4X4 2 Door Tahoe

My 95 Tahoe is eating rear u-joints at the rate of about one per month. The factory u-joints lasted up to around 140K and the only reason I replaced them is because they began squeaking in reverse. I never experianced the clucking noise at take off until after about a month of replacing them the first time.

I'm now on my third aftermarket rear u-joint and it has began clunking also. I've tried u-joints with, and without, the grease fitting, and I've bought the heavy duty 4X4 u-joints from O'reillys. Should I try factory u-joints from the dealer? Or do I have a more seroius problem? Additionally, I've greased the driveshaft spline going into the transmission without any improvements.

The truck is 100% stock, with no lifts or oversized tires, and rarey see's heavy off-road use.

The clunk may not be the u-joints and you may be replacing them needlessly. U-joints when they go almost always squeak and by no means should they be shot after only a month unless you are doing something horribly wrong when installing them. The clunk i suspect is something else , possibly the slip yolk clunk that i have seen many times in this forum. I think you may have wasted a fair amount of money replacing the u-joints when there was most likely not a thing wrong with them. I could be wrong but i have NEVER seen a u-joint need replacing in less than a month UNLESS like i said you are doing something real bad when installing them. All i ever used to use to remove/install u-joints was a hammer and i vice (not the best way but it worked) Also from what i have read the place that you should be greasing the slip yolk is on the outside, not on the splines

The clunk may not be the u-joints and you may be replacing them needlessly. U-joints when they go almost always squeak and by no means should they be shot after only a month unless you are doing something horribly wrong when installing them. The clunk i suspect is something else , possibly the slip yolk clunk that i have seen many times in this forum. I think you may have wasted a fair amount of money replacing the u-joints when there was most likely not a thing wrong with them. I could be wrong but i have NEVER seen a u-joint need replacing in less than a month UNLESS like i said you are doing something real bad when installing them. All i ever used to use to remove/install u-joints was a hammer and i vice (not the best way but it worked) Also from what i have read the place that you should be greasing the slip yolk is on the outside, not on the splines


Thanks for the response Kenny. I agree that it's not the u-joint, I'm just not sure what it is. Fortunately I'm doing the work myself, so that's keeping the expense down. I guess what's puzzeling me is that the klunking is non-existent right after completing the u-joint replacement. Taking off from a stop, it accelerates quietly and smoothly. It slowly becomes more and more evident, to the point where it becomes extremely distracting in a matter of weeks. Additionally, there is no vibration in the drivetrain.

Exactly what is the "slip yoke"? Are you referring to the rear-end yoke? Should I be greasing the outside surface area of the u-joint where it connects to the rear-end?

The slip yolk is the front part of the drive shaft that slips into the trans, get a good heave duty sticky grease and grease the outside of the entire part that slips into the trans

The slip yolk is the front part of the drive shaft that slips into the trans, get a good heave duty sticky grease and grease the outside of the entire part that slips into the trans

Yes, I've already tried that and it didn't help. I also checked the nuts on the u-bolts, they're tight. There doesn't seem to be any unsusal play in the driveshaft when I check it by hand, only under a load does it make a noise. I'm puzzeled.