On Thu, 07 Aug 2014 01:02:14 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:37:47 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:21:30 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2014 15:51:27 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2014 23:46:20 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2014 20:53:52 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:25:09 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:44:41 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Mon, 4 Aug 2014 23:40:54 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

SteveB wrote:
I just bought an air grease gun. I am amazed at how many zircs there
are on a tractor, and how many needed juice. Some wouldn't take any
grease. Do you just put a new one in, or is there a way to soak/clean
these? I know they ain't expensive, I just need to take a couple off,
and take them down to match up, and buy a couple dozen. Is it worth
it messing with the old ones, and does it work, or are they trash
once they are plugged?

Those air guns are sweet, eh?

Steve

It might not be the zerk , the area that needs grease or the passage leading
to it may be clogged up with , well , crud .

Indeed. Some of those may best be shot with some kerosene in a grease
gun..then re greased after the crud is dissolved out

I'd call anyone doing that an idiot to their face, unless they removed
it from the vehicle first. And if they're doing that, it's best to
use a new one.
If he's talking a disc-harrow or similar piece of equipment the
kerosene and regrease may be an acceptable solution. On a tractor, if
it is a part that has no seals and the grease keeps the dirt out, it
may also be an acceptable solution - but not on any part that is
sealed , even if only with a rubber gaitor. If the idea is to get
fresh grease in and through the joint to lubricate it, it is often
successfull and beats tearing the assembly down to run a wire through
the hole to knock the crud (dried grease and dirt) out.

DO NOT do this on a high speed bearing.

Of course not on a high speed bearing! We were discussing pins as I
recall.

Gunner
Which fall into the category of " a part that has no seals and the
grease keeps the dirt out"


There are seals which keep the dirt out...and then there are seals
which keep the grease in.

And there are "double lip" seals that do both

Yes there are. Which is why making a firm Yes/No may not be
applicable.

Ball joints on steering gear in your vehicle is of the (normally)
latter type.

Pins on heavy equpment..which we are talking about..is of the first
type.

From my experience on both ag and industrial equipment, MOST of these
pins have no seal at all - which is why I said the grease keeps the
dirt out. Which is why you grease the durn things every day -to keep
clean grease in the joint and dirt out.

Correct. And if one needs to shoot some kero or diesel through them to
clean em out..its not a big deal.

Or are you saying that you grease once..and once its filled..you
never grease again?

You can only get away with that on fully sealed systems - for a while.

Again..absolutely correct.


Then we have things like automotive drive lines and U joints.
(Grin)..which catagory do those fall into? Hummm?

Well, like older tie rod ends,.they have dirt sheilds that also do a
half-assed job of keeping grease in, but allow re-greasing to "purge"
old grease from the joint on a regular basis. (assuming you mean the
old cross and roller type "U" joint, not the newer CV joints)


Correct!

As I said..this is not..not my first rodeo.

Nor mine, gunner. Been wrenching since I was 14. Have owned vehicles
as old as 1928, and worked on equipment even older - American,
british, german, russian, chinese, and Japanese.

Gunner

Good man! Ive dabbled in a few oldies myself..and a fair number
younger stuff.

I hate working on cars and trucks..but Ive done more than my fair
share of it.

Im hardly an expert of any sort...but done a fair amount of it.

Gunner

I made a decent living at it for about 26 years - and it has also been
a hobby.
Owned '28 Chev, 35 chev, 38 Terraplane,49 VW bug, 53 coronet sierra,
57 Fargo Express, 57 Chevy 210,61 mini, 61 invicta, 63 valiant, 69
dart, 72 Vauxhaul Firenza HC,72 colt - and a whole bunch of newer
stuff.
Helped friend rebuild 53 MG TD, Fiat 600 and Isetta as well as a
handfull of old VW bugs and vans.
Worked on Chinese trucks and tractors in Africa in the '70s, along
with Volgas and Moskavitches, Rolls and Jag and Bimmers and rovers -
and White Farm equipment and Fiat-Alis industrial equipment