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Greasing front suspension

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  • Leif A.
    Extremely Frequent Poster
    • August 31, 1997
    • 3614

    Greasing front suspension

    I drive my '67 5-6000 miles per year. Change the oil & filter twice a year and grease the front suspension every 12,000 miles or two years. Did all this yesterday and when I was done I had a question. When greasing the front end, I have always put between four-six squeezes of the grease gun handle worth of grease in each joint. Each squeeze produces about 1" of grease. I have never done more than this because I don't want to rupture the rubber seal of the joints. Question is, am I being too conservative with my greasing. What aroused my curiosity is that after six squeezes of the gun, I didn't notice any expansion of the rubber boots on the lower ball joints...should I expect some?
    Leif
    '67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
    Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional
  • Russ S.
    Extremely Frequent Poster
    • April 30, 1982
    • 2161

    #2
    Re: Greasing front suspension

    Yes you should but no need for a lot of expansion.

    Comment

    • Leif A.
      Extremely Frequent Poster
      • August 31, 1997
      • 3614

      #3
      Re: Greasing front suspension

      Thanx Russ. Maybe I'll give her an extra shot or two next go around...in two years
      Leif
      '67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
      Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional

      Comment

      • Dick W.
        Former NCRS Director Region IV
        • June 30, 1985
        • 10483

        #4
        Re: Greasing front suspension

        I always like to see the boots start to move.
        Dick Whittington

        Comment

        • Leif A.
          Extremely Frequent Poster
          • August 31, 1997
          • 3614

          #5
          Re: Greasing front suspension

          Originally posted by Dick Whittington (8804)
          I always like to see the boots start to move.
          Noted Dick. Certainly makes good sense...just don't want to break them away from their seats. As a very young man, working in a service station, I would grease the joints until grease came oozing out of the boots...and in my mind at the time, that was just right...WRONG!!
          Leif
          '67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
          Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional

          Comment

          • Michael J.
            Extremely Frequent Poster
            • January 26, 2009
            • 7099

            #6
            Re: Greasing front suspension

            Originally posted by Leif Anderson (29632)
            Noted Dick. Certainly makes good sense...just don't want to break them away from their seats. As a very young man, working in a service station, I would grease the joints until grease came oozing out of the boots...and in my mind at the time, that was just right...WRONG!!
            That's exactly what I was thinking, as I did the same thing as a teenage grease monkey at a garage. The owner said for us to grease 'em up until the grease ran out someplace, then we knew they were "full", and carried a rag in your back pocket to wipe away the excess grease......the good old days of the early '60s.......
            Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New Mexico

            Comment

            • Mark E.
              Extremely Frequent Poster
              • March 31, 1993
              • 4503

              #7
              Re: Greasing front suspension

              What goes in must come out.

              After repeated lubrication, sooner or later the ball joint dust boot is full of grease. Usually the old grease will ooze out of the bottom of the boot. But if the base of the boot is fused from age, dirt and heat, grease may not be able to pass. This can cause the boot to pump up and rupture during lubrication.

              If I see a boot swell during lubrication, I use a small probe to carefully pull the base of the boot open a bit. This safely releases air and old grease.

              Don't use air powered grease guns; they pump up the joint too quickly which may cause rupture.

              And only hand grease in warm weather so the boots are flexible.
              Mark Edmondson
              Dallas, Texas
              Texas Chapter

              1970 Coupe, Donnybrooke Green, Light Saddle LS5 M20 A31 C60 G81 N37 N40 UA6 U79
              1993 Coupe, 40th Anniversary, 6-speed, PEG 1, FX3, CD, Bronze Top

              Comment

              • Leif A.
                Extremely Frequent Poster
                • August 31, 1997
                • 3614

                #8
                Re: Greasing front suspension

                Thanks for the tips Mark. I've only used hand powered grease guns and done the lube in warm weather. I'm going to pull the two lower ball joint grease fittings today and inspect to make sure they're not clogged. I pushed the small ball in on the end of the fitting but I just want to make sure the joint is getting greased. This is a fair weather car that gets driven so nothing is hard or dirty...body off frame 2008-2012.
                Leif
                '67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
                Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional

                Comment

                • Mark E.
                  Extremely Frequent Poster
                  • March 31, 1993
                  • 4503

                  #9
                  Re: Greasing front suspension

                  A stuck zerk is one possible reason you didn't see the boot expand after six pumps.

                  Test the gun disconnected. Then grease the zerk until you see the boot expand or grease escape. If this doesn't happen, replace the zerk and try again.

                  Is the gun difficult to pump when attached? If the zerk doesn't pass grease the gun will quickly build pressure making the trigger hard to pull.
                  Mark Edmondson
                  Dallas, Texas
                  Texas Chapter

                  1970 Coupe, Donnybrooke Green, Light Saddle LS5 M20 A31 C60 G81 N37 N40 UA6 U79
                  1993 Coupe, 40th Anniversary, 6-speed, PEG 1, FX3, CD, Bronze Top

                  Comment

                  • Leif A.
                    Extremely Frequent Poster
                    • August 31, 1997
                    • 3614

                    #10
                    Re: Greasing front suspension

                    All's good. Removed the two lower ball joint grease fittings to be sure they were clean and functioning. Ran a small drill bit down the hole the fitting came out of to be sure there was no obstruction to the joint. Re-installed the grease fittings and attached the grease gun and began pumping. These lower ball joints took a LOT of grease. Approximately ten pulls on the grease gun and I was finally able to see the lower boots fill out. The upper ball joints and the steering linkage greased up nicely, as well. Thanks for all the tips.
                    Leif
                    '67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
                    Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional

                    Comment

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