Halfshaft Ujoints
 

Just occured to me, do the u-joints in the rear of the 06 models need lubrication? I don't see it on the schedule but I have never looked.

Take it from one that knows. All my u-joints had a fitting for lubrication and they were dry as a bone on my car. I had to replace 2 of them.

Ouch! I guess I'd better get under there!

How is the fishing in the bay?

Certainly all the older Jaguars XJs 1,2, & 3 etc with UJs had grease nipples, but I am not sure about the modern cars. Sometimes there is a plug to allow a grease nipple to be screwed in, but some UJs have nothing.

All of mine were fitted with the nipples. If you do not have them any good parts store will have them.

My 2000 XK8 and my 2006 XKR are both fitted with them.
Pete O. Vero Beach,Fl.

I grease mine when I change my oil and filter.

Pete,
Did yours come with the car or were the fittings add ons?

Chaz, Both cars came fitted. The XK8 I bought new and the fittings had plastic caps on them.
Pete

Do you know if this is something the dealer does in the course of an oil change?

It is on all classic XK8/Rs (1996-2006), and you need to grease them every 10Kmiles, so each service.

Running them dry was a costly mistake.

How Costly?

Well I did not need to sell the first born to pay for it. I guess what I was trying to saying is that a little grease will go a long way in preventative maintenance. It was just a matter of having both changed on the same side.

no idea where these joints are...looked in the JTIS, couldn't find them.

I'd like to have my lubed appropriately next time its in to get an oil change.

Any diagrams, pics?

Matt,
They are on the drive shafts from the rearend to your wheels. You have two universals on each side and you have I think 2 on your drive shaft from the trans to the rearend

What is the grease of choice for these u-joints?

I was under there a month ago and briefly looked for fittings, (just bored), but evidently did not look very hard.

If properly maintained, how long are the U-joints good for... 60K, 100K or is it a number of years?

The u-joints very rarely fail, as long as they're greased. :)

If you're looking for weak points in the driveline, the differential, the rubber isolation ring in the driveshaft, and the driveshaft center bearing fail more often than the u-joints.

TTYL
David