"What the heck is Molly?"

[Chuck K.]

After reading several informative post about the benefits of Molly I came up with this and thoughs some my find the information useful.

http://www.rosemill.com/html/WhatTheHeckIsMoly.pdf

 

[WantedWolf]

thanks

 

[mrutkaus]

Interesting, thanks. Something not covered which I bet DieselPower knows about is a more soluble form of moly which stays in suspension when used in engine oil.

Mike

 

[jmfox]

Moly is the grease additive molybdenum disulfide which is derived from the naturally occurring mineral molybdenite.

jmf

 

[DieselPower]

mrutkaus - Yes, there are different types of "Moly" used in lubricants. The most common form is the solid particle type that is mined out of the gound and is used in grease is Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) and is composed of sulfur and moly or sulferized moly. It is also used in some lubricating oils. When used in oils the color of the oil is much like Moly fortified grease, a grayish/black looking oil. A popular form of Moly for engine oils and other lubricating oils is the oil soluble moly, Molybdenum Diththiocarbamate (MoDTC) or Molybdenum Trialkyldithiocarbamate (MoTDC) which is made up of moly, sulfur, and carbon atoms. The oil soluble types deposit sulfur and moly atoms on the metal parts to form a molecular coating of ferrous sulfate / ferrous molybdate. Heat and pressure turn the surface into (for a lack of better terms) a plastic state and slide upon each other. There are numerous other forms of Moly compounds, each with their own specialty area of use in the lubricating and other industries.

 

[J35]

The copper mines in S AZ get a lot of molly as a by product they set up special mills/plants just to process the molly, I peaked in the door one time but would go no farther dirtiest nastiest place I ever seen,under ground coal mining would seem like a sterile environment compared to a molly mill.

Have fun

 

[irvingj]

Great mini crash course in Molybdenum-thanks! One of the reasons I love TBN

 

[pat32rf]

So is moly grease what we should be using on our various pins and bushings that are exposed to water, snow and mud???? Low speed, heavy load, low temp wet use....Or does it dry up and lug the zerks?

 

[DieselPower]

If you are looking for a water resistant grease then look for one that is sold as such, "water resistant grease". Moly in itself isn't going to effect the water resistant properties that much. Moly fortified grease can be used most all the same places a non moly fortified grease can. Think of it as a extra layer of protection against wear. It is very beneficial in very high load applications like are found on the contact points of BH and FEL loader pins and bushings and on high load sliding applications. It is also a great additive for greases that are used in high temperature applications. Being a mineral that was formed in the earth by heat and pressure it doesn't dry out or liquify and run out of the lubricated component. Personally I use a moly fortified grease on everything. Personally I have never run into any plugging/clumping problems with it. In very high temp applications (above 500 deg. F.) it is always recommended that relubrication be performed more often since any grease will tend to bleed oil from the carrier soap complex and could possibly cause hardening problems. For the general uses found on vehicles and tractors however you should never have a problem.

 

[shakin]

is moly grease or oils something we should avoid getting on our hands much like used motor oils?