What is a ZERK point?
What is a ZERK point?
Grease fittings, also known as grease gun zerk fittings or grease nipples, serve as lubrication points on bearing housings or other mechanical components. Their design provides a secure connection to a grease gun coupler for delivering precise amounts of grease into bearings and other moving systems.
Does my car have grease fittings?
Just about every automaker has relegated grease-fittings to the museum and instead opted for permanently lubricated designs for such things as steering tie rod ends and suspension ball joints.
Where do I grease my suspension?
The serviceable components such as tie rods, ball joints, will have a grease fitting on them. Look around the steering and suspension assemblies to make sure you spot all of them. Typically, on each side, you will have: 1 upper and 1 lower ball joint as well as an outer tie rod end.
What happens if you over grease a ball joint?
DO NOT CONTINUE GREASING ONCE YOU SEE THE BOOT SWELL. The seal that holds that grease in the ball joint can be compromised if too much pressure is applied. If this happens you will be replacing that part sooner than later.
Can you over grease Zerks?
Use Just Enough: Don’t overfill when you grease Zerk fittings. Usually, three or four pumps of grease are enough and over-greasing a joint pushes grease out the aforementioned seals, which attracts dust, sand, and dirt. Contaminated grease can damage moving parts, so avoid having excess squish out the seals.
Why are they called Zerk fittings?
The Zerk design, named after Oscar Zerk, used a fitting much smaller than the Alemite pin-type and did not lock the hose coupler or hand gun and fitting together. Instead, the seal between them was maintained by the pressure of a pushing action when the operator applied the coupler to the fitting.
How much grease should you put in a grease fitting?
How Much Grease Is Enough?
- Rule of Thumb #1: G = DB/10. This rule of thumb uses the formula G-DB/10 where D=shaft diameter (in.), B=bearing width (in.), and G=ounces of of grease.
- Rule of Thumb #2: One Stroke per Inch of Shaft. This rule of thumb depends entirely on the grease gun.
- Rule #3 – Feel and Listen.
Where do I lubricate my suspension?
Do cars still need to be lubed?
With older vehicles, it was highly recommended to lubricate the grease fittings of the chassis periodically to prevent part damage and corrosion. However, today’s vehicles don’t necessarily require lube services, either due to the way that the parts are sealed or due to the “lubed for life” parts.
Are you supposed to grease suspension bushings?
Over time, control arm bushings and other rubber suspension components can deteriorate, crack and squeak. Lubricating the parts can eliminate the noise, but you must choose the lubricant wisely. Petroleum-based lubricants are NOT compatible with rubber. They will cause the rubber to swell and deteriorate quickly.
Are Greasable ball joints better?
Bottom line on strength: The non-greaseable joint is slightly stronger than a greaseable joint. The exact number, how much stronger, is unknown and we do not believe it to be very significant. Bottom line on wear life: A regularly greased greaseable joint will outlive a non-greaseable joint.
Is red grease good for ball joints?
It’s hard to give Lucas Oil’s Red ‘n’ Tacky the pick for Best Value as opposed to Best Overall. This grease has a lot going for it and is an excellent multipurpose grease to keep around the shop for lubricating various parts of your car or truck, including the ball joints.
What happens if you don’t grease your ball joints?
Grease is good for noise and maintenance but no amount of it will bring a failed ball joint back to life. If you find that you have a failed ball joint we offer Moog upper and lower ball joints for many makes and models.
