Installing some new front u-joints into my 96 XJ soon and I sure hope that gets rid of the thud in my front left. Makes a thud every tire rotation, really annoying. Probably should have gotten on this 6 months ago.

Anyhow, here's a pic of the ones coming out



Yeah, I know.

So... I've been recommended to replace them with, depending on which model the axle turns out to be, either the Spicer 260X or 297X.

In the middle of discussing all this someone mentioned that there should be some sort of grease retaining rings around where you see all that rust. I'm just sort of a novice mechanic, but since I do all my own greasing that sounded like a good idea to me. Which brings me to my questions..

Does anyone know if the these two Spicer u-joints come with these grease retaining rings? And if not, is there another comparable replacement u-joint on the market that does?

Thanks for the help.

Grease retainers? They were there once. That ujoint is baked, no question. When you install (or have installed) new ones..you will see that there is an "o-ring" type seal.
That seal will fall off and be gone as soon as the joints grease goes bye bye and what once was needle bearings turn to dust. 96 and older uses 260X series joint, 97 and newer uses the 760X or (296) series. Do not buy a joint with a grease fitting as they are WEAK JUNK. Buy an OEM spicer joint. Be sure to find the "sweet spot" when installing them as it is easy to install a joint on a bind..that tears it up in 2k miles or less. The sweet spot just means the shafts move freely in all directions after the new joint is installed. How to attain it is to apply a few taps with a hammer next to the caps and feel that the joint is centered.

SD

Everything Sup said times TWO! I use a vice to do the work and I have had bad results from using a BFH on them.. And Yeah that joint is toast..
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Bring the old one with you to stare and compare with the new one, the difference is in the size of the cap.

There are some aftermarket joints that have a grease fitting in each cap, these work well! Spicer alsio makes a greaseable joint, just add a -1 to the part number.

This place has good prices:
http://completeoffroad.com/c-64310-u-joints-d30-u-joints.html