Hello all, I inherited a 1999 f150 4.2. It’s in pretty good shape, runs good. I noticed when I first take off there’s a squeaking noise coming from under the truck. I looked under there and noticed the tailpipe is missing. Looks like it got ripped off of there and now the exhaust is aimed directly at the rear of the drive line. That’s where the squeak is coming from and I’m assuming that the constant exhaust blowing on it has “dried” out the joint. Is this fixable? What do I do? Can I grease it, drive it still? Thanks guys, Lynn

 

Replace the u-joints and fix the exhaust system.

 

Thank you, sir, for your quick reply. However, it’s too damn early and even if it wasn’t, I was not looking for some smart *** to point out the obvious. I would have appreciated something like it’s a lost cause or no, it can’t be fixed. Hopefully, your answer is not indicative of what type of forum this is. If so, I’ll find another. There’s a **** ton online. Thanx anyways though. Have a good one. Lynn

 

I answered the question exactly as asked -

What else do you want me to say? You can't grease u-joints unless they are aftermarket with Zerk fittings, and even if you could, grease won't fix broken or corroded bearing needles. YES, it's fixable, replace the u-joint and fix the exhaust so the new joint doesn't get damaged the same way.

 

Geez, you're sensitive.

 

Like I said, it was too damn early. Look, if remove and replace was the answer people were looking for when they seek the advice of a forum then we wouldn’t need forums. Obviously, buying new stuff would fix the problem, and if I had money to spare I’d have never been here and neither would a lot of people. Hell, why don’t I just buy a new truck? Anyways, thanx

 

First you need to determine exactly where the noise is coming from. It may not be the u-joint. I have had a squeal from the rear transmission seal on my 70 mustang years ago. Pulling the driveshaft and replacing that rear trans seal fixed it. So, it may be the pinion seal? I have been repairing my vehicles for 60 years and I get still get occasionaly fooled when trying to determine where a noise is coming from.

 

A new greaseable u-joint is only 15 bucks at O'Reilly. It's the ONLY way to fix your issue.

 

[QUOTE=Lynn Wells;5266734]Hello all, I inherited a 1999 f150 4.2. It’s in pretty good shape, runs good. I noticed when I first take off there’s a squeaking noise coming from under the truck. I looked under there and noticed the tailpipe is missing. Looks like it got ripped off of there and now the exhaust is aimed directly at the rear of the drive line. That’s where the squeak is coming from and I’m assuming that the constant exhaust blowing on it has “dried” out the joint. I know the obvious answer is to fix it with new parts, but I don't want to spend that ever so enormous cost of replacement. Looking for a cheap fix! Thanks guys, Lynn

I fixed it for you so you don't get realistic answers to solve the problem.