Most aftermarket axle manufacturers use the Dana name to describe the model/application/ ring gear size of their aftermarket axles, but the Dana Diamond is your guarantee of getting genuine quality, Dana - manufactured parts straight from the original source - DANA.
Quality engineering and materials, coupled with precision manufacturing and testing, make the difference.
For true Jeep® JK enthusiasts, Dana has engineered the Ultimate Dana 44™ and the Ultimate Dana 60™, both of which feature the upgrades Jeep owners demand.
The direct bolt-in solution for serious Jeep® enthusiasts, the Ultimate Dana 44™ features a number of upgrades for added power off-road, as well as added strength wherever you take your vehicle. From the Spicer® nickel chromoly axle shafts to the performance diff cover to the 1350 SPL® U-joints, the Ultimate Dana 44™ delivers when and where you need it most.
Thicker axle tubes. Genuine Spicer® nickel chromoly axle shafts. Heavy gauge rackets. And the largest, strongest u-joints you can get without a prescription. That’s just the beginning of the upgrades we’ve engineered into the Ultimate Dana 60™ axle - and that’s why it’s the first choice of hardcore Jeep® Wrangler® JK off-roaders everywhere. Get performance that’s optimized for lifted vehicles and larger tires, and get the competitive edge over even the most rugged terrain.
Dana engineers subject Spicer parts to stringent testing, and that’s your assurance of quality that leaves the competitors in the dust. Nowhere is that more apparent than with Spicer SPL universal joints.
Spicer performed fatigue testing on Spicer Life Series and Spicer 10 Series u-joints and measured them against the competition. The results were astonishing.
Spicer 10 Series® u-joints lasted twice as long as the nearest competitor. Spicer Life Series® U-joints performance was literally off the charts. After one million cycles, Spicer Life Series universal joints had still not failed.
Spicer is a Dana brand name - it's the brand name Dana uses for their axle and driveshaft products. Spicer® ring and pinion gearing is the genuine gearing in all Dana manufactured axles, and is manufactured with a special grade of steel, and machined and heat-treated to precision, so you can count on matched sets for optimal set-up and mating of the gears.
Heat Treatment
Face Hobbing
Shot Peening
into the root of the tooth
Lapping
Lack of proper lubrication is the most common cause of premature failure in U-joint kits and slip assemblies. Properly sized Spicer U-joints that are adequately lubricated at recommended intervals will normally meet or exceed fleet operational requirements. Inadequate lube cycles, and failure to lubricate the U-joints and slip splines properly, will not only cause premature U-joint kit failures, but may lead to other problems, such as slip spline seizures. Relubrication at recommended intervals (see chart below) flushes abrasive contaminants from the U-joints and slip components, helping to optimize the life of the driveshaft.
Warning: Inadequate lubrication can cause driveline failure, which can result in separation of the driveline from the vehicle. A separated driveline can result in serious injury or death.
In order to minimize the potential for driveline failure, including driveline separation, you must:
Spicer greasable U-joint kits contain only enough grease to provide needle bearing protection during storage. Prior to installing a new U-joint into the driveshaft, you must:
After installation into a driveshaft, and prior to being placed into service, you must (with the exception of Service-Free U-joints) lubricate each U-joint kit in accordance with the following recommendations:
IMPORTANT: The premium seal design of Spicer U-joints may, on occasion, prevent one or more bearings from purging. If that should ever happen, try one of these purging procedures to relieve seal tension:
Push up on the driveshaft, from the side opposite the bearing that will not purge, while applying gun pressure to the lube fitting. This might create a slightly greater clearance around the bearing’s sealing surface and may allow the bearing to purge (see photo at right).
Using a brass hammer and wearing safetyglasses, sharply strike lug ear of the inboard yoke once to firmly seat the bearing against the retainer (retainer may be a snap ring,bearing plate or spring tab). Striking the yoke ear may relieve tension across the span. Rotate shaft 180 degrees and repeat procedure on opposite lug ear. Apply grease gun pressure.
Depending on the type of yoke design in your driveshaft, release pressure on the affected bearing(s) as follows:
A. On full round Spicer 10 Series™ closed hole yokes with self-locking bolts and bearing plates: (see Figures A and B at right)
Release seal pressure by loosening the bolts that retain the non- purging bearing cap(s) in the yoke ear(s). Apply grease gun pressure to purge the bearing or bearings.
If loosening the bolts does not allow purging, remove the bearing(s) to determine the cause of blockage. (Refer to Bolt Installation Procedures section covering the re-installation of any loosened or removed, bolts.)
B. On full round Spicer Life Series or SPL closed hole style yokes with inboard Figure Cbearings that are retained by spring tabs, you should never loosen the spring tabs to release seal pressure on the bearing seals (see Figure C at right). SPL U-joint kits with bearings that will not purge must be removed and replaced with a new kit.
Refer to the chart below for bolt torque for spring tab bolts
NOTE: If you must remove the U-joint kit from the driveshaft yoke and replace it with a new kit, refer to SPL Service Manual No. DSSM 0100 for U-joint kit installation instructions. Click here to view.
C. For light-duty 10 series and SPL350XL series using full round yokes with snap rings on the inboard bearings, the u-joint kit must be removed form the driveshaft and replaced. Releasing seal pressure cannot be done safely without removal of the u-joint kit.
CAUTION: ALWAYS replace any loosened or removed bolt with a NEW BOLT. Refer to Bolt Installation Procedures section for instructions.
D. On half round type yokes with bearing retainers or bearing straps release pressure by removing the retainer or strap and unhooking the end of the driveshaft from the yoke ears.
CAUTION: Driveshafts are extremely heavy. Always use a restraining strap to prevent them from falling out of the vehicle with the driveshaft hanging on the restraining strap, install a C clamp around the non-purging bearings and apply grease gun pressure until they purge. Loosen the C clamp as necessary to force purging. If the bearing(s) still fail to purge, remove the U-joint kit from the driveshaft and replace it.
IMPORTANT: Vehicles in service MUST be re-lubed at specific intervals.
New Spicer Service-Free (SF) light-duty and medium-duty U-joints are shipped pre-lubed, with the bearings installed on the cross trunnions. It is not necessary to grease them after installation.
Spicer Life Series or SPL heavy-duty, SF U-joint kits (SPL170-SF, SPL250-SF & SPL350 SFX) are supplied with a pre-determined amount of Spicer synthetic grease,which must be added to the journal cross reservior and bearing caps prior to assembly into the driveshaft yokes. Procedure: Fill each journal cross reservior with grease. Wipe the remaining grease, into each bearing cap, filling the cavities between the needle bearings. Wipe a liberal amount of grease on the bottom of each bearing.
CAUTION: When you remove the SF bearings from the cross trunnions, some grease may be sucked out of the cross reservoir. ALWAYS make sure you re-install the same bearing back onto the same cross trunnion when installing the U-joint into the driveshaft yoke.
(Refer to Charts 1, 2, 3, and 4 for kit numbers, bolt part numbers and recommended torques.)
CAUTION: If you have removed or loosened any bearing cap fasteners, ALWAYS replace them with new and torque them to the recommended torque shown on the Charts 2, 3, and 4. If your 10 Series™ retention method was a stamped bearing strap, ALWAYS replace the used bearing strap with a new bearing strap. (NOTE: Bearing retainers used with Spicer Life Series or SPL driveshafts can be reused if they are not damaged. Refer to Chart 2 and Figure E below for recommendations on the proper tightening sequence for bearing strap and retainer bolts.)
Spicer 10™ Series and SPL driveshafts are usually retained in the vehicle with either bearing strap kits or bearing retainer kits that utilize self-locking bolts, which have a lock patch. (see Figure D and Chart)
On some Spicer 10™ Series U-joint kits, the bearing assemblies use a bearing plate welded to the bearing assembly and bolted to the yoke ear with self-locking bolts that have a serrated head and a lock patch (see Figure A). Serrated head and lock patch installation procedure: Loosely install the NEW bolts, and then tighten them to the torque shown in Chart 3 below.
Some are retained with self-locking bolts that have a non-serrated head and lock patch and use a lock strap. (see Figure B at right) Non-Serrated head with lock patch and lock strap installation procedure: Loosely install the NEW bolts, and then tighten them to the torque shown in Chart 4. After tightening to the proper torque, bend the tabs of the lock straps up against the bolt heads to lock the bolts in place. (see Warning below)
Warning: Failure to replace self-locking and/or serrated head bolts and/or failure to properly torque any retaining bolt, or failure to properly bend the lock tabs on lock strap-style installations could cause the driveshaft to loosen and separate from the vehicle or machine, which could cause loss of control and result in personal injury or death.
the slip yoke plug. (see Photo 2)
pressure until fresh grease appears at the slip yoke seal. (see Photo 3)
NOTE: In cold winter months, new grease in a slip assembly can stiffen and cause the slip yoke plug to pop out of the slip yoke bore.
of the pressure relief hole.
assembly if the slip yoke plug is lost.
Fleet owners everywhere are recognizing the need to downspeed their vehicles’ engines in order to increase fuel economy while still managing driveline torque. Engine downspeeding offers the following advantages:
Only Dana offers a full-system solution with the original-equipment quality of genuine Spicer parts. AdvanTEK™ 40 tandem axles and SPL™ 350 driveshafts give you the power to decrease your engine’s RPMs with maximum efficiency.
The Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle is:
In addition, the Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle is equipped with a number of innovative features for advantages you'll notice, including:
Work in conjunction with the AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle to help you achieve engine downspeeding while maintaining optimal torque.
This combination, engineered to deliver the OE performance you expect from the Spicer name, can help you achieve up to one million miles of life expectancy in your downsped engine powertrain. Use the links below to learn more about the Spicer AdvanTEK 40 tandem axle and SPL 350 driveshafts, then find a Spicer parts representative near you to start maximizing your fuel efficiency and maintaining optimal torque in your commercial vehicles.
The illustrations below show appropriate the most common styles of u-joints. Spicer recommend using a caliper or micrometer to most accurately measure u-joints.