greasing my grease nipples

Hi Gossy, I always thought that most rubber type boots have a nipple that bleeds excess grease if too full and unis just bleed a little where the bearings are but Im sure that other blokes will expand mate because Im no expert !

Regards J.B.

The slip joint in the drive shaft should only take a couple of pumps of the grease gun. It does have to move as the suspension compressess and expands. If there is too much grease in there it won't allow it to contract.

Mate,
Don't sweat the odd occurrence, just don't make a habit of it.

Cheers

In my early days as a motor mechanic,( back in the 1960s ) I was taught that when you apply the grease gun to the various grease nipples under the vehicle, the idea is to wait until you see the first tell tale signs of either old and dirty grease or fresh grease coming out of 1) the universal joints on the prop shaft, 2) king pins and bushes on the front suspension ( before the advent of McPherson front struts and ball joints) in which case on todays cars, most, if not all sedans, have non greasable ball joints. However, on 4x4s on the front suspension, the ball joints all have rubber seals, and when you grease them, there should be a tiny bit of grease being expelled through an excess nipple on the rubber seal after you have given the grease gun one or two pumps of the lever. On the propshaft, some 4x4s have sealed universal joints - in which case there is nothing you can do, except replace them with new uni joints that have a grease nippple. Apply the grease gun to the nipple , give a couple of pumps until you see a small amount of grease being expelled. Thats enough grease. Wipe away the excess. The same applies to the slip yoke. When the slip yoke compresses any excess grease will be expelled from the splines on the shaft. Thats how I maintain my 4x4. If traversing through mud and or very dirty water, regrease the nipples. Preventative maintenance is better than having to replace worn and rusted universal or ball joints. Hope that answers your question. Cheers

I thought it would weep out the excess also which is why I just kept pumping :( Problem was I kept pumping until the rubber split. In the case of the rear drive shaft nothing came out. I just stopped because of the resistance to the greast gun pumping.

Maybe I was doing it correctly but I have just identified a larger problem (blocked?). Anyway back to the mechanic next week to fix the steering rod joints and release the pressure of grease on the drive shaft. getting it GQ ready for the double crossing of the simpson first 2 weeks in June; cant wait :)

Hi Gossy. Grease nipples are fickle little suckers. Some work perfectly and others just refuse to accept any grease. Happened to me quite frequently. Simple remedy - replace the offending nipple and then take the nipple down to your local Auto Accessory shop and make sure that the one they give you, has the same thread as the one that's been removed. Got caught twice on that little caper. So any time I have a grease nipple that is jammed, out it comes and a new one goes in - problem solved. Thats probably why your grease gun builds up pressure and the grease wont go into the part that you are trying to grease. If in doubt take the 4x4 to your local mechanic and get him to replace the offending grease nipple Would be most intersted to hear the outcome . Cheers for now. Just for your information, I only use Penrite Extreme Pressure Lithium based grease which is water resistant and works a treat.

thanks for that. I use Castrol LMM.

No real reason but I don't dare change now because I have been informed by the Castrol help line that mixing greases can cause them to 'neutralise' themselves (clay bases, graphite based etc). The only way to change is to completely pull apart the 'joint', complete clean out all the old grease and then put in the new grease. Considering how reliable the old girl has been I am assuming that this grease is doing the trick ok.

GQ going back to mechanic next week to have the stuff I 'broke' fixed :) Just in time for the Simpson.

cheers,

Hi Gossy. If you are happy with the lubricant you are using then stick to it. I too am a firm believer in sticking to one brand, for the very reason that you mentioned. Have a safe trip. Four of us grey haired nomads are leaving Perth on the 25th May from Perth to Newman and then travelling back to Wiluna on the Canning Stock Route. Just need to get four new ProComp A/T tyres from the dealer on Monday and start packing all the essentials before we leave. Last minute items will be packed on Saturday night, then we head off around 5.00 a.m for Newman spend two days there checking over the vehicles again before we start heading back down the CSR. You have a safe trip . Catch you when you get back if have a post on the ExplorOZ forum. Cheers