U-Joint almost went bye-bye

[stereomind]

have you checked input voltage to the adapter while the bike is running?

You could always add a cheapo 12V regulator inline with the adapter, like a LM7812.. Pretty sure radio shack still keeps some around.

[BA80]

Yep, low 10.35 at idle and around 13-13.5v at 2500rpm.

I'm gonna try changing the regulator tomorrow (I could only find 8 in the garage) and check the connections on the ignition switch and maybe disassemble the switch itself if I have time.

[LoHo]

The list has encouraged me to be lazy, so I admit I haven't researched this at all, but how does the U-joint get lubed? That one looks pretty dry...is it a grease zerk or an oil bath or what?

[bikerphil]

It is pre-packed with grease and there is a rubber seal on each cup holding it inside.

[3Phase]

It is pre-packed with grease and there is a rubber seal on each cup holding it inside.

What Phil said. To grease it, you very carefully press the cross out of the yokes; clean and inspect everything, then re-grease the old one and very carefully press it back together or get another u-joint from Andreas Weiss or eBay.

I bought some tiny flush-mount Zerk fittings for the bearing caps on the cross but I haven't drilled and tapped them yet. I know they'll work but whenever I see the package of fittings I seem to wind up picking lint off the dog and looking for my keys and my glasses -- again.

.

[CaptonZap]

Hey Scott,
How were you going to drill and tap the cups/caps?
Every one of them I have ever dealt with are harder than the hubs of Hell, since they are the outer race for the needles.
At one time I gave thought to a capacitive discharge machine to make a hole through the end, but wondered if the grease would be flung out when it got hot, and then couldn't figure a way to plug the hole once the grease was injected with a needle grease point. Any ideas?

CZ

[BA80]

You should only need to drill one cap because the body of the u-joint is cross drilled and you can grease all the bearings from one cap. A drill press and a cobalt bit will do it.

The only thing I would worry about is the zerk catching the boot and damaging it.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Greg,

You say the body of the U-joint is Hollow, cross drilled?? Borrowed his picture:



Looking at it, what about drilling the CENTER Hub section, and fitting the zerk fitting there? If hollow, then you should be able to pack/squirt the grease throughout the hollow U-joint and have it make it's way to the 4 ends/bearing caps/zones?

T.C.

[3Phase]

The two XS11 u-joint crosses that I've actually held in my hands aren't drilled all the way through end-to-end, there's just a drilled pocket to fool you and trap dirt, water or metal if you don't clean out all of the old grease.

The Zerk flush mount fittings don't stick out so they're used for u-joint caps and in other tight spots. They have a low-profile button head and they have to be filled with a grease needle instead of the standard clip-on adapter.

Right now, my Zerk fitting mod for the u-joint is in the same stage as the Zerk fitting mod for the Final Drive Input Coupler so there is very little lint on any of the dogs.

.

[CaptonZap]

You should only need to drill one cap because the body of the u-joint is cross drilled and you can grease all the bearings from one cap. A drill press and a cobalt bit will do it.

The only thing I would worry about is the zerk catching the boot and damaging it.

And one Zerk causing an out of balance vibrations at warp speed.
And where do you get your cobalt metric taps?
CZ

[trbig]

Had a similar incident with mine. The dust on the paper is all that was left of my needle bearings.

[3Phase]

Silibalt!

Thank's Tod! Your first picture shows the pocket in the u-joint cross!

The Bayou Jeepers Jeep Club forum has a thread with a picture of a flush-type Zerk fitting:-
Flush Mount Grease Fittings?????

Drilling and tapping; tapping and drilling... does anyone besides me remember the My Favorite Martian episode where Martin tried to make a cyclotron in Tim's kitchen? He wanted to use it make Silibalt (Silicon and Cobalt) to repair his ship and go home but when he finally got some of it, the stuff's so tough that he can't do anything with it. (The Atom Misers - Season 1 e11)

So, yeah, figuring out that there's no way I can tap the hole even if I managed to drill it was a 'learning experience' for both projects.


Flush Grease Fittings
When I get going again I'll buy a handful of the driven no-thread Zerk fittings shown in Fig. 22. The threaded M6 fittings I have now, Fig. 15, are decorations for the parts bin until I find somewhere else to use them or throw them away.

.

[LoHo]

Damn, this is worse than watching medical shows..."Is my U-joint dry and chapped? Am I about to have a breakdown or a lock-up? Is that light tapping a loose valve, low oil level, my U-joint coming apart, or a rock in the tire tread?"

[BA80]

The two XS11 u-joint crosses that I've actually held in my hands aren't drilled all the way through end-to-end, there's just a drilled pocket to fool you and trap dirt, water or metal if you don't clean out all of the old grease.

The Zerk flush mount fittings don't stick out so they're used for u-joint caps and in other tight spots. They have a low-profile button head and they have to be filled with a grease needle instead of the standard clip-on adapter.

Right now, my Zerk fitting mod for the u-joint is in the same stage as the Zerk fitting mod for the Final Drive Input Coupler so there is very little lint on any of the dogs.

.

Most other joints are drilled all the way through. I could be wrong about this one.

And one Zerk causing an out of balance vibrations at warp speed.
And where do you get your cobalt metric taps?
CZ

You wont need a cobalt tap, just a drill bit. Threads are much easier to cut.

[3Phase]

Tod's picture's got the same cross in his hand as the two I've worked on, just a lot more ate up. You can see the bottom of the pocket in the cross, it's not drilled through. I though about drilling it through on one of mine, then I thought about there being plenty of perfectly good u-joints on eBay for ~$not-much-money -- shipped. That pretty well put a damper the drilling and the Zerk fitting mod too.

Loho, grease your own joint! And quit staring!

.