Grease Driveshaft - How far should I push it?

[Ranger9855]

I bought my first Ram (2016 Ram 3500 with ~130k miles). I followed Youtube tutorials for greasing up the front driveshaft (first time doing this). Zerk fitting was easy enough to find, and I can feel the needle tip going into the fitting correctly.

The weird thing is: I was only able to get one pump of grease into the fitting. Then, I felt lots of resistance and I wasn't sure if I should squeeze down hard to force it into the zerk fitting. Every Youtube tutorial I've seen teaches that grease will come out the other end (around the back side of the zerk fitting).

Is it expected that there is a lot of resistance when squeezing grease into the front driveshaft fitting (couldn't get any in with my left hand, but maybe I should push hard with both hands)? Is it possible previous owner never maintained this and grease has hardened on the other side?

Would love some opinions on this.

 

[CRB357]

Me too

 

[Jeepwalker]

Try driving it a little and adding more grease to it. You don't need to pump a lot of grease in there. A couple pumps would be good.

In an ideal world, a guy would remove the d/s, mark the yoke/spline ends, and remove the slip yoke. Then degrease, and apply a layer of grease on both ends and reinstall. Then pump in another couple pumps.

And then keep using the same grease all the time forever more after that. And never let anyone else ever grease it with whatever mystery-grease they buy for $1.99 a tube. Which eventually someone will pump in something watery (maybe incompatible) before you have a chance to bolt over and give them the Vulcan Nerve pinch.

 

[diymirage]

Sounds to me like its just full

This is your first oil change AND first time greasing out?

Seems most likely to me that the previous owner took care of it as he should and thats why it only took one squeeze

 

[Jeepwalker]

There's generaally an overflow hole (small), or a pop-out plug, on the back of most greaseable 4x4 yokes, so hydraulic pressure (if filled up and ya hit a bump) doesn't break something else.

But in all honesty I haven't actually looked carefully at the back of the Ram yoke.

 

[bm02tj]

If you are talking the double cardigan centering unit it does not take a lot of grease

 

[Jeepwalker]

Oh...you're right! I was thinking the splined yoke.

Yeah, that cardan ball...the stud the ball & bearing rides on is like less than an inch long and 3/8 or a little larger in Diameter. And the ball is what...smaller than a quarter? Yeah,...it doesn't take much grease at all. Better stop there at one pump. Did you see or hear a small amt of grease ooz out of the ball cup? You don't want to put in too much or you could hydraulically pop out the seal around the ball (that would be bad).

Sorry, my bad. Somehow I had it in my foggy brain the OP was greasing the splined end of the F. DS yoke.