A most aggravating reoccurring task

[jcummins]

It's not greasing....although that is a pita.....it's refilling the grease gun, THEN MAKING IT WORK AGAIN.

Many years ago after going through endless issues with grease guns ( some of them sailing across my work area) I thought I discovered what the problem was. The plunger doesn't insert well into the cartridge, and gets hung up on the edge of the cartridge. I changed the way I load the gun and it helped a lot.

Now today, both of my grease guns out of grease. The one I use 95% of the time is the pistol grip one in the picture below. I made sure the plunger was completely inside the cardboard grease container, but try as I might, I could not get grease to pump. I purged the air lock thingamajig....even took it off, and grease came spurting out. I finally loaded a new cartridge in the lever grease gun, and although it to was balky, I finished the job with it.

I inverted the pistol grip gun, and slammed the top down repeated on a vise, trying to force grease into the plunger system. I'd get a little spurt out of the gun, then it would stop again. In the past this pretty much work, provided the internal plunder was properly inside the cartridge, and I'm certain it was.

Given the age we live in, surely there's a better way. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? Seems there is endless threads on here with others having issues with grease guns....but I've yet to read a working solution.

 

[mikehaugen]

It looks like the pistol gun has a bulk-filling fitting on it. Most grease guns you can invert the plunger depending on if you are using cartridges or bulk-filling. I don't think this is your problem, but it is worth a try. The piston should have the narrower end toward the gun IIRC.

I have also been somewhat successful twisting the rod at the base to make it catch the plunger when it is all of the way out, then pushing in to give the piston a little more force and try pumping it while doing that.

BTW... where is Creal Springs?

 

[creekbend]

I'm attempting to possibly help. Will get back.

 

[jcummins]

It looks like the pistol gun has a bulk-filling fitting on it. Most grease guns you can invert the plunger depending on if you are using cartridges or bulk-filling. I don't think this is your problem, but it is worth a try. The piston should have the narrower end toward the gun IIRC.

I have also been somewhat successful twisting the rod at the base to make it catch the plunger when it is all of the way out, then pushing in to give the piston a little more force and try pumping it while doing that.

BTW... where is Creal Springs?

I actually tried using bulk in that gun....did not work. All the grease oozed past the plunger.

Twisting the rod?...I might try that. I wasn't aware the rod "catches" the plunger based upon how it is positioned.

 

[creekbend]

How to use a grease gun

 

[jcummins]

BTW... where is Creal Springs?

16 miles SE from Marion, IL.

 

[bcp]

Steps 9-12 here:

https://jdagccc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1105/~/grease-gun-instructions---ty26517

Some grease guns have a screw or fitting to bleed off trapped air near the pump.

And some rods can be locked to the piston to push grease forward with more than spring pressure.

Bruce

 

[dave1949]

Once in a while, you might get a grease cartridge that has air bubbles in the grease. This is no fun.

I can turn my plunger rod and get pressure from the bottom end by pushing on it.

 

[Leejohn]

When you put the cardboard grease container in only screw the gun body about 2 turns. Pump handle 2 or 3 times and then screw the body on a little more, pump again 2 or 3 times then tighten the body all the way. It should pump now, I never tighten the body down all the way at first. Try that has worked for me many, many years..

 

[Grn mtn boy]

When you put the cardboard grease container in only screw the gun body about 2 turns. Pump handle 2 or 3 times and then screw the body on a little more, pump again 2 or 3 times then tighten the body all the way. It should pump now, I never tighten the body down all the way at first. Try that has worked for me many, many years..

+1
That's what I do as well. When I was a kid and went to work with my dad everyday in the summer, my job was to check the oil, start the engines and grease all the equipment on the job site. I think I used a grease gun more when I was kid than I do now, but I use the same method.

 

[hawkeye08]

+2
In addition, when I pull the tab to open the end of the grease cartridge, I purposely remove it in such a way to leave the grease "sticking out", then when the top is screwed back on, it "catches" the new grease. As others noted in their experience, I too had a job as a teenager of greasing equipment. When we converted to cartridges (from bulk fill), it took a few days to get the hang of it, but when you use 1-2 cartridges per day, you either get good at it or you take way too long to grease things. The reason we switched to cartridges back then was we could no longer get the grease we used in bulk.

I think the secret to using cartridges is to give the air a place to escape.... not tightening the top until the air is out mostly is how I do it... If I get a stubborn one, I take the top off again (gotta pull the handle back and lock it) and "pack" some grease in the top where it gets picked up... then back together. I have not had to do that for 20-30 years now, but expect I will again one day...

 

[/pine]

And to think I thought this thread was about mowing grass or household chores...!

 

[bigbull338]

i can solve your running out of grease in grease guns quick.this is what we did when we was running 3 dump trucks.buy your grease in 5 gal buckets with the hand pump an long grease hose on it.

 

[jcummins]

And to think I thought this thread was about mowing grass or household chores...!

Maybe we could change it!

As old as I am...you would think I'd know about locking the plunger to the handle...I did not. I thought perhaps mine was broke, but sure enough, I could lock it.

BUT...I loosen the top cap a good deal, and pounded and pushed on the rod, once locked, and I still could not get it to pump. This gun has what looks like a valve stem on the head, which is nothing but a relief valve, with a little steel ball on the end. Depress that and I had grease coming out. This thing is air locked some how. I got tired of dealing with it, but will probably take it apart again tomorrow and work the pump while viewing it apart. I've had this same difficulty before....but not like this time, (except for the one that sail across the workshop and ended up in the trash can).

 

[npalen]

We had grease gun fights when I was a kid instead of greasing the combines as we were supposed to be doing. The cartridge type guns would squirt a good 10 feet or so. Dad probably never understood why there would be grease on the side sheet metal of the combine. (Then again, he probably did know.)
One trick I learned, as mentioned above, was to just screw the gun head on a turn or two before releasing the plunger and then start pumping. Anything less than a turn might result in a mess as the gun head pops back off.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Lol... grease gun fights... that's awesome. I missed out... guess that's what happens growing up with my only other sibling being a sister.

I might even have to tell my boys about that one... right after I lock up the grease guns!

 

[npalen]

For what it's worth, I've heard that a grease gun can put out as much as 10,000 PSI. Anyone have any facts on that?
I also understand that some crawlers had (have?) a grease gun zerk for the purpose of pumping grease into a cylinder to adjust the tension of the tracks.

 

[mikehaugen]

As far as pressure... yes- maybe more.

The track adjustment I can't answer.

 

[Code54]

For what it's worth, I've heard that a grease gun can put out as much as 10,000 PSI. Anyone have any facts on that?
I also understand that some crawlers had (have?) a grease gun zerk for the purpose of pumping grease into a cylinder to adjust the tension of the tracks.

On the rubber tracked mini X's all you do to add some tension to the tracks is add grease - amazing how easy it is and seems to work pretty darn good