Since I change my own oil, I guess I better be lubing it also. While under my 345, I noticed those fittings that my Dad and I used to screw a grease gun to and lube our old Chevy.
Is it a standard fitting? Is there anything special I should get when I procure my grease gun? Any special grease?
The fittings are zerks and the end you grease is standard. The come in 0-45-90 degree angles. The end screwed into whatever will have different thread sizes.
I would get 2 grease guns, one with a solid tube on the end, the other with a flexible hose. The one with the solid tube will be easier to use, but sometimes you are going to need the hose for the flexibility. Then you will wish you could grow another hand.
I use any good grade of chassis grease. They all seem to be pretty much the same and I figured it is most important to keep clean grease in them.
Wipe the zerk before you grease it, if not it will force the dust and dirt inside with the grease. Watch for movement in what you are greasing, it could be a sign of wear. Grease until you see clean grease start to come out then wipe the excess, it retains dirt. All fittings must take grease, if not you should find out why. Sometimes it is as simple as the zerk being rusted closed.
Parts stores all carry a variety of zerks. If one is really impossible to get to, think about changing to one with a different angle.
I have found that some of the end fittings which fit over the zerk will lock on thereby giving you the ability to operate the grease gun with both hands if using the flexible hose. That sure comes in handy when you don't have a third hand.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Actually it is the other way around. The threaded part mounts permanently to the chassis and the grease gun end slips over the bulb fitting. There is a spring loaded ball valve in the round end to let in but not out the grease.
__________________
Brett G
WBCCI #5501 AIR # 49
"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey." -- Fitzhugh Mullan
Wise men talk because they have someting to say; fools, because they have to say something. -- Plato
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap— Napoleon
Good advice above, I also will "poke" at the rubber bulb that the grease fills to see if it needs some added. If it looks deflated, or no grease shows around the joint, add some. I also wipe the fittings off and use wd-40 to clean it so i can getthe accumulated crap off before i force it into the grease fitting.
This is a lot easier to do underneath it (yea right) than it is sitting inside, but here goes:
Upper and lower ball joints both sides 4
Inner and outer tie rods 4
Control arm bushings 4 each side
Drag link 2
Idler arm 2
Drive shaft u joints 1 each
Prop shaft slip joint 1 each (these may be turned up & out of sight)
Mine doesn't have rear spring shackle zerks, but some may.
I don't have a bogie axle, some one else will have to answer that.
while the air powered grease gun mentioned previously is great for greasing ball joint type fittings, I would caution users to be very careful if using to grease bearings with seals as it may blow the seal if not used properly for this application.
My inquiry is limited to the P-30 chasis. Are there any seals that I need to know about on it? I don't plan on using it for my mini-van as Honda does all the service on it.
Turn the air down to 40 or 50 lbs for normal use. If you get a frozen zerk turn it up and see if it will break loose, turn it back down before greasing. There shouldn't be any seals that it will bother on regular pressure, these are greased commercially with air operated pumps.
Well I did get a grease gun. I went the cheap route and got a $12.99 gun at Advanced Auto Parts. My 12 year old son and I crawled around under the MH and played 'spot the zerk's' for an hour or so. We lubed as many as we could find. We went through a roll of paper towels wiping the zerks and the joints before and after. We only had a few that gae us trouble. I think we used a whole tube of grease! I did spend an extra $5 for a 12" flexible hose. The flexible hose is a must have. Next stop, Chiropractor!
I also changd the dino oil and filter in the engine. New air filters for the engine and generator. I could not get the plug out of the Kohler generator. It have a funny 1/2" socket opening. I'll need a special tool to get that plug out!
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