Not sure if this is the right forum for this but was trying to get opinions of air powered grease guns. Do they work better than a standard (non pistol grip) grease gun?

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Not sure if this is the right forum for this but was trying to get opinions of air powered grease guns. Do they work better than a standard (non pistol grip) grease gun?
A pneumatic grease gun makes it much easier to lube the hard to reach zerk fittings in the area under the engine. I bought my pneumatic grease gun at one of the local auto parts stores for $15. I also got a 90* fitting for the grease gun to make the job even easier. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif</BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't like them because you can't feel if it is taking grease or not just my 2 cents

I use the small hand held grease gun with a flexible line. This
enables me to reach the hard to get zerks.
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/765_mini-pistol-grease-gun-1.jpg
I have been hitting each zerk with 8 to 9 squeezes of the pump
and I'll end up using up one small tube of grease (3 oz) with each
lube that I do. (every other oil change)

<font color="blue">Do you pro's think I'm putting too much grease into the eleven zerks?</font>
I've read about blowing out the rubber boots. After doing the
lube job, most boots will "weep" out a small amount of grease.

Edited by: 56Nomad

I use the air powered grease guns. Theyre better than a manual grease gun but I have found very few grease fittings that will take grease. even brand new clean fittings. I HATE THEM. Fortunately many of the bearings on the equipment that I use in my business have sealed bearings.

Good information at:
http://dieselplace.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=191&PN=1

hard to judge with air powered, risk of over greasing.

The problem I have is that usually the grease squirts out from around the zerk with my long handle gun. I was wondering if an air powered would do a better job at getting more grease into the fitting instead of on the outside of the zerk.

DmaxAlliTech wrote:
"hard to judge with air powered, risk of over greasing."

How do you know the proper amount of grease to put in. How do you know if you are "over greasing"?

Roy.....

Here is some discussion from another site which might answer
your questions.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
slapshot44

As far as kantons question, I'll state my opinions on chassis lubrication. I've
done enough suspension work on the older cars and trucks I have owned to
come to my own conclusion on proper greasing. I've noticed that on almost
every ball joint, tie-rod, or whatever that I've had to replace that; (1) the
rubber boot was dried out and cracked from age, or (2) the seal was blown or
the lip on the boot was out of the groove it fits in. In either case, the grease
leaks out and dirt gets in, causing wear and failure. The second condition is
most likely caused by over-greasing the component. The boot only has so
much volume. Once it is completely filled with grease, any additional grease
you add will eventually over-expand the boot and cause it to "blow". Then
you lose grease and introduce dirt.
I watch the rubber boot when I grease the component. If I see it expand
when I pump the grease gun, I stop adding grease. I also keep an eye on the
boots themselves and try to gauge when the boot is "full" of grease. If you
can squeeze it and move the grease inside around, it is OK. If it is ballooned
and feels too full and ready to explode, it probably is. If the boot is already
too full of grease, you don't need to add any! (you might want to pull the
zerk and squeeze some out.)
Anyway, just my opinions. It would be good to hear from some true
professionals in this category and see what they think.

JohnM

slapshot44, This thread and your description of ball joint problems and their
probable grease related causes, made me to think of a question I asked my
dealer's service advisors on two different occasions(see paragraph three
below). When I first received my '96 Chevy, I did all the oil changes and
grease jobs myself. When greasing the fittings, I watched the boot fill up and
when full, but soft, I stopped squeezing the pistol grip grease gun.
One slushy winter I decided to bring the truck to my selling dealer for a lube
and oil/filter change. The next morning, on a dry garage floor, I checked
under the truck to see what, if anything they had done. I was amazed at how
much grease the lube technician had forced out of the rubber boots. There
were great gobbs of grease on my wheels, all over the suspension parts, etc.
They may have greased the vehicle, but they sure had also made a heck of a
mess of it.
I became curious as to what Chevy recommended as the proper way to
grease the various components. My owner's manual said nothing. Then I
checked my Chevy Shop Manual(The same one used by the dealers) and it
also said nothing about the correct amount of grease to add. I than asked the
service rep and he said that there are strong reasons to NOT move grease
through the boot(moving grease through the boot causes a hole. A hole
allows water and dirt to enter) and strong reasons TO move grease through
the boot(if the grease is contaminated by water and dirt entering the joint
through a hole in the boot, that contaminated grease should be removed).
Sounds like a Catch-22 to me! I suggested one way certainly had to be better
than another. He said Chevy had no specific recommendation. That was 5.5
years ago. I asked the same question of a different service rep about a week
ago and he gave me the same story. Intuition tells me one way has to be
better than the other. Does older grease within suspension component boots
TheDieselPage.com Forums: Zerk Fittings http://forum.thedieselpage.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7...
eventually break down and turn to oil and then must be replaced? or does the
grease maintain its "body" forever and never need

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I don't like them because you can't feel if it is taking grease or not just my 2 cents


You can put your fingers around the boot as you add grease. When you feel the boot start to firm-up, then you've added enough grease. As mentioned above, you don't want to add too much grease and cause the boot to slip off of it's mounting groove or, in some cases, split the boot open. If you do add to much grease and the boot slipped out of the retention groove, all you have to do is squeeze the boot with your fingers until some of the grease comes out, then you simply work the boot back into the groove with your fingers. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Geek.gif</BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR>
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<BLOCKQUOTE id=69d5b3fb> </BLOCKQUOTE>Edited by: Dura_Mike

but sometimes the grease has air in it and it won't pump. I can feel it with a trigger pump!

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but sometimes the grease has air in it and it won't pump. I can feel it with a trigger pump!


I always test fire the grease gun to make sure there is no air lock. If there is, my grease gun has an air bleed valve on it. Once I bleed out the air from a new cartridge install, I'm good until empty. </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR>
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<BLOCKQUOTE id=732dc4ab>but sometimes the grease has air in it and it won't pump. I can feel it with a trigger pump! </BLOCKQUOTE>

Personally I use a battery operated Lincoln grease gun on my big truck and my pick up. It dosen't pump too fast and you can see the boot's fill up, plus you have no air hose following you around.


Works very well for me http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

Ditto on the battery powered Lincoln guns. They work very well. We use them at work. I have been contemplating getting one for personal use.

Big Dog,


Perhaps the problem that you are having is due to the fact that you are pumping the gun and not the handle. I always seemed to have that problem, so I bought myself a Pistol Grip gun. One hand for the grease gun, and the other hold the hose on the Zerk. Works like a charm!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

The battery powered one looked nice but at $180 it was a little too pricey for the times I would be using it.


Silveradogs, that sounds like the problem I am having, maybe just a manual pistol grip one would do the trick. Sometimes I would try to brace the barrel of the gun and then pump the handle but that didn't always work.


On the topic of grease, has anyone heard of (or used) Mystik synthetic blend grease? I saw that at Fleet the other day and was wondering about it.

Great discussion! I wonder if I have been over greasing. When I grease the fittings it seems like it is not uncommon that I notice a small stream of grease ooze out of the boot. When this happens it appears that the boot has a weep hole that gives when the pressure is too high. Is this what is meant by blowing the boot out?


If I have blown out any of the boots is there anything I can do other than installing new boots? I assume installing new boots is not worth the effort/ expense? Is it best just to keep all the fittings greased and be carefult not to overfill them anymore?





Thanks!

After I bought my D/A, I bought a NAPA pistol type grease gun. It is far better than the lever type grease gun I had been using and it has a long enough rubber hose that it reaches all zerks on the 2500HD with ease. I use one hand to hold the hose on the zerk, and the other hand to support the grease gun and pump the grease. The gun cost about $20 and I highly recommend that style. The reason I bought a NAPA gun is just because I happened to be in the store and the gun was on a shelf, so I bought it on impulse. There may be better brands, but this one works for me.


Jim

56Nomad, Thanks for the detailed info.

Exactly same thing happened to mine as lttlfeller described. When I greased the boots, most of them would ooze out a slightly small amount of grease out of boot. Is this OK?

I have a big gun with a small hand trigger. The 90 deg fitting is the key. Don't use one of them long handled jobs.

Well... now I only have two grease fittings to tend to.. at the tie rod ends. Ball joints are permanently lubed and I have no idler arm.

I was taught that way too, you pump in the grease until you see the old stuff come out from the boot. I guess times have changed since when my dad was greasing them...


Do you still need the 90 degree fitting if using a flexible hose?

Bigdog, it sounds like the tip is worn or just bad. Go get another tip and try it. They are really simple gizsmoe's, take one apart and look at it.


Burner-------------&gt;http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Well I saw an air powered one (Excell) at Fleet Farm this past weekend for like $20 so got that one and seems to work pretty well.


One thing I wonder about after reading this (and other lubing threads). They say you are not supposed to put in so much grease in to push the old out of the seal, but then how do you make sure the new (fresh and clean) grease is completely in the joint?

Big Dog,


Perhaps the problem that you are having is due to the fact that you are pumping the gun and not the handle. I always seemed to have that problem, so I bought myself a Pistol Grip gun. One hand for the grease gun, and the other hold the hose on the Zerk. Works like a charm!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif





I have the same kind with the pistol grip, its the best one Iv ever owned, because it gives you a free hand to hold the tip onto the fitting, I also added a nifty tip that lets you pull back on a locking collar which lets you revolve the tip into different positions to get at tight spots, before I installed the tip I had to use jack stands and unlock the steering column so I could push on the tires while I was underneath to get at Zerk's that were in tight spots, now I just run the truck up onto ramps and I can get them all easily.

I'm all for the lincoln 12v grease guns. I've spent years and years of running a pistol grip on farm equip. and trucks. Its MUCH easier to pull a trigger and you can tell if/when there is grease being pumped or not. The flexible hose is nice also, where a lot of cheaper guns tend to have a fixed metal lead.


If all you do is grease your vehicle though, the electric ones probablly wouldnt be cost effective.





Jason

The air powered one I bought came with a flexible hose that seems to work ok. It is not the continous type feed (which I didn't know until after I bought it) so I have to hit the trigger for each squirt of grease. I'm not sure if that is better or worse.


I still can't reach a few zerks on the driveshafts on my ATV so will have to find out how they grease them.


I saw the Lincoln battery powered ones and they were nice but I could not justify the cost. The one I got was $24 compared to the $180 for the Lincoln...