Propeller Shaft??

Owners manual mentions inspecting and lubricating the "Propeller Shaft." What's the Propeller Shaft are they talking about the Drive Shaft? Can someone with very little mechanical skills do this themselves at home? Where do you lubricate it, is there grease fittings?

 

You have 3 grease fittings on your rear propeller shaft/drive shaft. Both u-joints and the slip yoke. I suggest using Lucas Red n Tacky in your grease gun, but any recommended grade grease will do fine. The next recommended thing on that service is to tighten the propeller shaft bolts. You have 8 total, 4 from shaft to transmission and 4 from shaft to rear diff. The hex is 14mm and the torque spec is 63ft#'s. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

 

Thanks!

 

Also, if you have 4wd, do the same to the shaft between the transfer case and front diff.

 

So my 2WD 4Runner needs this done also? My 2WD Tacoma doesn’t, that’s why I’m asking.

 

According to the maintenance schedule from Toyota it states only 4wd/AWD (if applicable) I just put in your 4runner had 40000 miles on it so the propeller shaft would be mentioned.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/maintenance-schedule


Recommended Maintenence

DOWNLOAD PDF

• Check Installation Of Driver's Floor Mat
• Rotate Tires
• Inspect Wiper Blades

• Inspect /Adjust All Fluid Levels1
• Replace Engine Oil And Oil Filter2
• Visually Inspect Brake Linings/Drums And Brake Pads/Discs3

Where and how you're driving impacts your servicing needs.
Please speak to your servicing dealer about any special operating condition.

Driving on dirt roads or on dusty roads

• Inspect Ball Joints And Dust Covers
• Inspect Drive Shaft Boots
• Inspect Steering Linkage And Boots
• Inspect Engine Air Filter

• Lubricate Propeller Shaft (4WD/AWD, If Applicable)
• Torque Propeller Shaft Bolt (4WD/AWD, If Applicable)
• Torque Nuts And Bolts On Chassis And Body

Driving while towing, using a car-top carrier, or heavy vehicle loading 4

 

thanks for the response! I figured only 4WD as well but wanted to make sure.

 

I have a 2WD and it definitely has one grease zerk on each u-joint. No slip yoke. I use Mystik JT-6.

 

I’llhave to crawl under this weekend and check. Can I just use red n tacky to grease?
Also, how many total u joints am I greasing and do you have a recommendation for a grease gun?

I’mall new to this.

 

2 U-Joints, 1 zerk each. As long as you use a lithium nlgi-2 grease you should be fine. A gun with a flexible hose will do. Amazon has several good ones. I have the thinkwork brand and it works fine.

 

here is one. I see the other as wel but couldn’t get a picture. Can you confirm?

 

Appreciate all the responses. I’m going to order this grease gun:

THINKWORK Grease Gun, Pistol Grip Grease Gun, Heavy Duty Marine Grease Gun, Widely Used in Car, Ships, Industrial Machinery and Agricultural Equipment, 8000PSI with 18 Inch Flex Hose

THINKWORK 8000PSI Grease Gun, Pistol Grip Grease Guns with 14 oz Load, 18" Strong Spring Flex Hose, 2 Working Coupler, 3 Extension Rigid Pipe & 1 Sharp Type Nozzle, for car, Ship (6 Accessories)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089W93T3...abc_GX0HCKANDSC41RQAS8R7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1



Is it good to go out the box or do I need anything else?

 

You got it Erik! The gun is good to go. You will just need to attach the hose if I recall correctly. Just follow the assembly instructions.

 

thanks @Jemplyr77!

i owe you a beer if you’re ever in SoCal.

 

Lol...no worries! Just paying it forward.

 

Grease gun and grease arrived today. Should have this done on Saturday. I’ll report back!

 

Did 3-4 pumps in each. Never really saw anything come out except the rear, however, I don’t think I secured it properly the first time. Should I have seen grease spew out?

 

Yea, pump until you see the new grease come out of the joints. Then clean up excess and your done!

 

Walked back outside and pumped one more time into the Zerk and grease came out so job well done! Thanks again man

 

Great!

 

I feel so stupid. All this time I thought the "Propeller Shaft" had something to do with the radiator fan. You know, because it looks like a propeller? I feel so dumb. It should be called a propulsion shaft, or maybe just call it a driveshaft like everyone else??? I hate it when engineers make me feel dumb.

 

Hahahaha! Me too! Because fans always have those special fittings and tools to remove them because they're reverse threaded and all, that was my first thought.

Thanks to all that participated in this thread, you kept me from going crazy. After watching tons of videos with all these four-wheel drive elitists, my poor two wheel drive only has two grease fittings instead of the expected four. I rolled the car around pushing it in 6-inch increments trying to find it. I suffer from a neurological condition, so I'm like a complete klutz when it comes to getting under the damn thing; it was rather taxing to repeatedly do that.

I'm going to put some Lucas super tacky red product NLGI #2 and be satisfied that those two spider joints are all that need to be lubricated on this particular vehicle.

This new to me 2014 SR5 appears to have been neglected on a few things, poor service records both at Toyota and on Carfax.

Gut feeling is that it has been lubed at least once after the initial factory work. I say so because I see a light trail on the underside of the car of spots as if somebody lubricated it and then spun the excess off. It looks like it only happened once though. Both my service advisor and a friend with a two-wheel drive Tacoma with the same transmission say that it shouldn't be a problem, I hope so. I spent a lot of money on this with the expectation this will be the last car I own and then I can hand it down to one of my kids to be their adventure vehicle.

This is my first time working on a rear wheel drive vehicle. I owned a 1993 Ford ranger but didn't even bother to change the oil myself.

Under there, I had a flash memory of how Mark Fidrych had died. That was rather unnerving. How in the hell would he have that damn thing running and get under it? Must have been an awful death.

 

This link is a good resource. Downloadable pdf.