What grease do you use for the driveshaft splines?
What grease do you use for the driveshaft splines?
Rake...
Never had it....
Never will...
I was told by a mechanic I highly trust that Black Molly grease is best for splines and gears. Has something to do with ability to absorb or not be adversely affected by the crush factors. Yup, I guess those little molecules get beat up after a while.... Seriously, that is what I use and it has served me well for many years.
Jerry "Gold Rush" (aka: "SPOOK") San Angelo, TX
2015 GL1800/Roadsmith HTS1800
TOI - IBA #23804 (SS1K & BB1.5K)
I'm like an old race horse..... I can still run the race -- Just ache more at the finish line and need more rest between outings.
Every time I hear this question I have to ask: "When was the last time you greased the driveshaft splines on your car or truck?"
Wing with Roadsmith kit, Traxxion Ak20 cartridges and Accuride System.
07 ST 1300 for two-wheeled fun!
Honda used to recommend HondaPro Moly 60, but that is no longer available. The tech at the local Honda shop said that Honda 08 734-0001 Moly Paste (M77) is the replacement. Spendy, but a little goes a long way.
Don - 2004 GL1800 Champion trike, 2018 Can Am Spyder RT Limited
2 wheeler: 2013 Triumph Bonneville T100
FORR Local 11, AMA, MRF, Mid-South MILE Committee
Wing with Roadsmith kit, Traxxion Ak20 cartridges and Accuride System.
07 ST 1300 for two-wheeled fun!
For years I have used Valvoline VV632 Moly fortified grease and the splines on the drive shafts of both my trike and my two wheeler as well as the rear wheel splines on the two wheeler look new still. I am liberal in it's use. I use it on my wheel bearings and etc as well. Good stuff.
http://www.valvoline.com/admin/p65.png
This is exactly what I bought.
But it seems waaaaay too thick for usage a
s a bearing grease
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I did it last yeare when I installed my new Motortrike driveshaft.
I used regular bearing grease but even at that time it felt too lightweight. I figured correctly that there was a better option
Rake...
Never had it....
Never will...
Black Moly Grease will be the best!!
Loctite moly paste. Contains 67 moly. Pricey but have used it for years. Just coated the driveshaft splines on my GW trike
2002 GL1800 with CSC trike kit
Below is what Honda's Service Manual calls for. I've never found a source for the Mitsubishi's M-2, so I use Down Corning's Molykote BR-2 plus. Some believe Moly60 is sufficient, however, not according to Honda ... actually, according to Honda, Moly60 is not used anywhere on a GL1800.
If it's a trike drive shaft, then one should use what the trike manufacture says to use.
"Use molybdenum disulfide grease (containing more than 3% molybdenum disulfide, NLGI #2 orequivalent).
Example: Molykote® BR-2 Plus manufactured by Dow Corning, U.S.A.
Multi-purpose M-2 manufactured by Mitsubishi Oil, Japan"
Last edited by GoldWingrGreg; 01-11-2017 at 12:08 PM.
So as an added measure should I be loading this stuff into a grease gun and shooting it into the U-joints on the drive shaft?
Rake...
Never had it....
Never will...
Lubing the spines in a Honda Service Manual is not a maintenance item. On a 2-whl GL1800, the drive shaft is inclosed and protected from road dust, and climate. Once lubed at the factory, re-lubing is not needed unless a repair is done. In the Service Manual, lubing the rear splines of the drive shaft are shown in the Final Drive section under "installation" (chapter 13, page 22 in Service Manual version I am currently looking at), and the front of the drive shaft's splines are lubed as the engine is being installed (Engine Removal/Installation section (chapter 8, page 11).
I believe there is no where in a Honda Service manual that show an actual drive shaft or even how to inspect it.
Please keep in mind that anytime I share or give advice about a motorcycle, unless I state otherwise, I am always referring to GL1800's and no other.
I think the splines being referred to by most that need to be greased are on the OEM rear wheel pack. Might not be true of a trikes shaft. I didn't have to, but did the rear wheel pack on my Valkyrie every 5K or so. I used whatever grease had the most moly in it at the time.
Whether the splines need to be "regularly" greased depends on type of kit and driveshaft design. Many of your "solid axle" conversion kits use an OE (or equivalent) front universal joint (on the GL1800 many used a GL1500 front u-joint assembly) that is a splined fit to the driveshaft coming from the kit.
On a solid axle as the wheels move up and down this causes the driveshaft to slide in and out on the splines where it meets the front universal joint. Because this is a part that "slides" on top of it's already intended use, most companies recommend applying grease to the splines to help prevent wear to the splines themselves. This isn't necessary on a vehicle because the plunge is inside the tailshaft of the transmission & is constantly lubricated by the transmission fluid (this is one of the reasons there is a seal where the tail shaft goes into the transmission).