Help a simpleton with a grease gun
 

I need Dummy's Guide to Using a Grease Gun. Thought this would be
simple, but I am stumped.

The Wonderbus's front end is jacked up in the air, ready to have its
steering bits lubed. The fittings have all been cleaned and are
gleaming. I have a new pneumatic grease gun

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91965

hooked up to my compressor. 80psi dialed up. A new tube of moly grease
in the gun, both ends removed.

Pressing the gun's trigger causes a satisfying PSSHT sound. But nothing
comes out the tip. I removed the tip and there is grease up to the tip,
ready to come out.

Pushing the tool tip onto one of the Wonderbus's fitting and pressing
the trigger gives the same satisfying sound, but nothing comes out the
tip. Visual inspection of the grease fitting and the tool tip shows no
sign of grease-- the fitting and mating socket in the gun are both dry.

Shoot - it's embarrassing to even ask what I might be doing wrong. It
all looks so simple -- I'm sure that a mildly interested newt could
figure it out.

Sign me,

Dumber than a newt.
--
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et> wrote in message
...


Dear Dummer than......

................Try pressing the little ball in the fitting with a
screwdriver blade corner. They get stuck and have to be broken loose.

Tim Rogers wrote:
> "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
> et> wrote in message
> ...
>
>
> Dear Dummer than......
>
> ...............Try pressing the little ball in the fitting with a
> screwdriver blade corner. They get stuck and have to be broken loose.

Ahhhhh . . . I wish I could report that your wisdom solved the mystery.

The reason that the grease was not coming out of the end of the gun was
because I NEEDED TO KEEP ON SQUEEZING THE TRIGGER ABOUT A DOZEN MORE
TIMES. It took about a dozen more squeezes for the grease to work its
way up the final inch of the gun's nozzle. I was suddenly surprised to
see a worm of grease jet out just as I was about to wander off and find
something more interesting to do.

So I now have freshly-greased steering bits. But oh my God . . . WHAT A
GOOPY, ICKY, MESSY JOB!

By the time enough new grease has been forced in that fresh was coming
out, I had quite a wonderful mess. Good thing I had a bunch of shop rags
on hand and cardboard under the bus.

While I was down there, I could see that the rubber boots around the
ball joints were all cracked and open, and the visible portions of the
balls were dry and not happy-looking. THAT looks to be a job for a
properly-equipped shop.

Heh. I said "balls."
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR
-=-=-
What garlic is to food, insanity is to art.
------------------------------------

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
<SNIP about Goo>
>
> While I was down there, I could see that the rubber boots around the
> ball joints were all cracked and open, and the visible portions of the
> balls were dry and not happy-looking. THAT looks to be a job for a
> properly-equipped shop.
>
> Heh. I said "balls."

ROFLMAO

A properly equipped shop has a hyd tool which can swap out ball
joints on a Bus without even removing the trailing arms.
May take some phoning around.
In the interim, pack lithium wheel bearing grease into
the (now open) booties.

Speedy Jim
http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/

>From: "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel

>Heh. I said "balls."

yes, but unfortunately you also said:

>While I was down there, I could see that the rubber boots around the
>ball joints were all cracked and open, and the visible portions of the
>balls were dry and not happy-looking.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL
-------------------
Chris Perdue
"I'm ever so thankful for the Internet; it has allowed me to keep a finger in
the pie and to make some small contribution to those younger who will carry the
air-cooled legend forward"
Jim Mais
Feb. 2004

Chris Perdue wrote:
>>From: "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel
>
>
>>Heh. I said "balls."
>
> yes, but unfortunately you also said:
>
>>While I was down there, I could see that the rubber boots around the
>>ball joints were all cracked and open, and the visible portions of the
>>balls were dry and not happy-looking.
>
>
> LOLOLOLOLOLOL

I'm a man of my words and do own up to saying those things.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR
-=-=-
"Well I can't go back to Nashville Tennessee,
'Cause that's a place I've never been."
-- The Austin Lounge Lizards
------------------------------------

>The reason that the grease was not coming out of the end of the gun was
>because I NEEDED TO KEEP ON SQUEEZING THE TRIGGER ABOUT A DOZEN MORE
>TIMES. It took about a dozen more squeezes for the grease to work its
>way up the final inch of the gun's nozzle. I was suddenly surprised to
>see a worm of grease jet out just as I was about to wander off and find
>something more interesting to do.
>

At least you weren't looking into the nozzle to see if the grease was coming
out and got shot in the eye... I'm so proud of you.:)

K.
"We're friends. You smile, I smile. You hurt, I hurt. You cry, I cry. You jump
off a bridge.... I'm gonna miss your dumb ass."

Kidd Andersson wrote:
>>The reason that the grease was not coming out of the end of the gun was
>>because I NEEDED TO KEEP ON SQUEEZING THE TRIGGER ABOUT A DOZEN MORE
>>TIMES. It took about a dozen more squeezes for the grease to work its
>>way up the final inch of the gun's nozzle. I was suddenly surprised to
>>see a worm of grease jet out just as I was about to wander off and find
>>something more interesting to do.
>>
>
> At least you weren't looking into the nozzle to see if the grease was coming
> out and got shot in the eye... I'm so proud of you.:)
>

Aw, shucks . . . <grins stupidly>

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR
-=-=-
"'All you need is love'? Yeah? Try payin' the ****in' rent with it."
-- Keith Richards
------------------------------------

Speedy Jim wrote:

>
> A properly equipped shop has a hyd tool which can swap out ball
> joints on a Bus without even removing the trailing arms.
> May take some phoning around.
> In the interim, pack lithium wheel bearing grease into
> the (now open) booties.

Having just discovered how totally yucky grease-gunning the steering
bits is, I ain't packing anything with lithium or any other grease
before I ask: what's the easiest way to pack grease into my cracked open
booties? Dip fingers into grease as if it was poi and smoosh it into the
boots?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:

> Speedy Jim wrote:
>
>>
>> A properly equipped shop has a hyd tool which can swap out ball
>> joints on a Bus without even removing the trailing arms.
>> May take some phoning around.
>> In the interim, pack lithium wheel bearing grease into
>> the (now open) booties.
>
>
> Having just discovered how totally yucky grease-gunning the steering
> bits is, I ain't packing anything with lithium or any other grease
> before I ask: what's the easiest way to pack grease into my cracked open
> booties? Dip fingers into grease as if it was poi and smoosh it into the
> boots?

Poi! LOL
Yes, that's the approved method. Put the axle up on jack stands
to take some of the load off the joints and maybe a little grease
will get right in the socket.

Maybe you could even use your new powered squirter for this!

My brand new German OEM ball joints developed cracked booties
soon after install and I've been smooshing them since...

Speedy Jim
http://www.nls.net/mp/volks/