I HATE grease guns!

[canoetrpr]

I am on my third gun. The second was a good gun from Napa but I dropped it and the plastic T shaped handle at the end of the plunger broke so I can't pull the plunger back comfortably. No parts available of course.

Decided to buy an air powered one from Napa. I've spent about an hour with the darn thing in the shop. Followed the instructions to the T. Initially I got nothing - no grease. Instructions say that this is typically because of an air pocket. There is a valve thingy that you can push down. I pushed down many many times to release the air. After many pushes, I got it to the point where if I hit the trigger, it gives me a short burst of grease. Then I have to let it go and hit it again. Takes about 10 of these for 1 zerk!

I would have expected the grease to flow continuously on the air powered gun when the trigger is depressed.

Anyone that has anything to offer here that helps will be my hero!

 

[elad]

My air powered grease gun works the same way. Each squeeze of the
trigger gives only a small amount of grease. Still better than working
that hand operated gun. I think.
elad

 

[Matt_Jr]

I've have a Matco pneumatic grease gun. It constantly pumps as long as the trigger is pulled. As far as priming the air out I found that adding extra grease helps A LOT! After you put in the cartridge add some more to make a mound of grease before screwing on the top. Works for me. I always use the extra out of whats left of the old cartridge. I read about it on TBN. I must have done this 50 times after learning this trick on this forum and since then it's been perfect. Good luck.

 

[bruceatlam]

I've have a Matco pneumatic grease gun. It constantly pumps as long as the trigger is pulled. As far as priming the air out I found that adding extra grease helps A LOT! After you put in the cartridge add some more to make a mound of grease before screwing on the top. Works for me. I always use the extra out of whats left of the old cartridge. I read about it on TBN. I must have done this 50 times after learning this trick on this forum and since then it's been perfect. Good luck.

I have a Lincoln 1162 pneumatic that behaves exactly as described above. And double thanks for that tip --- so simple I wonder why I never thought of that. I guess I'm just simpler.

 

[Stimw]

If you take the hose or 1/8" pipe nipple out of the gun and put your finger over the hole and work it, it will prime and then grease will come out, put the hose back on and go. For some reason the piston just moves the air back and forth. Your finger acts like a check valve and removes the air.
I've had good luck with the Harbor Freight air grease guns but they have this problem too. I finally bought a used pro model that takes a 5 gal pail of grease. Even it gets down to about 1/4 and I have trouble with it sucking air.

 

[canoetrpr]

Stimw - by 'work it' you're not suggesting that I put my finger over the outlet hole with the air hooked up and hit the trigger - are you?

Just trying to follow what you are suggesting. Sorry - I might be missing something obvious.

 

[CurlyDave]

...by 'work it' you're not suggesting that I put my finger over the outlet hole with the air hooked up and hit the trigger - are you?

That is exactly the suggestion. You are not going to injure yourself this way. It is not like the spray from a pressure washer. The grease gun slowly pumps a small volume of grease. Because it is a positive displacement pump, it can develop very high pressure if the output is restricted. Your finger can not cause a sufficient restriction and the pressure developed is actually quite low.

I have had good results with a Harbor Freight electric grease gun. I use the mound up the grease over the pump inlet technique and have only a small amount of trouble priming the pump.

I have tried both electric and pneumatic, and the electric wins out because it doesn't have an air hose constantly getting in the way.

 

[mjncad]

They can put a man on the moon; but they can't make a grease gun that isn't a pain to use.

 

[rimshot]

I got it to the point where if I hit the trigger, it gives me a short burst of grease. Then I have to let it go and hit it again. Takes about 10 of these for 1 zerk!

I would have expected the grease to flow continuously on the air powered gun when the trigger is depressed.

Anyone that has anything to offer here that helps will be my hero!

==================

Hold the phone. It sounds like your grease gun is what they call a single shot model. I have one too and you will find it works just fine. I just keep firing it like a single action Smith & Wesson .38 calibe revolver until it starts to bleed a bit of grease from the joint I am lubing. Here's the Sears model right here:

Craftsman Single Shot Grease Gun - Model 19958 at Sears.com

After inserting a new tube of grease, I just pump the grease shaft plunger a few times until the air shoots out a bit of grease with each trigger pull.

Oh by the way. I tried two air grease guns from Harbor freight and neither one would work. I got one and it failed to pump grease. I bellyached and they sent me a new one. That one failed to prime also. They both ended up in the junk.

rimshot

 

[canoetrpr]

The box didn't say anything about it being single shot so I was working on an assumption here that since it was air powered it would be continuous.

That said, even if it is single shot, I would expect the grease to come out with some ferocity with each shot - it seems to just plunk out.

Man if this is normal, then the thing is a piece of $@#$^