scuse my ignorance but......

[simon68]

I have checked through some old posts but i'm not sure what i'm doing when it comes to greasing the trunnions.
I've jacked up,removed wheel as suggested.Unscrewed the nipples,removing them completly.Then tried to pump some grease in the hole(my first time of using a grease gun)by holding the nipple thing on the gun by hand over the hole.All i got as i pumped was old grease forced out of the hole.Does this just mean they are full of grease & i've done it right or am i making a pigs ear of it?? Any help much appreciated

[mike.perry]

Yes you are making a pigs ear out of it
The geneal idea is to leave the grease nipples on and clip the grease gun nozzel to them and pump until the grease comes out of the seals, then twist the wheels from lock to lock to work the grease around the threads

[simon68]

Mike how do you 'clip' the nozzle to the nipples? Do i loosen the nipple on the trunnion at all? Thanks for your help.

[chrisryder]

no loosening of nipples required. your nozzle should just be a tight push fit.

[bmcecosse]

If not - put a layer of rag over the nipple to make the grease gun a tighter fit.

[simon68]

Thanks Chris.Will have another go tomorrow.

[simon68]

thanks bmcecosse will try the rag tip.

[simmitc]

Ideally, once the car is supported in the air, you should also jack the suspension arm a little way so that the starin is off the trunnion threads. This makes it easier for the grease to flow around. However, do not overjack this bit, you just want to relive the strain, not induce new strain that could be dangerous if the jack slipped whilst you are pumping grease.

[Bazzalucas]

...and when you say 'grease', do you mean EP oil? Or the kind of all-purpose grease I've already got in my gun?

[simon68]

...and when you say 'grease', do you mean EP oil? Or the kind of all-purpose grease I've already got in my gun?

Hi Bazzalucas.I bought a grease gun that had a tube of high temp wheel bearing grease with it.Is this okay?

[mike.perry]

Castrol LM grease

[bmcecosse]

Your grease will be fine.......it's a higher spec.

[simon68]

phew.thought i'd messed up with the grease as well.Thanks for that.

[simon68]

Just had a go again.Got the top one done.There was a lot of pressure & pumped till grease ran out further down(see pic).did it on opposite locks but coulnt support shock as i only have the one trolley jack.
Couldnt do the lower one as the nipple was bigger? Can you get special attachments from Moggy parts suppliers?
I really appreciate the advice i'm getting.I'm paranoid one will fail sometime.[frame][/frame]

[chickenjohn]

Good! Looks like you are getting the grease in now. Pump a bit more till clean grease comes out.

I would grease the car with both sides jacked up, then grease the trunnions with the steering moved to left and right lock and in the centre. Thats what I like to do. My theory is this is better at getting grease into the whole thread of the trunnion.

Yes, you can get replacement nipples from the Minor parts suppliers. They are cheap enough.

http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/adv ... eb&x=0&y=0

[simon68]

Thanks for that John

[chickenjohn]

No worries Simon, no need to apologise for "ignorance" on the subject of greasing- as per title of thread. It is something that modern mechanics never have to do and so have no experience of! All part of the fun of running a classic car. While the car is jacked up and the front wheels off I also like to take the opportunity of checking/ adjusting the brakes and suspension and look for any rust appearing.

Best to grease as often as you can- every 1000 miles can't hurt. Also grease the handbrake cables and prop shaft joints- these have nipples too! and oil the steering rack (some like to use grease here as well).

This may seem a pain, all this greasing, but the upside is that a regularly greased old style joint is claimed to last longer than modern "sealed for life" units. I.E. not sealed, but if you grease often then the life will be a lot longer.

[simon68]

Thanks John will do as you suggest & check the other parts.The last Moggy i had was 5 years ago & i lived close by to a specialist so i used to get him to grease the car for me.Using the grease gun was totally alien to me but its very satisfying if you do it yourself...eventually...and right!

[chickenjohn]

Satisfying, but messy! Have plenty of newspaper/old rags to wipe the grease up with.

[mike.perry]

[quote="simon68"] coulnt support shock as i only have the one trolley jack.
Couldnt do the lower one as the nipple was bigger?
It is much safer to support the front end on axle stands
If the grease nipples are different sizes then provided the threads on them are the same you can swap them around so that you can grease all the trunnion threads.