Nipple virgin

[simonfraser]

Figured out how to load the grease gun
Took the aft cabin to bits to get to the steering nipple
Then the trouble started

Could not get the end of the hose fitting round the nipple
Loosened the end off a bit, now it fits, just
Grease everywhere but in the hole

Took the nipple off to see if it was blocked, not, had a little spring in
Took that out, made no difference, still loads of grease round the outside
None emerging from the bearing / quadrant

Bet no one has been near it for some time, so am i doing something wrong or is the internal grease all hard and gummed up ???

 

[andrewbarker]

Grease gun nozzle has to be absolutely 100% in line with the nipple if the old grease is hardened. Then it should force its way in.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Figured out how to load the grease gun
Took the aft cabin to bits to get to the steering nipple
Then the trouble started

Could not get the end of the hose fitting round the nipple
Loosened the end off a bit, now it fits, just
Grease everywhere but in the hole

Took the nipple off to see if it was blocked, not, had a little spring in
Took that out, made no difference, still loads of grease round the outside
None emerging from the bearing / quadrant

Bet no one has been near it for some time, so am i doing something wrong or is the internal grease all hard and gummed up ???

Grease guns are maybe one of the worst ideas on the planet, well cheap ones anyway.
You should slack off the adapter, fit if on the nipple and tighten if up, slack it off when done... However your targets are invariably so inaccessible you can't get a grip of the slippery nipple adapter to do any useful tightening.
It may be that the old grease has gone hard, but it didn't take long for industry to come up with sealed for life bearings. The chance of adding some grit along with the grease is bordering Ln a dead cert. Grit and bearings is worse than bearings and no grease.

 

[solent clown]

Nothing wrong with grease guns and nipples, one of the most well proven and long lived methods of lubricating. It may seem old hat nowadays, but it harks back to the days when equipment was serviceable in it's design life, which was longer than things nowadays. The ability to grease the internals of an assembly or bearing train without a stripdown is invaluable. But yes, absolutely agreed that is not a fun task. nipples can stick, a gentle tap face on with a small hammer if it is ovboius the ball is stuck,, or taking off and then fitting to the gun and pumping will usually clear them.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Grease guns are maybe one of the worst ideas on the planet, well cheap ones anyway.
You should slack off the adapter, fit if on the nipple and tighten if up, slack it off when done... However your targets are invariably so inaccessible you can't get a grip of the slippery nipple adapter to do any useful tightening.
It may be that the old grease has gone hard, but it didn't take long for industry to come up with sealed for life bearings. The chance of adding some grit along with the grease is bordering Ln a dead cert. Grit and bearings is worse than bearings and no grease.

Only if you are careless and sloppy.

 

[Giblets]

Figured out how to load the grease gun

Lucky chap. First time I filled a grease gun I accidentally released the spring thingy before I got the container screwed back on to the pumpy bit! Mum was not best pleased with the HD grease all over her kitchen!!! Ahh, the joys of yoof!

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Only if you are careless and sloppy.

Or you live in the real world where there is dirt and wind.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Or you live in the real world where there is dirt and wind.

I live in a different real World, mine has materials for cleaning nipples and grease gun nozzles and keeping grit out. Proper mechanics have been successfully using grease guns for decades.

 

[solent clown]

Or you live in the real world where there is dirt and wind.

In the last few weeks, (and indeed decades on various equipment) I have greased various very dirty and muddy equipment, including a mini digger track tensioner very recently, something totally caked in mud which took some excavating just to locate. it was knocked of, then cleaned with some water, and the greae gun applied. it is a simple matter to prepare correctly for a job, even the unglamouous ones such as greasing. If you prepare properly the prospect of introducing foreign matter is very much reduced if not eliminated. If the nipple is hard to get to, it is merely a matter of more time and suffering to achieve the same result, or being lazy and sloppy and making a hash of it

 

[Cockaigne]

I prefer this type:
https://www.lsengineers.co.uk/hex-grease-nipple-size-1-8-bsp-gas.html
https://www.lsengineers.co.uk/hook-on-connector-size-1-8-bsp-gas.html

 

[PetiteFleur]

Or perhaps replacing the nipple with an angled one - you can get 45° or 90° ones, but make sure you take the original with you to make sure the thread is the same.

 

[RichardS]

I've never heard anyone criticise grease nipples before.

Plenty of criticism has been aimed at "greased for life bearings" over the years but grease nipples ..... surely ever engineer mourns their passing.

You should be able to tighten the end of the gun up so that it really has to be pushed onto the nipple. It will spring on with a click-clunk and should then seal, although getting it off can need quite a sharp pull. However, as said above, you do need a straight line of attack. If not, an angled gun or angled nipple is needed.

Richard

 

[William_H]

Ultimately however you need a gap in the bearing materials to be able to force grease in. It won't go in if there is no space. Even without hardened old grease. Suggest apply grease pressure to the nipple while actuating the steering from one lock to the other. The OP did say he had dismantled the nipple so presumably the grease can get through the nipple. olewill

 

[simonfraser]

Yep, can get the grease through the nipple.
Access is rubbish, no way can i tighten up the nozzle of the gun once its over the nipple. One Pliar perhaps but not two.
Is there a ball stuck past the nipple ? (the mind boggles !!)
Or should the new grease enter, and it does not as the old stuff has gone hard ?

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

I've never heard anyone criticise grease nipples before.

Plenty of criticism has been aimed at "greased for life bearings" over the years but grease nipples ..... surely ever engineer mourns their passing.

You should be able to tighten the end of the gun up so that it really has to be pushed onto the nipple. It will spring on with a click-clunk and should then seal, although getting it off can need quite a sharp pull. However, as said above, you do need a straight line of attack. If not, an angled gun or angled nipple is needed.

Richard

The concern is the crease between the ball and it's seat. Best ability and will in the world, that crease is virtually impossible to clean without solvents that dissolve grit or use microscopic tools.
Another criticism is inappropriate lubrication schedule, easily done, but ought to be strict. Under-lubrication, over-lubrication, infrequent lubrication all lead to bearing failure. Sealed for life avoid all these issues, but (There's always a but) the meaning of life is often misunderstood. Life is not immortality, or even your life, it is a defined work load and duration, after which, going or not the bearing wants changed.