Simple job, right? I like to read up on stuff, even if I already "know" what I'm doing. Usually I jack up the front end to take the weight off, remove the wheels and **** the steering over to lock for easier access. One big rig site sez that kingpins should be lubed with truck weight on them, and allows this is the only proper way to do it. Any truth to that. I sort of reasoned that with no weight on the ***embly, grease would get to where it needs to get easier.
No doubt! I knew a guy who ran dozers and backhoes stuff like that, he greased every zerk or lube point daily. I shoot for every 500 miles. I'm getting to the point though I don't like crawling around on the ground underneath anything that much anymore.
Truck64; Ya gotta be careful what you read and believe on the internet. Some times ya just gotta go with that Common Sense voice in your Head. Ever try giving a good lube job to anything sitting on it's wheels in the driveway? How did us Old Silver Backs ever make it through life without all this info at our finger tips? Hard to believe I did it Wrong all my working career. The Wizzard
You need to have the front wheels off the ground when you grease the kingpins. I learned that from pist-n-broke last week when he helped me with stiff kingpins in my 50 Ford.
There is a thrust bearing at the bottom of the axle on most king pin setups. If you take the weight off then grease can get into the thrust surfaces. The Letter series Farmall tractors have a thrust bearing on the front bolster shaft. I always jack them up when greasing .
Our senior Packard kingpins use really heavy oil through an old Alemite gun. They have roller bearings top n bottom. How about a kingpin that doubles as a hydraulic brake wheel cylinder? Sounds crazy doesn't it? Have a lookie here: There's a metal fitting that goes into the axle where the stationary part if the kingpin lives. Between that fitting and the pin there's a very hard but crushable sealing unit that holds back hundreds of PSI brake fluid pressure. The fliud pushes the piston up and works the shoes through an elegantly engineered set of links. Is that some kool **** there or what? And it's from 1929, the braking system of the mighty J Duesnberg. Here's the whole gig ***embled minus the drum:
That's the way the manufacturer tells you to do it so they can sell you more king pins. We always jacked the axle up and greased them with one person turning the wheel back and forth. We had trucks with 700,000 miles on the original king pins. They started having service work done elsewhere and the kingpins didn't last 100,000 miles.
I've done it both ways. As long as grease is getting in, it will work around inside. If it's been a while and the old grease is hard, taking the weight off can help the new grease force the old out.
Over the years of being a master mechanic inn a few truck stops and garages that do over the road tractors, I've met allot of older drivers....and I've always jacked em up to grease the front end.....was surprised early on the amount of old drivers who would ask for an extra shot with the air powered grease gun for the king pins upper and lower...first couple of times i figured they just wanted to SEE it done.....after a few times i asked a older driver if there was any reason for it....well he told me it was to make sure the king pins had grease where they had the weight of the axle free hanging while it was jacked up..i was surprised it took a small amount of grease when i did as he asked...
On the ole Model A I have there is one or two fittings /zerks one on the kingpin that you can feel the pressure building up and the grease backs out over the nozzle (it is not the fitting either). I have tried it jacked up same deal but I will try again. I think the axle is actually a 36 Ford. It doesn't take that much pressure on the others so I know its not right. The other problem is the steering arm link at the backing plate right in the way of the D.S. FWD. fitting. I elbowed it out but I cant tighten the fitting due to thread and rotation anomalies. I have a genuine interest in this so good to see the responses.
I like to jack the front up, and also do this on the big rigs at work. The coupe gets special treatment when doing any lubing, she deserves it, she works hard!
So are you saying to apply torch heat right into the threaded bore the fitting goes into. I have a micro torch thing I have never used and perhaps this would suffice for heating it up. It could possibly be that as it is a very old axle. I was thinking it might be a kingpin bushing rotated and the hole isn't lined up. I would suspect that if I took the fitting out, I could literally see with a dental mirror the kingpin through the hole once I clean out the grease. Thanks Topolino for a possible remedy.
A pic of the Steering arm fitting dilemma...as said I have elbowed it but I have interference and can't fully tighten it. Has anyone else encountered this issue. I suppose I could heat and bend the steering bracket down to provide better access.
Stogy- No need to heat, bend or change things up. Just get one of these= cheap and easy! Slides right over the zirt at a 90*
Thanks Invisible...Thats a neat fitting. It is worth looking at...I am not even sure I have enough clearance to slide it over however I could grind or rework it to get it in. I suppose you can grease it and remove it after. Where you get that?
No Prob. Napa should carry it, or a good parts store that has grease guns and supplies. I use/have one at work. Just screw in a 4'' piece of 1/8th pipe, a union, and another zirt to that. Essentially, your greasing the tool you just made, which is greasing the zirt. Now you can hit all kinds of goofy fittings, and pull it off when done. I just looked on line at pics- The one I posted was $10.
I have the same set up and problem as you. I have one for those right angle grease adapters and it doesn't fit. I can almost get a needle grease adaptor but it still isn't that good.
I see them on Amazon... I typed in grease fitting extender...Thanks again Invisible... here are a couple of links... https://www.amazon.ca/Lincoln-Lubrication-5883-Slotted-Coupler/dp/B000G76OMA http://www.ebay.com/itm/Powerbuilt-90-Degree-Grease-Gun-Coupler-648815-/271726438014 I suppose they are available at your local Napa as well...I'm all excited now... Learn a new thing everyday...
You know I just saw your response...It wasn't there and hit the send ****on and and 4 more responses popped up...will giver a try whats to lose...thanks again
Back to Truck64's Q..... Easiest answer I can give= As long as everything get's lubricated, all's good. Having things "loaded" IE- weighted down,or on the ground- If things have been maintained through the years, grease "should" find it's way though out things, but a turn of the wheel might be necessary to achieve things. You will see where grease exits,and where it doesn't. On an "unloaded" job= weight off/unsprung, if any tollerences, grease will find the easy way out,and might not complete the job of lubricating the "whole" system. So- with all that, as long as everything get's lubricated by one means or another, we want to make sure(eyes), that everything is showing that grease has reached that point. Top to bottom. I see it daily, and sometimes on the same vehicle, I might have to hit things (fittings) when there is weight on them as opposed to not. Results may vary........
What the hell is up with grease guns while I'm thinking of it. They are just a pain in the ***. I bought a Lincoln a long time ago thinking this would help, but it never seems to fail- make a mess filling it up, get it working, crawl under the car and get a couple pumps, and then...nothing. Swear. Crawl out from under, fiddle around with the handle, make a bigger mess, (don't unfasten that top screw to "let the air out" trust me) Swear again, get it to work for a few pumps. Basically it acts like it's empty, when it is not. Tried the cartridges, and they are less trouble but. If they made a disposable, one time use reliable grease gun, I would buy it.
I'm hoping I got a couple of thou of wiggle room. I won't know till I get out there to check it out. Shawn did you try to modify/rework the adapter to clear your setup. I guess I will install the lowest profile fitting I can find and check out the clearance for this adapter between the gun, the fitting and the steering arm. I have this vintage grease gun that takes cartridges and it will never rust out because its always greasy everywhere. I store it in a garbage bag and bought a new coupler for it. So much of our tooling has went downhill these days from outsourcing and lack of QC. It generally a pretty messy job as well...wiping of excess grease and all. those nitrile gloves really do help make it a little less of a miserable experience. Doing it yourself means getting down and dirty sometimes. Grease for Peace...
Ive got a air powered grease gun that uses a 5 gallon bucket of grease. Its really old. I bought it at my father in laws estate auction. He ran gas stations most of his life. Its likely made in the 50,s or 60,s. Any road it makes greasing the head blocks and myrad of pulleys on my cable control blade on my WWII TD 14 bulldozer much easier. On a hand pump grease gun there is a plug on the top. I remove it and replace with a grease fitting. That allows me to fill a hand gun with the air powered rig. Many ball joints have a sealed rubber. too much pressure will rupture it. So I don't use the air powered gun on them. I place one finger on the rubber and pump until I feel movement. my father bought a new 66 ford galaxie. It never had a grease fitting anyplace. and went over a 100,000 miles before anything failed. The outer tie rod ends went first. The U joints outlasted the Cast iron Cruseomatic Transmission. He ran that car 325,000 miles. the frame and suspension developed metal fatuge. Hairline cracks appeared around rivet and bolt holes. Both lower A arms broke where the ball joint attached. I still have the 428 that came in it.
It makes logical sense to unload the parts being greased, so why hadn't I figured that out? In that regard I learned something today, so thanks for that. Also seems logical to grease when loaded as well though, so I'll be doing both to be certain. Chris
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