Universal Joint Installation

[Ed in Maine]

As part of my project rebuilding the rear axle I am putting the universal joint back together. When I picked up the inner cap A-4513 I noticed that it has two 3/8 in. holes in it. The parts book does not show how the holes should be oriented. I want to give a shout out to Steve C. Plucker for his paper written on October 13, 2006. This paper gives you all the detail on the various modifications to this part and for me what these two holes are there for (to facilitate universal joint lubrication). Steve, your paper is still be very useful. Ed

 

[Grier]

I believe it doesn’t really matter. The hole provides a way for some lubrication (u-joint grease) to get between the torque tube bell portion and the inner cap. This allows the lubrication of these mated parts to slide during the slight arcing of the rear suspension during driving over bumpy roads etc.