Best Greasing Configuration ?

[LobbyLudd]

Over the years "experts" have given me differing advice on this. (i.e. grease may be restricted and not get to all joint areas effectively unless car is in the advised position) Sure I have also read this somewhere.
When greasing all the front steering nipples.
Do others jack up front of car' - take off front wheels for easy access - letting hubs just dangle?
Or should you in turn support hubs (as if the car is on a professional garage hi-lift with road wheels all on and supporting vehicle ?
Thanks for any opinions as always seem to have conflicting advice (or does it not really make any difference)

[Boomlander]

I have always jacked up each front side of the car using the chassis rail as a lifting point.
Then with the road wheel removed grease is pumped in to top and bottom nipples until fresh grease appears at the joints.
Always seems to work for me.

[philthehill]

To be really effective in greasing the front trunnions/swivels the jack should be placed under the bottom thick/thin suspension arm as far outboard as possible. This takes the load off the torsion bar and so in turn takes the load off the trunnion/swivel threads allowing the grease to find its way through and around the threads. Keep greasing until clean fresh grease appears and then stop greasing.

[M25VAN]

Yes, this really is the key. Grease goes in much easier then. There is a sweet spot when the trunnions have no load on them. I also grease twice, once on each opposite lock to try and get the grease in more evenly. Bottom trunnions seem the hardest to achieve this. Don't know if the double nipple trunnions that the Birmingham Minor sell help any more.

[philthehill]

http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Morris/partd ... =SUS140XXX

The one normally placed grease nipple feeds both bottom trunnion pin and swivel but as they say every little helps.

[M25VAN]

Thanks for the link. I wonder if those double grease nipple trunnions have a second groove or are just simply another nipple drilled and tapped..

[mike.perry]

When I fit new trunnions I remove the grease nipple, pack the trunnion with grease by hand then screw the trunnion on until grease comes out of the nipple hole before replacing the nipple and screwing the trunnion fully on. This ensures that the grease gets fully into the trunnion threads, all over your hands, your tools, over your clothes and the garage floor and anything else that you come into contact with!

[philthehill]

I have just finished stripping and examining several NOS bottom trunnions and there is a benefit to be gained in having a second grease nipple which serves only the swivel threads. There is no need for a extra grove or grease feed way as that would just allow grease to go straight to the top and not be forced all around the threads.
With the single grease nipple which serves both the trunnion pin and swivel threads the grease will take the easy way out and will exit the swivel without feeding grease to the bottom half of the swivel threads.
The grease from the single grease nipple feeds into the bottom swivel threads via and past the bottom trunnion pin at the middle of those swivel threads
Having a grease nipple at the bottom of the swivel threads will ensure that grease will travel upwards covering all of the swivel thread and not just the top threads.
So in consideration I would endorse the fitting of two grease nipples to the bottom trunnion.
Mike
Whilst your idea of packing the swivel/trunnion is good any new grease pumped into the swivel trunnion post assy will pass via the trunnion pin to the top half of the swivel pin threads and out past the seal. New grease will not go down to the bottom of the threads as there is no incentive for the grease to do so and that is were the second grease nipple comes into its own.
Phil

[simmitc]

One other point - standard grease will harden over time. One thing that can be useful is to mix a little diesel with the grease, which makes it a little easier to work through, yet it still sticks to what it should - and as Mike noted, to everything else too.

[philthehill]

I have checked some more bottom trunnions and some have the grease baffle (fits between the trunnion pin bushes and around the trunnion pin and is there to make sure that the majority of grease goes to the swivel threads) and some do not have the baffle.
With or without the baffle the grease still does not go to the bottom threads of the swivel threads.