Noob question: greasing ball joints??

[MAVPR]

I have never greased ball joints or tierod ends, I have the grease gun and the grease.

My question is do I just add grease or is there some way of getting the grease that is in there out, so that it is all fresh new grease inside?

If the answer is just add grease (which I think is right) how much do I add?

Probably a lame question but I just want to be sure.

Thanks all!

 

[dave6666]

The "standard" procedure for chassis lubrication is apply new grease until new clean grease is seen squirting from joint boot. On my F350 Super Duty this is about 10 pumps with my hand gun.

I want to point out a couple things I've discovered about my '01 GTS lubrication.

-> It does not seem to take as many pumps of grease to get the result as my 1 ton truck does. That may just be a simple no brainer, but I thought I would point that out.

-> The joint boots seem to be "tighter" on the Viper. You watch them balloon as the new grease goes in to the joint and the boot, and you wait for the grease to squirt out. And it doesn't. Oops... There it goes.

Just watch the swelling of the dust boot and for new grease spilling out. It will puke grease for a few days maybe too. I let it set overnight and then come back and re-clean those areas for that shiny suspension look.

 

[plumcrazy]

drive the car to a mechanic and have HIM do it for ya. its gonna be safer for YOU

 

[dave6666]

drive the car to a mechanic and have HIM do it for ya. its gonna be safer for YOU

A mechanic may not watch the quantity of grease closely (could split or burst dust seal) and wouldn't usually wipe down the excess when done.

 

[MAVPR]

drive the car to a mechanic and have HIM do it for ya. its gonna be safer for YOU

lol not having done something before is no excuse for not doing it for the first time. I already have the car on my lift and the wheels off - Im thinking ill give it a go! I plan to have this car for a long time and plan to do this every year. It does not seem like something I need a mechanic to do for me.

Thank you Dave
This is exactly what I needed to know

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

The "standard" procedure for chassis lubrication is apply new grease until new clean grease is seen squirting from joint boot. On my F350 Super Duty this is about 10 pumps with my hand gun.

I want to point out a couple things I've discovered about my '01 GTS lubrication.

-> It does not seem to take as many pumps of grease to get the result as my 1 ton truck does. That may just be a simple no brainer, but I thought I would point that out.

-> The joint boots seem to be "tighter" on the Viper. You watch them balloon as the new grease goes in to the joint and the boot, and you wait for the grease to squirt out. And it doesn't. Oops... There it goes.

Just watch the swelling of the dust boot and for new grease spilling out. It will puke grease for a few days maybe too. I let it set overnight and then come back and re-clean those areas for that shiny suspension look.

My experience is the same as Dave's. Over the years, I have found 3-4 pumps with a hand gun every other year (about 20K miles) has worked well. I overgreased in the beginning....and it puked grease out for a while. Vipers see very little weather that washes out the grease.

Steve

 

[Dom426h]

is there some way of getting the grease that is in there out, so that it is all fresh new grease inside?

ive never done it, but i think you just push the little ballvalve in with a pen or something and lightly squeeze the boot.

could someone validate this?

 

[dave6666]

...but i think you just push the little ballvalve in with a pen or something and lightly squeeze the boot.

Along with waxing my chassis, polishing my lug nut threads and buffing my brake lines, that's usually the level of detail I prefer.












YOU GUYS ARE KILLING ME!

-> Squirt in new grease.

-> Watch for grease coming out.

-> Stop.

I mean, the fill procedure calls for stopping when you see grease come out. So what are you accomplishing by trying to squeeze the old grease out?

Do you vacuum the old air out of your intake when you clean the air filters?








Sorry.

Just add grease and be done with it.

 

[VicTxV10]

Do you vacuum the old air out of your intake when you clean the air filters?

 

[sirhc76]

WOW take it to a mechanic, that’s like gas at a full service station.

I hate greasing anything, I was a grease monkey for my father’s construction company during high school summer months. I couldn’t bring myself to pay someone to grease ball joints even though I despise the smell of grease.

Take the advice of what has been posted. I just did mine this weekend. Noticed about 4 pumps did the job, this will vary. Clean the zerk fitting prior to attaching the GG. Make sure you have the correct grease, page 0-2 in my 96 manual. I use a whip style hose on my GG, got use to these years ago along with a pistol style gun.

 

[plumcrazy]

you have a lift and wheels off and you dont know how to grease a fitting ?

 

[ViperBite]

Do you vacuum the old air out of your intake when you clean the air filters?

Hey, don't be giving away any performance tricks!!! I do that only before a 1/4 mile run. Want that clean, cool air in there before those hard runs.

 

[MAVPR]

you have a lift and wheels off and you dont know how to grease a fitting ?

Well I have done many things to different cars but have just never greased a joint. Obviously I knew it was going to be easy but just wanted to be sure and do it right the first time, now its done

Thanks every1

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

I would advise you NOT to fill the boot till the old is coming out. The whole idea is to keep the joint sealed and the grease in a sealed boot will not deteriorate like high speed moving bearings so up keep is a minimum. If you feel the need to grease 1 or 2 pumps is all it needs. IMHO

 

[Ron]

I concur completely with mjorgensen. I pump only until I see the boot just begin to react, then stop. Based on where the zerk fitting is placed, fresh grease is inserted to the wear area 1st, so a few pumps flushes the most important spot. This assumes that you've cleaned the fitting before inserting the gun connector. If not, your just inserting abrasive debris with your grease.

 

[dave6666]

I concur completely with mjorgensen. I pump only until I see the boot just begin to react, then stop. Based on where the zerk fitting is placed, fresh grease is inserted to the wear area 1st, so a few pumps flushes the most important spot. This assumes that you've cleaned the fitting before inserting the gun connector. If not, your just inserting abrasive debris with your grease.

Answer me this fellows on team B here...

If you can put a couple of squirts in once a year or so, just to the point of a slight bulge on the dust boot, after a few years of that given the "sealed boot" philosophy ya'll are working with you're gonna have a balloon right? 2 squirts x 5 years = 10 squirts which is ka-blammo!

I don't think they're as sealed as you are imagining them to be. Just look at the film of dirt/dust/slime around those parts a year later. Leakage + dirt.

Anyway, points from team B are to be respected, so the plot thickens...

 

[Ron]

Your right Dave, the grease isn't absorbed and eventually does seep out usually in a liquified form, but what's the gain for the risk & mess?

My obsession with not stressing the boot comes from an old Trans Am greasing that I did that literally split the boot in two. Boot was much older and probably brittle, but it ultimately required a ball joint replacement that I might have avoided, at least for a while.

 

[dave6666]

Your right Dave, the grease isn't absorbed and eventually does seep out usually in a liquified form, but what's the gain for the risk & mess?

My obsession with not stressing the boot comes from an old Trans Am greasing that I did that literally split the boot in two. Boot was much older and probably brittle, but it ultimately required a ball joint replacement that I might have avoided, at least for a while.

Very valid point about the hardened boot. Judgement and inspection should be involved before action.

Great comments!

 

[Zrxpilot]

I just went thru this. Found all four upper and lower dust seals were dry and brittle. Tator set me up with new ones. The seal fits tightly on the ball joint causing a semi water tight seal. I believe the intent is to maintain this sealing ability to keep grease in the boot and not out of it. Filling to full capacity to the point its coming out seems like you are just asking for trouble. I would think too much grease could either cause the seal to rupture or lift the base of the seal out of the seat and therefore defeating its pourpose. My opinion is to fill the seal until you see the seal start to balloon and call it good. If you get too much in there you can either remove the zirk to release a little pressure/grease or poke the end of the zirk with a little nail or something.

 

[dave6666]

...or poke the end of the zirk with a little nail or something.

Never poke a metal seal component with something metal.

Use a stick or plastic.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Two squirts.

 

[MAVPR]

Well im glad i asked now
Thanks guys

 

[dave6666]

I did take the liberty of looking up the lube procedure in my '01 service manual. It does state that you should not pump in enough grease to let some squirt out the boot. That is however standard procedure on my F350 Super Duty.

In either case like I had stated before, grease will slowly ooze out and make the greasy mess around the suspension joints.

 

[Vipuronr]

I'm sorry, but after reading all these posts....I can't imagine what the explanation (s) would be for taking off a manifold for example!

 

[Zrxpilot]

^ You should have seen the one recently on floor mats that wouldnt stay put.

 

[viper k]

mjorgensen is right well said