Help! how the H** does this grease gun work?

[jbbcd]

Please explain to me how to refill a hand pump grease gun! Doh!
am I stupid or what??
This is my second hand gease gun. the fisrst was a very small unit, had the same problem. I thought is was a bad gun, so I go & purchase a new larger gun, follow the directions on placing a new tube of grease in. But I pump & pump & no grease flows (dont tell me to pump it a bunch of times, I already pumped it 100 times). What the heck am I doing wrong??

 

[Ductape]

Is there a little button on top you can push in to bleed it? Bleeding has always been very irritating to me when changing cartridges. When i put in a new grease cartridge, i scoop up what little grease is left in the old one and add it to the top of the new one, essentially over filling it. Then pump and bleed till you can get it primed. This problem is exactly why the two pneumatic guns i owned ended up in the trash bin.

 

[638]

When you screw the tube back on to the head of the pump, don't tighten it up tight. Leave it about halfway loose. This will let the air pocket escape. You may also have to tap the pump end on the edge of your workbench to get the grease into the pump. You may have to remove the hose/pipe from the pump to get it primed.

 

[George2615]

This may be a dumb question but when you put the new tube of grease in the gun did you pop the end cap off the grease tube before screwing the gun onto the threads. Then as someone else said don't thread the gun all the way on then release the spring. Leaving the gun unthreaded a little allows air to bleed or the gun should also have a bleed screw but just loosen it, don't take it all the way out. If you still get no grease the tip may be plugged.

 

[JRobyn]

Well, I can tell you what to do for the OPPOSITE problem, where grease leaks out....

 

[Egon]

You can also lock the spring loader plunger onto the center plate and press on it while pumping. This will help force the air out.

 

[RalphVa]

Biggest problem I've had with the small ones is they let grease bleed around the piston (which is a round piece of metal with a pretty lousy leather or rubberish seal around it). Last one I bought had a lock where I could withdraw the piston and lock the spindle back and then only release it when I wanted it to push the grease. It leaked, too. Finally bought a big one. So far, it hasn't leaked.

When refilling, put the end in that is completely open first. Then puncture the membrane on the other end. Put in and screw in place. If grease won't pump out, open the vent. There's almost always a threaded bolt that serves as a vent. It'll probably be slit up the sides so it'll vent without being completely removed. Most will self vent by just pumping. Some are more stubborn.

Ralph

 

[BillinTX]

I have had good luck priming my old grease gun by pumping the T handle on the back several times after replacing the cartridge. That pushes the grease down toward the pump and breaks up the air pocket. Much less messy than fiddling with the bleed screw.

 

[Wheatland KB]

The tips above are also what I've experienced. Just one to add...Patience!

 

[irvingj]

JRobyn-- glad we got that issue "settled"! If you all would like a real laugh, check out <engrish.com>! Being a Chinese linguist, I get a real kick out of that stuff. My Chinese & Japanese may be a bit rusty, but I hope I could do better than some of these translations into "engrish."

Concerning the grease gun, jbbcd-- ditto what others have said-- most likely culprit is an air bubble. My standard small gun has an air bleed, but my mini doesn't-- patience and a willingness to get your hands greasy definitley help here! You kinda hafta be quick at pulling back on the spring-handle and stuffing the bleed plug back in before lubing the whole shop....