fleurys Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I will be changing my u-joints shortly and wanted to have opinions on some that have used spicers instead of oem. I would like to know if they fit good, solid, etc.... the ones i'm looking at are the spicer 5-153x for the front and 5-1505x for the rear. oem is basically 3 times more expensive... is it worth it ?? Tks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 spicer is a good line as long as you get their premium part. there 2nd teir (spicer red flag I think its called) may not be as nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 we use all spicer u joints and flange joints at work...specificially SPL55, SPL70 and SPL100s...one thing to look at is their XS (no lube joints) i know those series are probably more extreme than what you would need and I didnt take the time to look up the 4 bolt flange U joint to see which would mate to the nissan rear axle but they're good...hell you could probably have them make you a full front and rear driveshaft...no clue what it'd run you but would be expensive none the less...I don't think its worth the upgrade tho b/c I've never really heard of nissan OEM driveline problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 13, 2010 Author Share Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) Update.... I finally changed my u-joints (4) and got rid of my bad vibration in the front...But finding u-joints for my pathfinder turned out to be a little more complicated then expected until I stumbled upon Jason Hickman of the ujointstore ( http://www.theujointstore.com ) . I did my research before ordering and I was pretty much set on the spicer 5-153x for the front and the 5-1505x for the rear... All this was according to my phone calls to some spicer resellers and also the spicer/dana web site.... Well,, I would have been dead wrong going with this cause any of the reseller (except Jason) raised a crucial question which was "are your snap ring inside or outsite the cup of the u-joint? ) Well, I,ll be damn! The spicers were designed for outside snap rings....but my present ujoints are INSIDE... SO I would have ended up spending a good amount of money for NOTHING... It seems that many online catalog do not count for all the differences of the truck... For instance, after checking my FSM, for my year, 2001, if the truck was a manual trans, then the snap ring are outside...if it is a automatic, they are inside...all this because the manual vs automatic have diffeerent driveshafts! I couldn't believe what I was reading, but it's there.! Obviously Jason did not rely on the catalogs only and was asking the right questions. He then proposed me the NEAPCO brand which is 100% USA made. His experience played a big role in that purchase since he has been selling/installing u-joints for many years. At one point I was looking at the precision brand made by Federal-Mogul and also the GMB brand. Jason told me that many time those have excessive play in them as the tolerances are not what they should be.... So I followed his advice and went with NEAPCO 1-449 for the front (which are greaseable) and the higher end 1-0029BF Brute Force series for the back. The brute force are made more rugged and permanently sealed with nitrite rubber. I installed them last night and the U-joints are simply perfect.. The tolerances are right on and with the snap-rings, there is simply no play in there.. It's tight and not only my driveline vibration is gone, but what I thought was tires not balanced perfectly ended being a little because of the old u-joints... My truck feels new again.. If you are looking for U-joints with good advice and very good prices , talk to that man : Jason Hickman (By the way, Even though it seems like it, I was not paid to advertise for this company... They simply do the job with great advice and great prices... I thought it was worth mentioning, since finding good people that are ready to help and knows what they're talking about seems more and more difficult these days ! ..) pictures: NEAPCO 1-0449 : NEAPCO 1-0029BF: Edited April 13, 2010 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 Thanks for the information!! That is the best place for a gease fitting (as long as it distributes correctly) I have seen yet. Most are tucked in and impossible to access once installed. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 good idea to use the sealed on the rear. don't wanna knock a zerk open on something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qx4donald Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 sorry to raise the dead... but how can you tell if the snap-rings are "inner" or "outer". Is it safe to assume all R50.5 drive shafts "inner" type? How would you remove a inner type snap-ring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Crawl under your truck and take a look? It will be pretty obvious. I used a screwdriver and a hammer to remove the inner ones. It's easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qx4donald Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 cool - just wanted to clarify if it was really "that easy". didn't wanna flux something up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarehouseRat Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 what did you pay for the new joints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Resurrection! Sorry to revive the dead, but thought I'd add some thoughts on this, since this is the post I based my purchases off of. Installed Neapco 10029 (it's labelled "PDQ", which I assume is a lesser line than the Brute Force) on the rear drive shaft and what a pain in the... Seriously, probably one of the most annoying jobs I've ever done. I've heard suggestion to carry spare u-joints on trail runs....yeah, screw that. I needed a floor press to get mine apart. Better off carrying a spare driveshaft. Getting the clips off wasn't difficult, but getting the caps off was something else. But anyway, I started with a driveshaft that had some hesitation on both ends on one axis, each side. Probably not enough to warrant replacement, but I had the shaft down for other work and have been sitting on these joints for a long while now. As for the 10029's, the c-clip channels were not spot on (could tell early this would be the case by comparing the joints...sorry, no pic). Got it to work, but feel it required more work than expected. Also, there's not enough clearance on the front u-joint to access the zerk fitting, as Precise1 mentioned. The rear zerk is manageable, but still tight. I seem to have also introduced a rumble in the driveline, but the driveline saw several changes during this session. Although "Made in the USA", I kind of wish it wasn't so that maybe I had a better chance of getting 4 c-clips and a zerk fitting instead of 3 c-clips and 2 zerk fittings with it. Had to re-use a clip unfortunately. I'm sitting on the 10449 joints wondering if I'll ever bother with them...add this to my list of inexpensive parts that take too long to install (PCV valve is on that list). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I installed the same brand of u-joints and they did not last very long. This was a few years ago. I had much better success with the precision u-joints. Same bull@!*% issues with the channels. I eventually just got a used driveshaft, felt the same hesitation as you call it, on what looked like the original nissan joints. Decided to leave well enough alone. I think the spare u-joint is a jeep people thing. I have never damaged one in almost a decade of wheeling. I have seen people break driveshafts though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Yeah, I'm not too sure how well these are going to work in the long run, either. Took the shaft apart again, and the joint ends already show some marring from contact inside the caps, and they have maybe <15 miles on them. I suspect it's from pressing them a little to line-up the clip channels, but not sure what other option I have. Thought about cleaning and re-using the previous joints, but I'd only be able to make one joint from the parts, and it's probably not worth it. I'm just going to relocate the zerks to the caps so that they're actually accessible and put it all back together, hoping it resolves the rumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPB.88 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Yeah, I'm not too sure how well these are going to work in the long run, either. Took the shaft apart again, and the joint ends already show some marring from contact inside the caps, and they have maybe <15 miles on them. I suspect it's from pressing them a little to line-up the clip channels, but not sure what other option I have. Thought about cleaning and re-using the previous joints, but I'd only be able to make one joint from the parts, and it's probably not worth it. I'm just going to relocate the zerks to the caps so that they're actually accessible and put it all back together, hoping it resolves the rumble. Just be careful, as that might throw off the balance of the driveline. also make sure it came out the exact same way it was in before. They are balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Thinking I'll be ok...the zerk is really light, and I plan to put it on a cap opposite-ish of the existing hole (which I'll plug with a set screw). I was hoping to do this all last night, but couldn't find a 1/4-28 tap. And yep, going back together the way it came apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Some come with zerks in the end cap, so it shouldn't be an issue. The ones I had installed by a shop were loose within a few days worth of driving. Then again it didn't help they fskced up balancing the drive shaft as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Agreed. The 10449 joints have them on the end, so I assume it's pretty negligible. At this point, I may just say fskc it and not even worry about the fittings. Saves me the trouble of drilling and tapping, cleaning out shavings, etc. Only the front zerk would be inaccessible...and to make it accessible, pulling the shaft down isn't too tough. If I pack it well enough, doubt I'll have to think about it for a while. I just want the truck back together at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathyAndTheJets Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Spare u-joints is definitely a jeep thing. They have straps that hold 'em in so they're a lot easier to change, just need a ratchet, sockets and a hammer, since only two caps are press fit. In my experience with jeep guys, they don't pay attention to driveshaft angle when they lift their Jeeps 4 inches, and that is why they blow out their u-joints so frequently. I put zerks on one side on the back joint, and opposite on the front joint, because while it may be negligible, i like the symmetry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Well, fingers crossed. I reinstalled the u-joints, opting to not move around the zerks. I had to do some floor press magic to push apart the caps a tiny amount once I had the clips in, which relieved just enough tension on the joints. They both move freely now. I was also able to use a clip from the front joint's pack...of course, I still need another clip if I ever plan to install those. About to put the driveshaft back on, hopefully I can call this project complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Well, driveshaft isn't the problem. But at least I feel better about the joint install now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I lied! The driveshaft is the problem. Because the u-joint channels are slightly farther apart than the (presumably) OE ones that were removed, I can't tweak the joints enough to limit the runout, which measured near the 0.60mm limit per FSM. I was able to get it down to about 0.18mm, which still produces a minor rumble around 65mph +/- 3mph, but it's far more driveable than it was (and alleviates fear that the new carrier bearings on the TJM were worn, or that I somehow botched the backlash on the gears.) Guess I'll take it to a driveshaft shop eventually and let them work their magic. Not much more I can do about it. Lesson (re)learned: if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuong Nguyen Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Bummer dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 My easy fix was to get a used driveshaft. I meant to just use it as a temp fix but the truck drove perfect after, so I left it on there, lol. Now the old one is still sitting in the garage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 My easy fix was to get a used driveshaft. I meant to just use it as a temp fix but the truck drove perfect after, so I left it on there, lol. Now the old one is still sitting in the garage... That's kind of what I was thinking about doing, too, but definitely one less thing I need in the garage. The driveshaft itself is fine, though, and I would think a proper shop can correct the runout with a little shifting of the joint in the yoke and a marginally thinner c-clip on one cap. One axis is almost spot on, it's just the other axis that's still off a tiny amount. I just don't have the tooling to precisely adjust things like that. Best I could do was throw it back on the floor press, reinstall it on the truck, and re-check runout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I had my old pathy's driveshaft "fixed" at a shop and regretted it. Of course you should try and find someone good, in my case, the truck drove worse than it did before. I'm pretty sure they didn't balance it properly or install the u joints correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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