Mini grease gun- not worth the effort

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good evening: I got a mini grease gun from a friend's yard sale; he has passed on so no one to ask questions. The device takes a 3-ounce cartridge of grease, it appears to be a current Harbor Freight item; I downloaded a set of instructions.

The problem: Cartridge seems full of grease, I can unscrew the head from the barrel, both seem full of grease, but when put back together, I can pump the handle and nothing comes out.

Trouble shooting this will be a time-killer, like crossword puzzles or Sudoku. If someone has had one apart and gotten it working, please post your method. Thanks much!

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

 

[teddy52food]

Air locked?

 

[Steve@Advance]

I assume it would work on a mini gun, but what I do to purge air is take the hose or pipe off at the
gun outlet, hold my finger over the hole, and pump the lever.

Finger acts as a check valve, when solid grease and no air is coming out, it should be good to go.
At least until the next air bubble comes down...

 

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good evening, Steve: Your suggestion sounds good, I can easily try it, or even remove the check valve parts (a ball and spring) to be sure the parts are ok. There are two check valves; the pipe or hose can be screwed in to either the front or the top hole, with the other hole plugged. The gun looks nearly new, but as I posted, the seller has passed away so I can't question him as to whether it worked before I bought it. Thanks much!!

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

 

[Mule Meat]

Check and see if it has a bleeder valve. If so open it slowly until you see grease escaping and then close it. Sometimes you can open it and work the pump to get it going.

The screw should not have to come out completely to purge the cartridge.

 

[Hay hay hay]

I have several mini's that I keep in balers tool boxes. I have found that I need to pile up a wad of grease on top of the cartridge before I
screw it back together. That seems to fill the pump mechanism and get the new grease into the system. Hope it works for you. They are handy
little devils.

 

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good evening all: Replying to my own post and all, I can see this mini-project taking several days for me, since I will put it aside, then work on it little, etc. So I will post a new thread on it when I get back to working on it. Thanks for the suggestions!

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.