The tire shop that does my company truck tires uses a product called "EQUAL" in my tires, it is similar to the sand except that is a powder and blown in through the valve stems.

My truck tires are 19.5" on bread truck style rims and have been difficult to balance the traditional way so they recommended this and it works great.

 

AMEN to that Tony, we should start a thread of notable quotes and remedies by yesterdays mechanics.

My late Uncle always used grease on water pump gaskets since oil and water dont mix.

Mark

 

I'm happy to say the vibration is gone. I think I still have an issue with the pilot bushing tho.
20# torque on universal joint u-bolts dosn't seem like much.

 

I have a vibration, too. I know it has to be the rear most u joint. Looks like the po installed it backwards, I can't access the grease fitting from any angle. I removed the fitting once and used a straw to try and fill it with grease. That was a couple of months ago and now I can hear it squeaking again.

I've been lazy about getting it replaced, but now that I'm moving cross country in 2 weeks, I must get it done. I just know that no matter where I take it they're gonna try and rob me blind (I'm not doing it in the snow).

 

they make needle adapters for grease guns that can reach in hard to access areas

 

Tried the needle, too. It just kept squirting back out.

 

If it's squeaking change it, and yes the will charge out the wazoo but I don't blame you for not wanting to do it in the snow. I worked in the Rockies long enough to understand.

 

I was taught (lectured?) that when you seperate the driveshaft at the yoke, you mark it so you can put it back on the same way it came off.
The reason for this is that the yoke, being a machined chunk does not necessarily have the ears the e-x-a-c-t same distance from the centerline of the yoke. Likewise, the ears on the driveshaft that hold the u-joint may not be the e-x-a-c-t same distance from the centerline of the driveshaft. If you put the u-joint back on the yoke the way it was when you removed it, you won't cause a vibration to get worse (or better). But if you rotate the driveshaft 180* when you install it you could be stacking up variances and cause a vibration (or you may fix a vibration). Like if the yoke ears are offset by .010" and the driveshaft ears are off by .010", and you put it back together one way, you could end up with a .020" wobble in the driveshaft, or put it on the other way, and it could be dead nuts on. If you end up with a tollerance stack up, the driveshaft will vibrate no matter how many times you have it balanced.

Take a look at the Ford Truck Shop Manual where they show how to check the yoke and driveshaft for runout and it will be easier to follow than my explanation.

 

I always mark mine, but when some idiot doesnt, I look for the arrows.

 

I ran across that explanation in the shop manual after the fact and it does explain it well
I also didn't find the arrows and that diveshaft is clean.The one in question is the short shaft in front of the center support carrier on a 2 shaft system.
The vibration seems to have moved up to 55-60 mph but is nowhere as bad as it was.The rear rums are pulsing as I brake to stop so I'm going to have to take that out of the equasion next.

Kuzzins,The check ball in the zurks can sometimes rust shut,if you can take a very small center punch and tap it lightly you could possibly free it to allow the grease to go in.