Freightliner Cascadia. Instruction - page 21
41–00 Safety Precautions
Safety Precautions in this section apply to all
procedures within this group.
DANGER
When working on the vehicle, shut down the en-
gine, set the parking brake, and chock the tires.
Before working under the vehicle, always place
jack stands under the frame rails to ensure the
vehicle can not drop. Failure to follow these steps
could result in serious personal injury or death.
41–01 Driveline Inspection
1.
Park the vehicle on a level surface, apply the
parking brakes, and chock the tires.
CAUTION
Due to the extreme load occurring at high-speed
rotation, a loose or broken capscrew at any point
in the driveline will weaken the driveline connec-
tion, which could eventually result in serious ve-
hicle damage. Tighten bearing-cap capscrews or
yoke-strap capscrews to specified torque, being
careful to not overtighten.
2.
For U-joints with bearing caps, tighten bearing-
cap capscrews 43 lbf·ft (49 N·m). See
.
For Arvin Meritor RPL series U-joints, tighten
bearing-cap capscrews 125 lbf·ft (169 N·m). See
.
For U-joints with yoke straps, tighten yoke-strap
capscrews 125 lbf·ft (169 N·m). See
.
3.
Check the driveline yokes for cracks, and check
end-yokes for looseness. See
.
Replace cracked yokes.
If any end-yoke can be moved in or out on its
shaft, or can be rocked on its shaft, disconnect
the driveshaft and U-joint from the yoke, then
check the drive component’s shaft seal for leak-
age or other visible damage that may have been
caused by the loose yoke. Replace the seal if
needed, then tighten the yoke nut. Refer to
Group 41 of the Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual
for torque specifications. If the yoke is still loose
after tightening the yoke nut, replace the end-
yoke and yoke nut.
Replace the prevailing torque locknut (end-yoke
nut) if it was removed for yoke replacement, seal
replacement, or any other reason.
4.
Check U-joint assemblies for wear by moving the
driveshaft up and down, and from side to side. If
any movement of the U-joint cross in the bear-
ings can be felt or seen, replace the U-joint as-
sembly.
f410155a
04/13/98
1
1
1
2
ME
R I TOR
1.
Self-Locking
Capscrew
2.
Adhesive Band
Fig. 1, Arvin Meritor U-Joint Fasteners for Bearing
Caps
f410182
12/09/97
Fig. 2, Arvin Meritor RPL Series U-Joint
Driveline
41
41/1
5.
Check if the midship bearing and mounting are
loose or have deteriorated, by attempting to
move the driveshaft up and down, and from side
to side. If the bearing is loose on its shaft, or
rattles, replace it. If the bearing mount is loose
on the frame, tighten the mounting fasteners to
the proper torque value. See Group 41 of the
Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual for torque specifi-
cations. Replace the midship bearing assembly if
the rubber cushion is deteriorated or oil-soaked.
6.
Check slip joints for spline wear by moving the
sleeve-yoke and splined shaft back and forth.
See
. If the slip joint can be twisted in a
clockwise, or counterclockwise movement
greater than 0.007 inch (0.18 mm), replace both
the sleeve-yoke and the splined shaft.
7.
Visually examine the driveshaft tubes for dents,
bends, twists, or other damage. If any tube ap-
pears to be damaged, refer to Group 41 of the
Cascadia
™
Workshop Manual for repair and re-
placement instructions.
8.
Examine the driveshaft for evidence of missing
balance weights, and for buildup of foreign mate-
rial. Remove any foreign material. If there is any
f410067b
1
2
3
3
05/01/95
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
NOTE: Not all fasteners are shown.
1.
Transmission
2.
Transmission Output-Shaft
End-Yoke (yoke-strap type)
3.
U-Joint Assembly
4.
Bearing Cap Self-Locking
Capscrew
5.
Bearing Cap
6.
U-Joint Cross
7.
Bearing Cup (for yoke strap)
8.
Yoke Strap and Capscrew
9.
Slip-Joint Assembly
10. Sleeve-Yoke (bearing-cap type)
11. Dust Cap
12. Splined Stub Shaft
13. Driveshaft Tube
14. Tube-Yoke (bearing-cap type)
15. Axle Input-Shaft End-Yoke
(yoke-strap type)
16. Rear Axle
Fig. 3, Components of a Basic Driveline
Driveline
41
41/2
evidence that balance weights are missing, re-
move the driveshaft and have it balanced.
9.
For driveshafts with slip joints, check to be sure
the yoke plug is not loose or missing. See
.
Repair or replace the yoke plug as needed. If the
yoke plug is missing, the splined shaft may be
hitting the plug and knocking it out; contact your
Regional Service Office for assistance in deter-
mining the correct driveshaft length.
41–02 Driveline Lubrication
Universal Joint Lubrication
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with Meritor RPL Se-
ries drivelines do not require periodic lubrication.
1.
Park the vehicle on a level surface, apply the
parking brakes, and chock the tires.
2.
Wipe all old grease and dirt from each U-joint
grease fitting. See
.
3.
Use a hand-type grease gun, or a high-pressure
gun with a low-pressure adapter, to lubricate
U-joints. If a low-pressure adapter is not used,
U-joints may not receive enough grease.
Using lithium 12-Hydroxy stearate grease (NLGI
Grade 2, with EP additives), lubricate until new
grease can be seen at all four U-joint seals.
Fresh grease must be seen escaping from all
four bearing-cap seals of each U-joint. On full-
round yokes equipped with a bearing cup, if most
of the grease being added to a U-joint can be
seen escaping from just one of the U-joint seals,
check the torque on the capscrews at that seal.
4.
Tighten the bearing-cup capscrews 43 lbf·ft (58
N·m). If the capscrews were already tight, or all
of the U-joint seals still do not purge, remove the
bearing cup at that seal, and examine the seal
for damage. If the seal is damaged, replace the
complete U-joint.
5.
If grease does not appear at one seal, use a pry-
ing tool to pry the U-joint trunnion away from the
non-purging seal, or tap the driveshaft or yoke
with a plastic or rawhide mallet on the side oppo-
site the dry seal, while continuing to lubricate. If
grease still does not appear, loosen the cap-
screws at the bearing with the dry seal, to relieve
seal tension. Lubricate the U-joint until new
grease is seen at the seal, then tighten the cap-
f410012a
05/27/93
Attempt to move the sleeve-yoke and splined shaft back
and forth.
Fig. 4, Slip Joint Spline Wear Checking
f410050a
10/20/93
1
1
2
3
3
3
4
5
6
7
8
A
A. After grease appears, cover the pressure-relief hole
while continuing to lubricate.
1.
Slip Joint Grease Fitting (with grease gun attached)
2.
Yoke Plug
3.
Grease
4.
Half-Round Yoke
5.
Yoke Plug Pressure-Relief Hole
6.
Slip Joint Seal
7.
Full-Round Yoke
8.
U-Joint Grease Fitting
Fig. 5, Slip Joint and U-Joint Lubrication
Driveline
41
41/3
screws to the correct torque specifications. If the
bearing will not take grease, replace the U-joint.
Refer to Group 41 of the vehicle Workshop
Manual for replacement instructions.
6.
Check the purged grease. If it appears rusty,
gritty, or burned, replace the U-joint.
7.
Wipe the purged grease from the seals, and any
excess grease from the grease fitting.
Slip Joint Spline Lubrication
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with Meritor RPL Se-
ries drivelines do not require periodic lubrication.
1.
If equipped with a grease fitting, wipe all old
grease and dirt from the slip joint grease fitting.
See
.
2.
Use a hand-type grease gun or a high-pressure
gun with a low-pressure adapter, to lubricate the
slip joint. Add multipurpose chassis grease
(lithium 12-hydroxy stearate, NLGI Grade 2, with
EP additives) until it appears at the pressure-
relief hole in the yoke plug. Then cover the relief
hole with your finger, while continuing to apply
gun pressure until new grease appears at the
slip joint seal. See
. This ensures complete
lubrication of the splines.
3.
Wipe the purged grease from the pressure-relief
hole and slip joint seal, and any excess grease
from the grease fitting.
Driveline
41
41/4