Old grease

[valleydweller1]

Hi all,

I just pulled out a grease gun that I had "lost" in my garage for the last year or so. An odd thing happened while it was lost; all the oil drained out of the grease, leaving me with a tarry substance in the grease gun that was a real pain to clean out. I think the grease was maybe 1 1/2 old, 2 yrs at the most.

Has anyone ever heard of that happening?

 

[George2615]

At my home garage I have enough vehicles to grease throughout the year that I use up the tubes of grease long before anything could leak out. At work I am a maintenance mechanic who services all air handlers, bearings, circulating pumps and other building equipment on a semi annual basis. At only twice a year, there is an oil spot under where I hang the grease gun. Fortunately I have just enough equipment that it uses 90 % of the grease in the tube so at each 6 month service I just install a new tube. The problem is its just too easy to hang the grease gun by the handle which makes the only opening to air at the bottom. If you could hang it with the pump end pointing down or at least horizontally you wouldn't lose the oil lubricant out of the spring loaded plunger hole. That spring is constantly applying pressure against the grease. Over time it will force some oil from the grease that will leak by the plunger seal and out the only hole available. Grease will harden up as it loses the oils blended in it. I assume you are using replacable grease cartridges in your gun. Its usually not to hard to get them out.

 

[sneaky_pete]

A tube of grease doesn't usually last long enough for me to see that now, but before I had tractors and 4WD vehicles I remember some light(er) liquid dripping out of the gun in a hot summer.

Grease is basically a mixture of refined petroleum and soap, so I could see how it could separate. If it bothers you, you might try using synthetic grease - I bet it doesn't separate as much.

 

[5030]

Sounds like cheap grease to me.

I buy my grease (general purpose) in 150 pound open head drums for my air greaser. It's synthetic blended and it never seperates and a drum lasts me about 5 years. My speciality greases (like corn head grease, high pressure waterproof and wheel bearing grease) I get in tubes for the hand gun.

You get what you pay for, my 150 pound drum cost around $1500.00 last time I bought a drum. Probably will be 2K next time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[valleydweller1]

I misplaced it when I moved in 11/04, and just found it again. I have been using a different grease gun since, but it finally gave out. I was just curious if this was common or not.