clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em

   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #1  

dieselbeef

Gold Member
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
283
Location
myakka city
Tractor
bx2200..jd 2010 loader backhoe tractor
so i got a 5210 and am doing what i need to..oils/filters etc.

got alotta fittings that wont take grease. got a 540 self leveling loader on it and it hasnt seen alott agrease apparently.

got a tool from grainger to try to unplug em...aint worth beans

going to try heating them next and forcing grease in while theyre still hot


any old farmer ideas...tricks of the trades?

thanks
gary
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #2  
Take em out and replace them. Don't waste your time diddling with them.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #3  
Unless you want to take the hinge joints clear apart to clean, here's what I do.

Remove the zerk, clean so it will take grease, or replace. Then take a small screwdriver, awl, or something small to loosen what crud you can see in the hole, and remove it. Blow it out, whatever... Fill the hole with your favorite penetrating oil. The thinner the better. Re-insert the zerk, then try to pump grease, keeping pressure on it. A good lever type is best. A decent gun puts out 12,000 psi, and will force the fluid out, and grease will follow. Bad thing is, it may only come out one side, following the least path of resistance, and not grease the whole area. A word of warning... Half the time, they aren't too bad. But the stubborn one's... When it let's go..., IT LET'S GO..!! So watch your elbows..!! Don't ask how I know...

I've had a 99.9% success rate doing this. A couple were so bad, it literally turned the bushing enough, the hole in it spun away from the grease hole.

On holes that are horizontal, do the same thing, except make a half, or more dam out of grease. Spray the lube in, and get the zerk in asap.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #4  
There's a small hand tool that you load with grease and smack with a hammer to clear choked fittings. It recalls the 'impact driver' one always needed to remove case covers (decades ago, btw) on Asian bikes with Philips heads on 6mm bolts. :banghead:

There are metric and US threaded fittings out there, and you may want to pull a pin or two if possible to clean out where you want new grease to go. Other than that, I'd go with what's said above :thumbsup:, including to replace the fittings while you have 'em out.

btw: Kroil seems to work better than PBlaster for loosenig dried up grease. Once in a while you can wrap something around vs damming to ****** evaporation while it's working...
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #5  
I find that most times when a zerk wont take grease, it isn't the zerk, its the pathways in the pins that are fouled with crud so remove the pins and clean them up good including the inside of the pin holes in the equipment. Check that they take grease before reinstalling. Sometimes you will find one that just doesn't want to take grease no matter what you do. I have one like that on one stabilizer pad on my back hoe. I have cleaned and cleaned, removed the pin, cleaned the hole and it still doesn't want to take grease. I think the clearance is too tight for this so I just continue to run it, try to grease it everytime and hopefully over time the hole will wear enough so that grease will flow. Maybe I will put some 80W gear oil in one of my grease guns and try that.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #6  
Unless you are a thousand miles away from civilization and cannot get grease zerks, replace them with new zerks and be done with it.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em
  • Thread Starter
#7  
some of em i can barely get the gun on much less replace it..if i do im gonna run a bit into the hole too..but putting that fitting back down in some of them spots aint gonna be easy

i have the tool ya fill with oil and hit with a hammer..it didnt even phase em...

maybe pull the pin and try to dig the hole out ..then force grease in..just a pita
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #8  
I've had some luck soaking zerks with ReleaseAll. Pick your favourite penetrating oil, or just ATF/Acetone, and give it a try. Keep it wet for 2 days at least.

I used ReleaseAll, intending to change the zerk, but it worked fine after a good soak. Taking things apart is best, but sometimes not easy to get at.

Rgds, D.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #9  
If the grease is spilling out when you try to pump it into the fitting, the first trick I would try would be to put a piece of thin, clean, cloth over the zerk, then force the grease gun fitting over the top of that. It improves the seal, and often provides enough additional pressure to get the grease flowing.
 
   / clogged grease/zerk fittings..tips/tricks to unplug em #10  
Pertaining to plugged grease fittings:
I purchsed a Lincoln Impact Fitting cleaner from Farm and Fleet a couple of years ago and have had fairly good luck with it. Cost about $30 - $35, I thought that was reasonable. I assume your unit is similar in design to mine. Merely replaceing the fittings is what I did before I puchased this unit. Sometimes this would work -sometimes not. Using a torch can bring about a safety issuses. I know.. I've done that myself.
With this unit you can use light wieght oil or a good penetrant of your choice. Usualy I will remove the zerk to check it's condition and so on. Look to see if there is a buildup of rust or whatever inside the recipient part. Scratch or digout any debrie or what ever, replace the fitting and give it a crack or two. Having enough room can be a factor for a good hard "direct" hit prefferably head on.
Success can also depend on allowing enough time for a penetrant to disolve or break down the blockage. One may want to leave it soak overnite.
Remember for success, "Patience is a key ingrediant you can't buy"

Good luck on your grease zerks!

LEBBY
 
 
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