Stupid Lo Pro Zerk Fittings

[Mr Handy]

So Yesterday I replaced the U joints in my drive shaft While I had the shaft out to replace the Shaft idler bearing. Prolly a good thing because the U joints were getting pretty work and starting to get some ripple in them...
I picked up some moog u joints and they came with this stupid little zerk fitting that is low profile and requires a needle grease fitting and its a PITA. the fitting itself just threads into the end of one of the cups...

So I started looking on line and the thread on the zerks is 10/32. there are Zerk standard zerk fittings in 10/32 thread, but they don't have a check ball in them....

why cant they just make a u joint with a normal zerk fitting, the old design worked to the last million years or so...

Finally a real question, do you think a zerk without a check ball would be ok in this application? I am afraid with that zerk spinning around the grease will warm up and fling out of the bearings... I guess I could pull the entire drive shaft back out, and pull all the joints apart, drill out and tap for a standard zerk and put it all back together... that really does not sound like much fun.

[Stocker]

That is strange.... I've never before heard of a zerk without a check ball and don't understand the reasoning behind them. I wouldn't try it because as you say, the grease could just come out. Also, there's a path for contamination (water, grit) to enter the u-joint.

I've always used a needle adapter in applications where the standard grease gun fitting just won't work. It's never seemed difficult to me and it might be your best option.

This is what I have, with a standard zerk screwed into the bottom of it:


Dunno where I got it years ago but here's one place that sells it now: http://www.wayfair.com/Plews-Grease-...5-OMN1196.html