Greasing me trunnions

[Peetee]

OK, how do i do this? Do the nipples unscrew?

[mike.perry]

Someone asked that question recently
Clip the grease gun nozzle to the nipple and pump until fresh grease comes out of the trunnion seals then swing the drums from lock to lock to work the grease around the threads.
Alternatively, as it appears that you have not greased the front suspension before you may wish to strip it down to check that it is not about to fall apart then pack the trunnions with grease before re assembling them.

[Peetee]

I'm trying to work out how they function. Is there a ball bearing in there that is forced back by the grease which then squirts round the gap into the trunion then? The nipples don't look in the best of health and it's hard to see a port at all.

[taupe]

Peetee

Yes youve got it! The ball bearing sometimes gets stuck with hardened grease or sometimes rust. You can often free them by brushing across with a brass brush. You can also unscrew them and clean them up on your work bench.

They should always be cleaned before greasing to stop dirt being forced in with the grease.

They work a bit like a non return valve - allowing the grease in and then sealing the small hole after.

A tip is to leave a slight smear of grease on the end of the nipple after greasing this protects them a bit from road dirt and salt.

Taupe

[chickenjohn]

I advocate jacking the front of the car up (support under axle stands!!), remove wheels, and grease each nipple three times- with steering at full left lock, wheels center, full right lock.

My theory is that way you get the fresh grease all round the thread of the king pin inside each trunnion, whereas, just greasing in one position may leave old/ dirty grease in places.

[xpress]

how many pumps john do you do for each nipple on each position to completely expel the old grease and put fresh in and also just to do a top up, left lock, midway and right lock?

how often do you do this in your schedule? regards.

[bmcecosse]

Just a few pumps until new grease appears. Do it as often as you like - but every 1000 miles is more than sufficient - unless you only do 1000 miles per year... in which case, twice per year.

[mike.perry]

Every time you have the front wheels off for a brake adjustment etc. give the trunnions a couple of squirts

[chickenjohn]

Yes, I do the same as BMC- just pump until you see clean grease coming out of the rubbers.

[davew1949]

When I "greased me trunnions" for the first time, I found the grease gun, for some reason, wouldn't seal on the nipple. This resulted in grease squirting out everywhere except where it was wanted - especially on the drive.

A tip I found, (and to be honest was very surprised that it actually worked so well) was to put a thin piece of cloth, such as an old handkerchief, over the nipple before attaching the grease gun. Somehow this seals the gun to the nipple and the grease goes in great. No I didn't believe it either.

I'm sure all the experienced greasers already know of this tip, but it was new to me and may help others out.

Good greasing.

Dave

[MarkyB]

It is a good tip, I think it works because the fabric is woven so has holes through it even though you can't see them, so it resists grease going sideways and puts more pressure through the cloth to the nipple.

It also helps to line up the hole in the nipple with the output of the gun, if it leaks on the first pull of the handle then move the gun around to get a better alignment, otherwise more pumps will just waste more grease.

[Dean]

A tip I found, (and to be honest was very surprised that it actually worked so well) was to put a thin piece of cloth, such as an old handkerchief, over the nipple before attaching the grease gun.
Dave

This can often stop your nipples getting sore too.