Cleaning-out behind clogged grease fittings

Builder · Mar 3, 2006

Not the grease fitting itself, but the area that the grease fitting greases. The zerk fittings are easy to replace, but what about the area behind them? Leaf spring bushing pins on trucks & old backhoe dippersticks seem to be the worst. They seem to clog behind the grease fitting with a crud that'sd impossible to remove. Replacing the fitting doesn't help.

What's the solution? Is there a spray that dissolves the crud? How about a torch to heat it & melt it out?

Syncro · Mar 4, 2006

I can't visualize what you are describing, if the zerk is clear then grease will flow into the joint. The accumulation of dried grease around the outside edges of the joint can be removed with a pressure washer. I like to keep my equip clean, so I pressure wash once or twice a year, that seems to do it.

BTW, very nice dump truck. Wish I could find one that nice.

Dirthog · Mar 4, 2006

if you have a pump for a porta-power make up a fitting to go in to that then just pump it up oil pressure will work about 95% of the time

DK35vince · Mar 4, 2006

When a pin will not take grease and a fitting does not help, I usually try to take any weight off the pin and see if it will take grease.
If that doesn't work I may try some heat and try running a wire through the hole.
If that dooesn't work you may have to remove the pin and try to clean out the hole so it will take grease, once I get the pin to take grease I sometimes grind a very slight grove in the pin (where the grease comes out) so the pin is less likely to stop taking grease again in the future.
Not saying this is the right way to do it. Just that it's the way I have had to get pins to take grease in the past.

DK35vince · Mar 4, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( if you have a pump for a porta-power make up a fitting to go in to that then just pump it up oil pressure will work about 95% of the time )</font>

Never tryed that before. May have to give it a try sometime.

JerryG · Mar 4, 2006

Here is what you need, a zerk cleaner.

Builder · Mar 4, 2006

I don't need to clean the fitting itself.

In fact, I replaced the fittings with new ones. The problem is the actual shaft, pin, bushing, etc. behind the fitting has become clogged or surrounded by old dried out grease. It turns into almost a dirt-like crud that clogs any passages that allow the grease to flow around them. Seems to happen to leaf spring king pins and backhoe bushings lot.

The grease fitting is not the problem. It's the areas the grease flows into that gets glogged. I was thinking of heating with a torch to see if it will soften, then ooze out or seeing if anyone knows of a dissolving type spray that will clean out the solidified crud.

Soundguy · Mar 6, 2006

Tranny fluid pumpe dinto the joint 9 if it will take any 0 will help.. If you remove the fitting, a torch or brake/carb cleaner shoul instantly disolve old grease ( and paint.. )..

soundguy