Grease gun

SusanD

I need to grease my wheel bearings before heading off across the country next week.  My partner has an old grease gun from his father (so it's really old!).  Off hand, I can see that there's no Zerk fitting on the end.  I presume I can buy one but given the age of this gun, in not sure if I should or just buy a new one. Can anyone comment?  I've never so much as changed a tire on a car so I'm a bit out of my league here.

Grumpy_G

Looks like every grease gun I ever had. The end should fit onto a zerk fitting. Unless it's been modified/damaged. 

SusanD

@Grumpy_G Thanks for the info.  I gather that there are different sizes of fittings. Is the size related to the grease gun or to the axle?

Grumpy_G

I'm not aware of different sizes for the "Zerk" part but there are many different sizes for the thread that a zerk might screw into. There are also other *styles* of grease fittings, typically found where a zerk fitting would stick out too much (drive shafts, mountain bikes). 
To reduce the confusion, for your application I'm certain the grease gun you have will do the job unless it's damaged. 

SusanD

Thanks @Grumpy_G.  I'll clean it up and give it a go.  

justdoit70

Please remove the top of the gun and put a new tube of RED VALVOLINE  grease in. Do not mix different types of grease. You want lithium based grease. This is what is used at the plant.
Best,
Ed

ScottG

I'll bet that old gun will work fine, but if you do end up needing a new one, I suggest one that can be operated with one hand. It makes it a little easier to pump the grease and turn the wheel at the same time.

ChrisFix

I second @ScottG
Also, the biggest issue novices have is getting the grease gun nozzle to release from the zerk after pressure has built up by pumping in grease.
The LockNLube nozzle is an absolute must have if you plan on doing your own grease work. It is one of those things you should just get without thinking twice about it, it's that good.
They sell the LockNLube nozzle as a standalone item to put on your existing grease gun, and they have their own grease gun as well (which I'm using and it is worth every penny for its ease-of-use compared to others I've used).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SVGHNPV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

tabiphile

justdoit70 said:

Please remove the top of the gun and put a new tube of RED VALVOLINE  grease in. Do not mix different types of grease. You want lithium based grease. This is what is used at the plant.
Best,
Ed

And after you do, squirt out any old grease that remains in the nozzle. @Justdoit70 is absolutely right about dumping the old grease. 

SusanD

Thank you everybody.  For various reasons, I decided to get a new gun with a pistol grip and a lock n'lube coupler.  You guys and youtube are invaluable!  I'll report back once the job is done.  

SusanD

Well that was a terrifically messy job!  Once I got going, it was pretty straight forward and the lock n' lube attachment was just great.  The worst part had to be priming the gun - it took a really long time!  So the question now is, how do I store it? Do you remove the grease and tube in it?  Clean it thoroughly or leave it as is?  Does the grease harden in the cold? If I can avoid having to prime it from zero, that would be ideal but I don't want it to create other problems by doing that. 

justdoit70

Great, Just put away you will be just fine.I keep mine in my garage wrapped in a shop rag.Priming can be a pain. If instructions came with gun follow them to the T. 

Ed

ChanW

Yep. I've never learned how to 'prime' a grease-gun reliably - other than pumping it a lot. On mine, there's a little release button on the top, that, I believe, is intended to release air before it gets into the hose/ nozzle, but it's never helped completely... Cold weather might also slow down the priming. 

Love the Lock-n-Lube recommendation. Thanks @ChrisFix!

tabiphile

It's a good idea to keep the grease guns stored upright and in a plastic bag (and wrapped in a shop rag, sure, why not). Next time you use it, shoot the first pump or two into a paper towel and toss it. The tip has a way of attracting dirt and debris that you do not want to get into your alemites. 

ScottG

Are you sure it was the gun that took a long time to prime? The first time you use the EZLube system it typically takes A LOT of pumps before the grease appears in the hub. The system is apparently not primed from the factory and there are some pretty large voids in the spindle that need to be filled.

ChrisFix

ChanW said:

Love the Lock-n-Lube recommendation. Thanks @ChrisFix!

You are very welcome...and in the very low tech world of grease guns, it is a bit of a game changer!

SusanD

@ScottG It was absolutely the gun that was the issue. I hadn't attached it at that point. I was trying to get the grease to follow through the little valve that @ChanW mentioned. Eventually it did, after pumping, unscrewing and screwing over and over etc.  Finally, grease magically appeared through that valve and I attached the lock n' lube (thanks @ChrisFix) and the job was pretty straight forward from there.  Thanks @tabiphile and @justdoit70.  Will store as noted!