Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: pthurman48 on October 21, 2023, 03:50:44 pm

Title: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: pthurman48 on October 21, 2023, 03:50:44 pm
Back in 2019, I had to replace my drive shaft u-joints.  They were dry , needing grease, and coming apart.  I got them fixed.  I also was told that the transmission was leaking around the output shaft.  It was and I had it fixed at S & S, Longview, TX yesterday.  They did a good job that I am pleased with.  The worn out u-joints vibration caused by no $2 grease is what took out the seal and nut in the transmission(MD3060R) .  $82 Nut,  $55 Seal, $33 kit, $1500 Labor.  This time I will use lots of grease!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Scubajeeper on October 21, 2023, 06:02:11 pm
Grease is cheap no matter how much it costs!
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: oldguy on October 21, 2023, 08:17:56 pm
I grease my coach twice a year and use a Molly grease which is expensive but is worth the
price.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Elliott on October 21, 2023, 08:34:00 pm
My Milwaukee electric grease gun has turned into one of my favorite tools. It has made a normally crappy job somewhat enjoyable/therapeutic
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: pthurman48 on October 23, 2023, 12:38:25 pm
I agree with all the replies,  I also love my new Milwaukee electric grease gun. 

How often do you grease the u-joints and slip-joint ?
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Elliott on October 23, 2023, 12:46:53 pm
How often do you grease the u-joints and slip-joint ?
Every oil change. The service manual for my Oshkosh chassis calls for it every 6k miles or 6months.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: wolfe10 on October 23, 2023, 01:00:10 pm
Every oil change. The service manual for my Oshkosh chassis calls for it every 6k miles or 6months.

OR, after driving though heavy rain.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Dave Dunington on October 28, 2023, 09:38:42 am
Please remember to wipe the Zerk, grease nipple , off with a clean cloth before greasing ... or else you force dirt into the u joint ... Don't over Grease .. listen an you will hear a slight noise just before the grease is forced out of the joint ... Oil and Grease are in fact cheap repairs ... Take CARE.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: wolfe10 on October 28, 2023, 10:22:15 am
Please remember to wipe the Zerk, grease nipple , off with a clean cloth before greasing ... or else you force dirt into the u joint ... Don't over Grease .. listen an you will hear a slight noise just before the grease is forced out of the joint ... Oil and Grease are in fact cheap repairs ... Take CARE.


NO. This advice is just perfect for front end links with boots, as you don't want to over-expand or unseat the boots.

But, for U-joints, you continue greasing until clean grease comes out all 4 bearing caps. Then wipe off access.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Geodmann on October 28, 2023, 01:08:48 pm
Just some advice to not make the same dumb mistake I made and I've never seen any one comment on this before.  I greased the slip yoke on my driveshaft while the coach was blocked up at its highest position.  Of course most of you already know where this is going.  I couldn't believe how much grease the joint was taking and I thought it must have been completely dry.  Sometime after I eventually lowered the coach to ride height I noticed what I thought was a big pile of dog poop under it.  Think Great Dane size pile.  About $15 worth of grease lol.  Doesn't seem to have been a problem but I have noticed that the driveshaft has now slung excess grease all over the underside of the chassis.  Not sure how to know when you have the joint full since I don't fit under the coach unless it's raised up and I don't have a pit.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: oldguy on October 28, 2023, 01:56:23 pm
If grease is going in I don't put any more grease than ten shots in anything.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: Dub on October 28, 2023, 05:32:07 pm
Like Peter I've always hit the slide yoke with 10 to 12 cycles/squirts worth of grease. I use a battery grease gun. I've done that for decades on diesel trucks as well and have never had any failures due to lube. No call for you to gut punch yourself over the mistake, how were you to know. I grease my drive line every 3000 miles, may be excessive but it's always served me well on class 8 trucks and Diesel pusher. I grease the front end at oil change every 6k miles.
Title: Re: Do the basic maintenance or you will pay
Post by: oldmattb on October 28, 2023, 05:41:19 pm
I regularly see these shop videos about cars and trucks with 60K miles, with the original oil and filter.

Beyond basic care of valuable stuff, I find that stuff a spiritual "sin," a moral bankruptcy.