driveline u-joints

[Defective]

How many miles can one expect from factory driveline joints?

I have roughly 218k miles on mine and since I have them out for a tranny/t-case swap I thought I'd look at them closely. They seem to be holding out very well. There is very, very little play in them at all. The only parts I'm really concerned about are the hanger bearing and part on the front driveline that looks like a ball and cup. That part has a small crack on the edge of the cup that looks like it was angled to far at some point. It all feels pretty smooth and doesn't look like it's a problem, but should I replace this part?

Is there something specific the splines should be lubed with when they go back in? Anything on the ball/socket?

Possible that there's a different set-up for these? I thought I read you could put a single piece shaft in. Is it any better? Is there a better cv type setup for the front out there?

Thanks!

 

[crbnunit]

If there is any play at all, they are toast. The crack in the cup pretty well tells the story. They need to be replaced. Since the cup is part of the drive shaft, it will need to go to a shop to be repaired.

If you are driving on the street, the stodk setup is probably best. You can get high angle joints for off road but they will probably cause vibration on the highway.

I just use regular bearing grease on the slip joints. You should probably give your u-joints a shot of grease every time you change your oil. It doesn't take a lot.