Up close with your zerts

[garyde]

I spent part of my day greasing my front end in preparation for a trip next week. I found a bell housing off and sitting on a cross beam, part of the steering arm assembly. It's a good thing to check things out prior to leaving.
I noticed some zerts were possibly broken on the top V- arm ball joint. there was only one, is there not two?
On some of these joints, you can not easily see any discharge of old grease when your pumping in the new grease. Is there any rule of thumb on this? My brake caliper has a zert fitting, but I see no outlet for the discharge of old grease.
Some of you do this all the time so I would appreciate some tips.

[flyu2there]

A grease fitting, grease nipple or zerk fitting is a lubrication fitting used in mechanical systems to add grease with a grease gun. The patent for the zerk fitting was granted to Oscar Zerk in January 1929. No Slack Gary!

Don't always want to get too cunning with the gun....some of those pups have seals in them.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Gary,

I have never seen it written anywhere but there is a little understanding required when greasing our coaches.

What applies to mine, for example does not necessarily apply to yours because I have kingpins on my solid front axle, and drum type brakes on the drive. Some general rules that might help are understanding exactly what is being greased.

Steering linkages almost always have a protective rubber boot. I apply grease until I see a slight swelling of the rubber boot. The slack adjusters have a fitting at the slack adjuster itself that I grease until I see the most minute amount of grease visible, usually around the end of the shaft retainer ring. It may also appear at the adjuster release cap. I stop as soon as any is visible. The shaft from the slack adjuster going to the caliper only gets a small shot of grease and I never wait until it is visible. I think too much there can prevent the caliper from retracting and may hold the pads against the disc if you get too much in there.

I'm not at all familiar with the IFS so you may not even have grease fittings there, but at the pivot point of the wheels it is probable there will be grease fittings. If they do not have protective boots on those pivots I would grease until I saw evidence the grease made it through.