After 114k miles, looks like I'm in the market for rear drive shaft u-joints. What has everybody out there found to be the toughest rear drive shaft u-joint- brand and P/N- on the market ?

Chip

 

After 114k sounds like stock isn't too bad.

 

Yeah huh, mine went at 45,000 miles, at a really busy time of year. I changed it myself, with a precision part, and still had a tiny vibration. So I took it to a drive line shop when things slowed down, and they put 2 new spicer u joints in it and balanced it. Like a new truck again, and still, at 82,000 miles. They were really big on the Spicer u joints, they didn't like precision.

 

Like I've said before I replaced all mine with AAM joints. Always a perfect fit and have had zero issues with them. How are you using the truck? To me that depicts on what u-joint to go with. I tow a fari amount and some hqy driving so a super stron expensive joint is pointless. In my offroader I wont run even a spicer u-joint as I go through them too quick.

 

Light towing, heavy load very seldom, highway driving. All I want is to find a u-joint that will last as long as the originals have.

 

in all honesty, I think you got lucky. Although the stock joints seem strong, every one of them that I have changed had been dry. They could of put a little more engineering in them and sealed them a bit better, or at least shipped em with a little bit of grease in em. I believe Napa 231 is the joint # for the rear, long bed. The joint for the short bed is different if I remember. Thats a greasable joint #. Not sure of the sealed # as I guess im old fashioned and prefer to know there greased.

 

If you pick a non greasable, be sure to pack it before you install it (leave a bit of air space for expansion). They always come with not enough in them.

 

Don't buy the precision ones from napa. Just think it is the same one that is for my Cherokee. You think that will hold up? You can buy greasable aam joints. Maybe some folks need to try to talk to jantz 4x4 and see if they will start making some for our trucks.