't fit them? The shafts would have lasted so much longer had it been simple to lubricate them regularly.
Mike.

Probably on cost grounds, Mike. Back in the 70’s the routine greasing of running gear components was old-hat, and could mess up your flared trousers. Also, nipples was a very rude word.

Dave C