17 replies to this topic

[chuee]

My balljoints, top and bottom, both sides don't seems to permit grease to pump through. 

 

Symptoms: grease  under pressure spurts out of connection to grease nipple.

 

I  replaced the ball joints with new  about 4 000 (mainly town miles)) ago, and have re-shimmed them once too since.

 

The connection from gun to nipple is good - and also tried a different one.

 

Q.1  Should excess grease being pumped not appear at the dust covers?

 

Q.2. I am suspecting either all greease nipples are clogged, or otherwise what could be going on?

 

cheers for your thoughts, John.

Edited by chuee, 11 August 2024 - 07:45 PM.

[Quinlan minor]

Try jacking it up, to unload the ball-joints, and rotating the steering wheel to find the greasing sweet spot.

I also find greasing much easier with one of these:

 

https://www.ebay.co....:Bk9SR8S9hZqoZA

 

[imack]

Probably an inadequate 'grease groove' passage in the ball pin itself.
Easily rectified with a dremel.

[Spider]

Probably an inadequate 'grease groove' passage in the ball pin itself.
Easily rectified with a dremel.

 

This or if you've shimmed them on the tight side, they often won't left grease through.

[chuee]

Three excellent answers, covers it I think. Thanks, folk.

The answer may of course be composite -   jacking up to  find the sweet spot,  inadequate grooves on this batch of joints, plus joints shimmed on the tight side.

 

I'll begin by trying @Quinlan's suggestion of jacking up, rotating the wheel to find the sweet spot. I suppose i should remove a nipple ot check its operation too.

 

It'll take a while; not immediately. I'll report back in about a month.

 

Cheers, John

Edited by chuee, 12 August 2024 - 04:12 AM.

[chuee]

Ps. could you confirm, as per my memory, that excess grease is suppsed to appear out of the dust cover?

Edited by chuee, 11 August 2024 - 08:09 PM.

[GraemeC]

Yes, the grease usually appears from under the dust cover.

You can test the nipples with a small screwdriver - just push the little ball and make sure it goes in slightly then springs back

[chuee]

Hit the Sweet Spot! ... on all four nipples, as per Quinlan's suggestion.

Prior nipple testing with a suitable metal tool had revealed their working condition.

 

Must have  been lucky with sweet spots previously for all my life, or possibly  grease gun nozzles had been superior.

 

 

 For the future, decided to order the 10000 PSI Grease Gun Coupler Quick Release Self-Locking Oil Injection Nozzle as suggested,

 

Thanks again to all of you for your kind advice.

John

Edited by chuee, 12 August 2024 - 07:43 AM.

[smurfomatic]

I recently got a similar grease gun coupler, makes things so much easier - when it latches on you know you're good to go!

[Ethel]

Hit the Sweet Spot! ... on all four nipples, as per Quinlan's suggestion.

Prior nipple testing with a suitable metal tool had revealed their working condition.

 

Must have  been lucky with sweet spots previously for all my life, or possibly  grease gun nozzles had been superior.

 

 

 For the future, decided to order the 10000 PSI Grease Gun Coupler Quick Release Self-Locking Oil Injection Nozzle as suggested,

 

Thanks again to all of you for your kind advice.

John

The manufacturing quality certainly ain't what it used to be with quite a few. I never would have considered needing to lap them back in the day.

[slidehammer]

I would suspect blocked grease nipples, due to old hard grease or debris 

Take them out put them on the grease gun and pump some fresh grease through them.

[chuee]

I would suspect blocked grease nipples, due to old hard grease or debris 

Take them out put them on the grease gun and pump some fresh grease through them.

 

I  think that is a good idea. This particular job requires a thorough apprach at some stage on older vehicles to keep things straightforward.

I guess, an alternative approach, whilst the hub on the bench, pump some grease through whilst ball joints are dismantled, eh?

 

 

I noticed grease in the gun nozzle may go hard and block eventually .... so why not the nipples, with potential dust ingress, and possible some rust too from within the joint, depending on history of laying up.

[Spider]

Try jacking it up, to unload the ball-joints, and rotating the steering wheel to find the greasing sweet spot.

I also find greasing much easier with one of these:

 

https://www.ebay.co....:Bk9SR8S9hZqoZA

 

I think you'll find this is from the grease path being too small or non-existant. The method is OK-ish, but usually how the grease gets through since it can't come up the side of the upper ball is at extreme angles with some joints, a gap opens up between the upper ball and the cup allowing the grease through. The steering should then be moved back and forth to smear the grease as best as is possible, around on the upper ball.

I found that while greasing by the nipple helps, periodically, the joints need stripping down to be thoroughly greased.

[chuee]

Strip Down

Following a test drive,

- that is, after  jacking up and greasing up successfully (though grease a bit reluctant to get out to the top on one particular joint),

I decided to strip down the hubs.

 

That is due to my suspicion that the ball joints continued to contribute to knocking when riding over bumps,  altough just marginally improved. 

 

I found that though the joints were in the tight side,  they moved, but roughly, and that 7,000 miles of riding since they had been installed,  had worn them uevenly. The grease grooves were vanishing too.

About 3-4,000 in harsh town conditions (really disgraceful, I prefer unmade rods in India on an old royal enfield).

 

So I replaced them with a set at hand. And the ride is much improved with noise due to ball joints gone. Noise due to unhappy tie bar  rubber bushes is still apparent - need to  get hold of some next week.

 

Quality Balls

The new ball joints were supplied by minispares, as were the previous last set.  Again, I lapped them in slightly, by hand.

However I do notice that there is some tendency to snatch at extreme angles when closing up the float; Same on last set. But not so original, Unipart or Quinton Hazel sets in the distant past. I don't think lapping more than lightly can correct any 'out-of roundness'. The cushion seats in the hub were clean, and even worked on with a fine rotary wire brush. In any case, I figure the bottom ball joint  cushions wouldn't suffer from that.

 

I set shims and end float of the ball joints for a slacker play, rather than tighter, to compensate.

Where necessary, to get the right compromise, I torqued by feel rather than by measure, knowing that the locktab would keep the domed nut in place.

 

The nuts were tightened, but less than specified torque. a 0.02mm shim (my smallest) difference wouldn't do it.  <--- I wonder what you think of that method, eh? Suits me. 

 

But I guess I ought to recheck for increasing float sooner rather than later.

Edited by chuee, 16 August 2024 - 07:06 PM.

[imack]

Never shim the ball joints too tight. It can make the swivel pin caps loosen off as the steering is turned and consequently destroy the threads on the hub carrier.