Forcing Grease Into Old Machinery

[Kelly in tx]

I posted in the Farmall/IHC forum. I have a 55 year old machine. It has been sitting about ten years. I've replaced some zerks, but can't seem to get grease into places it needs to go. How can I get grease into this machine?

 

[riverbend]

The oilways are probably plugged up with dried up grease and dirt. Is the part something you can heat up ? Have you tried digging the old grease out under the zerk ?

 

[moresmoke]

Heat, find fittings to adapt the hose on a port a power to screw into the port. If 10,000 psi oil doesn’t penetrate it needs to come apart.

 

[da.bees]

Try filling a gun with diesel, penetrating oil , motor oil or such. It might require getting a little in, waiting a day or two and doing it again until you can force liquid through and out before trying grease again.

 

[SPMN]

Here's a tool to do it. https://www.amazon.com/Fitting-Clea...msclkid=36d002d95f381022905c6b468389a80b&th=1

 

[DanielW]

There was a thread on here about this very subject a week or so ago. Everyone has different methods/thoughts. For what they count, here are my thoughts (this was my response on that thread):

Usually it's not the zerk alone that's the problem: Even if the little bit of grease/dirt in the zerk was hard/solid, if it was only that any grease gun worth its salt should have enough pressure to easily force grease through the zerk itself. Which is not always the best thing: You don't want to force more crapulence into a joint that's already hardened/seized/contaminated. For me it's usually the hardened grease/dirt further in the joint that's the main culprit. I usually find it's from old grease that's completely hardened because it hasn't been greased often enough. Wagon spindles seem to be the worst - for some reason every running gear I buy seems to have never been greased.

I have one of those oil-hammer tools. I think they have a place, but alone they don't really do much for any seriously plugged/stiff joint. But I still use mine for frozen joints/fittings: I replace the zerk, heat the whole joint with a torch/rosebud enough to make the old/hardened grease a little softer, then use the oil-hammer tool to force some oil in there and work the joint back and forth. Usually if you do this and then let it sit for awhile (might need to repeat the operation a few times) the penetrant/oil will soak into the old/hardened grease after a while and soften it up enough to take grease normally thereafter.

 

[cjunrau]

I posted in the Farmall/IHC forum. I have a 55 year old machine. It has been sitting about ten years. I've replaced some zerks, but can't seem to get grease into places it needs to go. How can I get grease into this machine?

only way I find affective is to take it apart and clean out the old dirt/ dry grease, and use wd40 or diesel and then re grease.

 

[DoubleR]

Here's a tool to do it. https://www.amazon.com/Fitting-Clea...msclkid=36d002d95f381022905c6b468389a80b&th=1

I have one. I use ATF fluid in it. It will work about 75% of the time.

 

[Steve in VA]

only way I find affective is to take it apart and clean out the old dirt/ dry grease, and use wd40 or diesel and then re grease.

I agree.

 

[Loosehandle]

I posted in the Farmall/IHC forum. I have a 55 year old machine. It has been sitting about ten years. I've replaced some zerks, but can't seem to get grease into places it needs to go. How can I get grease into this machine?

Take the old fitting out, spin a appropriate size drill bit in the hole with your fingers while pushing in. Install new fitting and try greasing it.

 

[4wdtom]

Take the old fitting out, spin a appropriate size drill bit in the hole with your fingers while pushing in. Install new fitting and try greasing it.

I would add that if the joint or bearing can be moved while pumping in grease after cleaning as you suggest it will help.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

I don't get the general consensus about how clean grease is forcing dirty grease into the joint. The dirty grease / rust is already there , that's why the problem exists in the first place. Besides lubrication, the other purpose of grease purge the joint of dirt.

 

[Hemmjo]

I don't get the general consensus about how clean grease is forcing dirty grease into the joint. The dirty grease / rust is already there , that's why the problem exists in the first place. Besides lubrication, the other purpose of grease purge the joint of dirt.

The difference is the specific application. On swivel joints like excavators etc, you pump grease til the extruded grease is clean. Which does push out abrasive dirt. The tiny bit that was pushed in with the grease in minuscule compared to what was pushed out.

Some grease fittings are on actual bearings, like pillow blocks and universal joints for example. Typical process here is to pump until “some” grease oozes out. In this case any dirt on the fitting. Will be forced into the bearing where it will remain.

Other applications, like the fittings on trailer wheel hubs, forcing too much grease in will blow the seal out the back.

Different applications require different procedures and precautions.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Why will dirt stay in the bearing? The flowing grease won't carry it out?

 

[Hemmjo]

Why will dirt stay in the bearing? The flowing grease won't carry it out?

Because an actual precision bearing; roller, ball, tapered, etc. are typically sealed or at least shlelded, the small clearance of the seal or shield "filters" the dirt out off the escaping grease, leaving the dirt in the bearing. There are also many spaces in this type of bearing, the grit gets stuck in a small space, the grease simply flows past it. Forcing enough grease to flush out ALL of the grit into this type will often blow the seal out of place.

A bushing type bearing, like the joint on a piece of equipment, the ends of a hydraulic cylinder, steering knuckles, etc have more open design, more clearance, it is easier to flush out the dirt and grit. This is why a GOOD maintenance program involves greasing every joint everyday of use, sometimes more than once each day.

 

[DanielW]

Further to my and others replies above: If this 55 year-old machine is the IH 225 you posted about in other threads, make sure you do whatever you have to do to get grease into the top and bottom fittings on that wobble head. Those IH wobbles were the best of all wobble designs (Rowse still uses that IH wobble mechanism on their mowers), but you do have to be on-the-ball with keeping them greased/lubed. A few hours with old/hard grease in most other joints likely won't cause an issue. But you could do some serious harm to that wobble head if not greased thoroughly.

 

[Earl Grey]

Here's a tool to do it. https://www.amazon.com/Fitting-Clea...msclkid=36d002d95f381022905c6b468389a80b&th=1

A friend of mine had one of those, I think he said he put diesel fuel in it and hit it with a hammer, seems like a simple solution!

 

[Kelly in tx]

Thanks ALL!!!! kelly

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Forcing enough grease to flush out ALL of the grit into this type will often blow the seal out of place.

Even sealed bearings with no provision for greasing have nothing more than outward- pointing rubber lips for seals... called exclusionary seals. Same for ordinary pillow block inserts. They have to be this way so that the bearing does not suck in any moisture that may be present, as the bearing cools.

The point being, the outward facing lips readily allow grease to flow out, when the bearing is equipped with a means of lubrication, so that impurities can be expelled.

How many laborers on a jobsite do you think take great care on how carefully they administer the the grease so as not to blow a seal? They don't have the time or the inclination to do anything but to pump grease in until it comes out somewhere.... and the bearings cannot be designed to where the slightest mis-step by maintenance personnel will blow it apart.

 

[Hemmjo]

Even sealed bearings with no provision for greasing have nothing more than outward- pointing rubber lips for seals... called exclusionary seals. Same for ordinary pillow block inserts. They have to be this way so that the bearing does not suck in any moisture that may be present, as the bearing cools.

The point being, the outward facing lips readily allow grease to flow out, when the bearing is equipped with a means of lubrication, so that impurities can be expelled.

How many laborers on a jobsite do you think take great care on how carefully they administer the the grease so as not to blow a seal? They don't have the time or the inclination to do anything but to pump grease in until it comes out somewhere.... and the bearings cannot be designed to where the slightest mis-step by maintenance personnel will blow it apart.

A few points.

1 I will freely admit that have not yet seen all of the possible ways things can fail, but I have seen A LOT. From your comment, you have not yet seen all of the ways things fail either

2. I have seen seals blown out from excessive grease being pumped into a bearing. This most often happens on trailers with a grease fitting on the spindle cap, excess grease can push the entire seal out of the hub. I have also seen both shields and seals blown out of bearings. This typically happens with a "sealed one side" situation. One bearing on each end of a tube or casting. Lawn mower blade spindle for example. Grease fitting between the bearings. Too much grease, HAS to go someplace, seal in the weak link.

3. I have a great deal of respect for laborers on a job site. They are working hard, doing work that has to be done. However most have no business maintaining equipment unless they are well supervised. Missing one fitting can cost thousands in repair costs and even more in down time.

4. It is not the "slightest" misstep that causes issues. It would take a lot of fast pumping with a hand grease gun to hurt things. But with a pneumatic or even a new cordless electric gun you can force a LOT of grease in to fitting under a LOT of pressure VERY QUICKLY.

You can take it or leave it. But I have SEEN these things happen many times.

These are my final words on the topic.