Greasing suspension

[polo2k]

Hi all, I tried to get some grease into the front suspension yesterday but once I had my nice new grease gun attached to it, tried pupling in some castrol LM but it just spewed out of the nipple/nozzle joint. Almost like the nipple is blocked, im planning on having them off to clean them but does anyone else have any tips?
The gun is suitable as I have been round the rack and handbrake cables etc.

Also I rear that the rack needs about 10 pumps of grease, I must have put 20 in there and cannot see any coming out anywhere, there fore no split gaitors. By feeling the rack gaitors, they feel empty. How do I tell if I have put enough in there? should there be a "standard point of leakage"? or does the excess disappear into the ether?

[alex_holden]

Hi all, I tried to get some grease into the front suspension yesterday but once I had my nice new grease gun attached to it, tried pupling in some castrol LM but it just spewed out of the nipple/nozzle joint. Almost like the nipple is blocked, im planning on having them off to clean them but does anyone else have any tips?

Sometimes putting a thin cotton cloth between the nipple and the gun can help.

Also I rear that the rack needs about 10 pumps of grease

Where did you read that? It's supposed to be hypoid gear oil.

I must have put 20 in there and cannot see any coming out anywhere, there fore no split gaitors. By feeling the rack gaitors, they feel empty. How do I tell if I have put enough in there? should there be a "standard point of leakage"? or does the excess disappear into the ether?

I've wondered about that too - if the rack isn't leaking and you keep putting more oil in at every service, surely it will gradually fill up.

[polo2k]

cheers for the tip about the cloth, do I make a hole and use it like a washer on the nipple or will the grease permiate the cloth?

I recently saw a discussion on here discudding this but the general consensus was that as later cars using the same/similar equipment used grease and also that it had greater compression resistance

Maybe steering rack lube is like a rusk for a minor and she slowly eats it ;)

[alex_holden]

You just push it on and the grease passes through the cloth.

I don't think it really matters a whole lot whether you use oil or grease in the steering rack, but strictly speaking oil is what the car's designers specified.

[bmcecosse]

Your nipples may be damaged - worth trying to clean them - and prod the little valve hole with a pin. But the problem may be that the joint you are trying to grease is blocked with old hardened grease. Clear the nipples first - if still no go then further action required!
Yes - grease is better in the rack (all later /modern cars with racks are specified for grease) - and don't over-do it! You've put plentty in already. Likely the original lub instruction was for oil - and some would leak out between 'oilings '!

[Rob_Jennings]

when greasing the front taking some of the weight off will help with the top trunion, jack under the chassis arm each side (wheel does not need to clear the ground but at least lift the body a few inches). Lower trunion and steering should be fine without lifting the car.

[Kevin]

If you think the nipples are blocked take them out and then put the gun on them that usually clears them.

[dalebrignall]

if the nipples are clear you could jack up the car.with both wheels off the groundand the help of an assistant,try pumping the grease in the trunnion whilst the other person turns the wheels back and forth.this movement sometimes gets the grease to move ,.i did this on my tractor,i cant see why it wont work on a trunnion.

[RogerRust]

I bought some new Nipples and a new grease gun nozzel. Problem solved.

I have a few spares that I'm willing to pass on for what they cost me. There are two sizes.

I'll bring them to the national.

[jaekl]

The best way to grease the front suspension is to place the jack under the lower suspension leg and raise until the wheels are of the ground. Now both trunnions are unloaded, which will allow more grease to freely flow.

[bmcecosse]

Welcome to the forum - and all input is of course very useful - although that has been suggested (in a slightly different form) earlier in the thread by RJ. In fact - lifting your way keeps the full weight of the car still on the supension joints.

[jaekl]

Let me explain further. The jacking should be done so that there is very little change is the suspension geometry. Place the jack as far out as possible. Normally the car is 'hanging' from the lower trunnion, such that the bearing surfaces are the top side of the male thread profile and the lower side of the female thread (trunnion). These surfaces are where the grease needs to be. By removing the weight from the wheel these surfaces are unloaded and gravity may even open them up, all of which allows the grease to flow easier to the surfaces that need it the most.

[alex_holden]

Let me explain further. The jacking should be done so that there is very little change is the suspension geometry. Place the jack as far out as possible. Normally the car is 'hanging' from the lower trunnion, such that the bearing surfaces are the top side of the male thread profile and the lower side of the female thread (trunnion). These surfaces are where the grease needs to be. By removing the weight from the wheel these surfaces are unloaded and gravity may even open them up, all of which allows the grease to flow easier to the surfaces that need it the most.

Good point, that does make much more sense than jacking under the chassis leg.

[bmcecosse]

But only if there is significant wear on the threads ! TBH - I've only had a problem when my car was 'new' to me - and the threads were almost locked solid by old hard grease - no new grease would go in. Had to apply copious release fluid - and heat from a gas blow torch (yes - it burned!). Eventually horrible black gunge ran out of the threads - and Bingo - new grease went in from the gun.