KATOOM

Thanks Moparman. Keep up the testing data..... Also, I think its worth noting for comparisons that my transmission runs very cool (or should I say "normal") unless I'm pulling a LOT of weight and up long grades for continuous miles. Short jaunts no matter the speed are hardly enough to cause any upper temperature readings. Thats not me trying to squash your good results either but merely pointing out that if you want to put that oil to the test then get at least 10k behind you and head out up the long freeway grades. If it stays as cool as you've already experienced then thats fantastic. For example, I can tow my 14-15k 5th wheel up the local mountain highway which goes from 600 feet elevation to 5500 feet in about 40 miles. Doing that in close to triple digit weather and the transmission will be fine until I pull the very last stretch. Doing it in the cold winter weather and 170* would be warm. That said, I've yet to pull this hill after installing the RV275's, so if I can maintain 4th gear throughout most of that grade then I'm sure the overall temperature will be much lower.

Until we're talking about a truck someone picked up used. Then.....we all care what the PO did.

I broke one decades ago, but it was a smaller series on a higher HP gas truck. Yes, breaking a u-joint is going to be very uncommon but I couldn't say if u-joint deflection was ever a variable in trunnion wear or why yoke ears break. Who knows..... And yes, the most strength lost is in the zerk hole whereby installing them with the twisting force pushing on the hole rather than pulling on it is important. Other than that.....I dont buy garbage parts because its cheap or the only thing they have.

Of course I dont have any pictures to prove it..... but the Spicer joints I have on my truck were solid ends and the cap seals were nothing of the same. I guess it just goes to show that not all brands are worth buying.

I no longer run greasable and only use Spicer non-greaseable. Why.....? Because greaseable has a weak single seal to allow grease to escape as you pump in new goo. That single lip seal also allows dirt, water, and any contaminants to enter the cap which will grind away until you find time to shove it out. On the other hand, non-greaseable has a strong three lip seal which snaps in place to not only keep all that grease in the cap but to keep all the dirt, water, and other contaminants out. There will always be vast variables of failure rates based on who you talk to but typically a non-greaseable will outlast a greaseable simply because the last thing on your mind is regularly getting under your truck and keeping the u-joints lubed up.

285 M/T tires Edge EZ RV275's 2" leveling kit At approximately 70 mph in 5th gear (5 speed) the EGT's will range from 650-750* and boost will generally be around 5 psi, depending on the levelness, ambient temperature, and wind.

I appreciate all the input guys. Yeah, I'll admit that I've become completely stumped on what to do simply because the more people I talk to and the more kits I look up the more confusing this whole adventure gets. I really just dont understand how ball joint quality can vary so widely. I mean if OE has lasted me over 100k miles then how bad could any aftermarket ones be? But yet so many people say that their aftermarket front-end parts only last 10k-20k miles is just CRAZY to me. Are improper installs to blame or are parts these day really just made out of play-doh and Super Glue? And you'd think being able to shoot a little grease in them every now and again would be a benefit since they're only pre-packed with whatever grease they come with.....and thats it. So technically they could be fairly dry of lubricant off the shelf. None of that even addresses the track bar or the tie-rod either..... But I have to say dripley that your statement below makes my head hurt trying to understand what you're trying to say. And whether or not you're an English Composition major genius or just had a too many beers before typing this out.....

Quad does tend to be a bit "pricey".

Ya dont have to keep the trap shut because yes I meant the 24 valve. The 12 valve has a torque curve between 1600 - 2300 (approx), but the automatic transmission 12 valve was odd with a curve that started around 1300 and fell off fast from there. Not sure why either.

Actually peak torque on these engines runs an amazing RPM gap from 1600-2700 whereby the torque curve is almost completely flat. These engines are towing monsters.....

Agreed in that I have to shift considerably higher in the RPM range simply because the drag and weight my trailer places on the truck is just too high for me to even consider idling through the gears. I drive very mellow and in low RPM's while cruising around without a load but when I have something heavy back there I clearly have to work the engine to keep the entire driveline happy.

Because of two reasons..... 1) Any OD ratio will generate more heat and place added stress on other bearings over that of 1:1. 2) With the 5th gear issues being rather prevalent from adding stress and shock load to that weaker designed gear/shaft, I dont care to run the risk. Not to mention that towing most trailers in 5th gear lowers the RPM's lessens air flow, lowers oil pressure, and raises EGT's. Which is generally my guide to whether or not I can tow in 5th gear. If the weight is heavy enough to cause the EGT's to hover above 900* consistently then the load is simply too great for that gear.....for me.

I wont use 5th (OD) ever while towing unless its relatively light weight, like a rowboat. But thats just me.....

So as the story goes..... The past couple weeks I've been hearing and feeling with my superhero like senses as I attentively and constantly monitor my truck for any odd noises, vibrations, and clunks.....I thought I felt something. Very difficult to detect but definitely something is not right and the best way I can describe it is as a very lite thump transmitted through the front suspension when I hit a sharp small bump, like a road reflector bump. Other than that it rides glassy smooth. Luckily I live on some fairly low traveled rural roads because I've been driving the center and wrong lane quite a bit trying to identify where the irritating feel is coming from, whereby I finally got under the truck and closely inspected everything and yup.....as expected, the track-bar is loose, the tie-rod ends, drag link and pitman ends have play, and the ball joints have a little up and down slop. Crapola..... NOT what I feel like doing or spending money on right now. I guess I'm going to look seriously at the 3rd gen track-bar (Mopar # 52122362AF for I hear around $350), but other than that I'm not sure about any other components. Ball joints are freaking crazy expensive so Carli's are out of the question but I understand XRF is supposed to be OK. At this stage of the game I'm just kinda looking for suggestions and pictures if anyone has some. Since 99% of people with 2nd gen trucks have had to do this, I'm guessing there should be some solid do's and dont's. Thanks fellas.

What gear are you most commonly using while towing and seeing those temperatures?

Your input is appreciated Haggar. I just try to keep it laymans terms as possible. Some like that.....some may not. And true, lots of people misunderstand the differences between a u-joint and CV joint and tend to call the the same. As for the pinion angle with a DC joint, yes, its never "ZERO" per say because ZERO is had to achieve and there's always angle changes as the suspension moves. But generally the rule of thumb is you want the pinion angle as little as you can to assure that u-joint doesnt cause a vibration. I've built drivelines for higher HP 4wd trucks and I've used a DC joint on the rear driveshaft. Worked great for shortbed trucks.

All those clips look perfectly fine. Dont touch them. Neapco are supposed to be a relatively quality u-joint but you know which ones I would have chose. I'm guessing they gave you a warranty too. As for the driveshaft angles, they're like that to offset one another. As a u-joint turns and the caps oscillate in movement, they create a harmonic vibration. So two u-joints are always set in exact opposite angles (sometimes through various multiple shafts to make up those apposing angles) so that the harmonics created by one u-joint will be canceled out by the other. This is why the pinion angles are not set at zero angles unless there's a double cardan joint on the other end of the shaft. Point being is yours are fine.

There's always a silver lining.

GREAT point.....! And MoparMan.....it seems you're regularly running from the law in May.

Around 45 miles or so. A mix of freeway and around town. No not really scientific but it still can offer some understanding of comparison if the temperatures are great enough. From the looks of it, Moparman could be running around 10* cooler than what I currently run but I wont know until the weather warms. Kinda hard to tell how hot any drivetrain component will maintain when the ambient temperatures are only 10*-20* above freezing.

I too fully appreciate your ingenuity Cowboy. But.....sorry I agree with all the naysayers, its not going to work. As others have pointed out, there's no pressure within the housing other than the temperature differences, so therefore nothing to push the fluid into the filter. Metal particulates wont simply travel into the filter because its there. Maybe if you had a really strong neodymium magnet stuck on the very end of the filter it would give reason for any floating metallic debris to find its way in there. But at the very least what you've created is a heat sink for dissipation as it hangs out in the open air. Thats worth something right there..... In your defense, any changes in temperature from that heat dissipation inside the filter may cause a slight and very slow pumping affect.....but again, I doubt it would do anything. In case you havent seen them, there are pressurized PTO fluid pump systems for transmissions. They're not cheap but they will create a fully pressurized gear fluid pump whereby you'd have to tap into the housing for a supply and return line and plumb in a cooler. Heck, there's even electric gear fluid pumps people commonly use for differential racing applications but since we're talking about the PTO..... Obviously we agree that this would be completely unnecessary too unless you were unable to maintain transmission fluid temps well above 225*.

You generally can tell if a needle dropped into the cap by the fact that the caps wont sit up against the seal and also wont want to seat in the yoke ears very easily without having to press them harder. And dont sweat having a shop take a look. No harm no foul and at the very least next time you'll remember what to do or not to do.....or you'll take it to the shop again. And yeah.....dont even try messing with the double cardan joint. If you thought the regular u-joints were a bugger then try seating two u-joints and the center spring loaded ball all at the same time inside a tiny little housing.

No disrespect Cowboy but I'm not sure what you mean. How did you come to the conclusion that it was running any cooler? Moparman, for perspective purposes..... Today it was around 70* outside and driving around the tranny never crested 100*. Sound similar? If you have tranny temperature issues in 40*-60* weather then I'm sure you'd be very concerned, as I would be for you too. As I've mentioned before, I'm looking forward to your summer time towing data.....

Everything has a typical service life span and as we all can contest through various threads and discussions in these forums, various components can easily go well beyond.....or fail a lot sooner. So I say sometimes its a crap shoot understanding why something fails or why it doesn't. And I drive my truck in all kinds of conditions too and get many cords of wood every year or drive the back fire trails. (Propane is too expensive to heat a house) So meaning dirt roads arent uncommon for my truck either as I collect enough lumber to keep my family warm. Even though its used as a truck, I dont beat it up..... And the weather around here is very dry and gets hot in the summer and rubber things cant seem to last a summer around here without drying out. I get tired of replacing bike tire tubes..... What does tear up u-joints is lugging the driveline, doing abuse things like burnouts, and overly high driveline angles.

This is where I got the FEP. http://www.mcmaster.com/#