Stuck Zerks

[IslandTractor]

What do you do when a grease zerk refuses to admit grease? Occasionally when greasing my tractor a zerk will not allow grease to pass into the joint and instead it either overflows back around the grease fitting or I can feel "solid" resistance to my efforts with a grease gun. I have generally used a nail punch to push in the little ball valve and sometimes that fixes the zerk. However today I had two zerks that steadfastly resisted my efforts to clean and get them working again. Is there any trick other than replacing the zerk?

 

[Inspector507]

Some times a light whack with a hammer on the little ball helps.

 

[kennyd]

You can remove the Zerk, soak in K1 and try to get the ball moving...
But, Zerk fittings are cheap so I just replace them when they get goofy

 

[roxynoodle]

Read the post on metric zerks in parts/repairs. Soundguy told me how to fix them on my tractor to get them cleared out. I haven't tried it yet though since he just gave that advice yesterday.

 

[rozett]

I have removed the offending zerks and soaked them in WD-40. That loosens up the gunk that is stuck to the spring and ball. After a few minutes of massaging, it seems to free up. A couple of additional blasts of WD and it's clean and working.

 

[RPK]

My new LA723 loader had several stubborn grease fittings. I was determined to get grease into those pins. First I bought a new grease nozzle fitting that locked right onto the zerk fitting. This worked on most of the fittings. I still had two that resisted grease. I took the old fitting out and sprayed a penetrating oil ( something) "Blaster" that I got from NAPA into the hole and around the pin. Let it sit over night. Put in a new fitting. Greased the crap out of it. Now it works fine.

RPK

 

[AlanB]

Depends on why it is not taking the grease.

Many times you can cycle / move / actuate what the zerk is greasing and it will then allow it to take grease. For instance my deck lift hardware on the commercial mowers, If someone will actuate the deck up and down, it will accept grease readilly while it will appear "frozen" or clogged if just left stationary.

If you are doing it a lot, there is a tool that goes on the zerk, it is filled with light oil and you tap it with a hammer it injects the oil under pressure.

Many times, I pull the zerk, put it on the grease gun and insure grease passes through (give it a pump) then I dig the old crud out of the hole and then start washing it out with brake cleaner / penetrating oil, whatever is handy and compressed air at times, I usually try and activate the motion that the zerk is trying to lubricate at this time as well.

By this time, I have usually got it accepting grease, but if it still is not working, I will pull the pin or link or whatever (because it only gets worse later) and then clean everything and reassemble.

Obviously, be extremely careful when you activate things (or more so when you have someone else do it) and your hands are in and amongst things that you do not squish or remove something you are attached too.... say a finger or a hand. I have come close several times, but have so far been fortunate.

 

[3RRL]

You can spend a little time using the above methods, but sometimes you end up screwing around so much trying to fix a Zerk that it is just not worth it. You can get a whole set of them at Napa for about 10 bucks and it's so easy to replace them new. Just my 2¢ though.

 

[ovrszd]

My experience has been that it's rarely the zerk that stops the flow of grease. it's usually galled grease covering the hole at the pin. Removing the zerk and running a small drill bit into the hole by spinning it between your fingers will sometimes fix the problem. most stubborn ones require taking the device apart that you are trying to grease.

More frequent greasing of that particular zerk will prevent problems in the future. Every fitting that you grease requires a different amount and frequency of maintenance. It takes almost two tubes of grease to lube my grader. Some zerks require lube every 8 hours of operation. Others only require lube every 50 hours. The zerks you are having repeat problems with need it more frequently than they are getting.

A lever style grease gun will exert tremendous pressure against the zerk. Way more than is necessary to free a stubborn spring and ball. Did you know on old Caterpillar dozers you adjust the tracks by pumping grease in a canister with a hand grease gun?? How much force would that require??

 

[JayDavis]

Yeah, definitely know that about the old CATS.. Hit a tall tree stump with one track and somehow blew a hole in one of those canisters. Grease everywhere.