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softening/getting rid of old grease????

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
hey folks, Got a couple fittings that won't take grease.Fittings themselves are OK but there is so much froze up (??) grease in the sockets that it won't let anything in..... Will penetrating oil soften it, or maybe some gas? Any tricks would be appreciated....

Thanks, Dave
 
If they're not press fit or rotted in place, pull them & let 'em soak in kero for about 15 minutes & clean them out. Otherwise I just spray them down with WD40 & push the little ball in. As a last resort, I'll use a zerk-zapper. Fill it with NON aerosol penetrating oil & whack it with a hammer. It usually frees up instantly or within a few minutes. The only occasion where it didn't work at all, was where the fitting was on the load side of a hinge.

Mike
 
If you can take out the fitting, get some straight simple green inside using a spray bottle. Keep it moist or cap it. Sometimes the hydraulic lock forces that stuff a bit deeper and it does loosen old crud. The second thing I have used is laquer thinner. The thinner will evaporate pretty quick, but does give good results on cutting hard stuff too. Heat has never done me anything on old dried grease.
 
in some cases I have to use a torch to melt out the old grease, Some time it has to be pulled apart and cleaned. I thought I should help a little bit before I did the suggested experiment. LOL
 
(quoted from post at 13:46:45 06/26/11) in some cases I have to use a torch to melt out the old grease, Some time it has to be pulled apart and cleaned. I thought I should help a little bit before I did the suggested experiment. LOL
Click to expand...

Good Call..........Try it with a rat.........
 
Not trying to be a smartazz here, Dave...I just know that most grease softens when heated. Maybe a heat gun or a hair dryer might get it hot enough...or maybe it wouldn't...I don't know.

Just trying to be helpful, not trying to start something.
 
(quoted from post at 13:54:45 06/26/11) Not trying to be a smartazz here, Dave...I just know that most grease softens when heated. Maybe a heat gun or a hair dryer might get it hot enough...or maybe it wouldn't...I don't know.

Just trying to be helpful, not trying to start something.
Click to expand...

What was that all about?????????

thanks for the tip.
Dave
 
(quoted from post at 21:58:04 06/26/11)
(quoted from post at 13:54:45 06/26/11) Not trying to be a smartazz here, Dave...I just know that most grease softens when heated. Maybe a heat gun or a hair dryer might get it hot enough...or maybe it wouldn't...I don't know.

Just trying to be helpful, not trying to start something.
Click to expand...

What was that all about?????????

thanks for the tip.
Dave
Click to expand...
ome of these replies sure make a guy think dont they dave2 :twisted:
 
Dave if it is stuck with hard grease then heat will soften it so you can put in new, but if it is rust it may take a little more then heat. HTH
Bob
 
(quoted from post at 14:06:42 06/26/11) Dave if it is stuck with hard grease then heat will soften it so you can put in new, but if it is rust it may take a little more then heat. HTH
Bob
Click to expand...

Will work on it tomorrow and get back with the results..... Not a life or death place but they put a fitting there for a reason.... I doused the area with penetrating oil right away...
 
I'm just sayin'...there's been a time or two when I've "smuggled" the wife's hair dryer out to the garage for a project that needed a slight bit of heat, but not a flame.

And as long as I've remembered to bring it back in the house when I'm done, the "no harm/no foul" rules applied.

[I was looking at the problem from a perspective of NOT removing the zerk and cleaning it out from the backside.]

Might also try a soldering gun on the outside of the fitting...if that would transfer enough heat to melt the old grease.

Sorry to trigger the "Ya think???" response. Just trying to be helpful.
 
(quoted from post at 14:12:58 06/26/11) I'm just sayin'...there's been a time or two when I've "smuggled" the wife's hair dryer out to the garage for a project that needed a slight bit of heat, but not a flame.

And as long as I've remembered to bring it back in the house when I'm done, the "no harm/no foul" rules applied.

[I was looking at the problem from a perspective of NOT removing the zerk and cleaning it out from the backside.]

Might also try a soldering gun on the outside of the fitting...if that would transfer enough heat to melt the old grease.

Sorry to trigger the "Ya think???" response. Just trying to be helpful.
Click to expand...

DUDE.................... If I say "have a nice day" I mean for you to have a nice day...... If I say "Ya think?", I mean do you think it'll work..........

Don't read so much into stuff.....
 
dave, another thing you could try, depends on the situation of coarse, but take a small drill bit and try drilling the old grease out, becareful not to damage the threads. remove grease fitting first.
 
Dave, I was trying to be helpful. If I didn't think it would work, I wouldn't have made the suggestion...because I try not to suggest things that I don't think will work. My observations over the years have been that grease, when heated, usually softens and flows. I based my suggestion on that, and nothing else.

That's all it was...I was suggesting something BECAUSE I thought it would work. Sorry that wasn't obvious from my initial post. Mea culpa. My bad. My fault. I'll work on those communications skills.
 
Want me to buy you an assortment of metric and SAE grease
zerks and send em to ya? Save you a lot of hassle trying to
resurrect a 25 cent piece.
 
quikest way is as Lyle said,take the zerk out and use a drill bit to remove that dried grease(usually Packed dirt and/or rust in the bottom)
If the zerk is in a pin its best to pull the pin and clean the hole from the side.
 
(quoted from post at 15:19:55 06/26/11) Want me to buy you an assortment of metric and SAE grease
zerks and send em to ya? Save you a lot of hassle trying to
resurrect a 25 cent piece.
Click to expand...

No thanks..... Zerks are OK just need to get the old grease out of the joints.... will try the drill bit thing tomorrow...
 
I have used a small drill bit and electric drill to open up the joint and pin that wont take grease. I remove the zerk and confirm that it will pass grease then use the drill to remove the obstruction in the joint, which is usually a thin layer of metal. Good Luck......
 
First thing to do when you buy an old implement or tractor. Get your zerk assortment box and replace everyone you can find. Best 4 bucks you will ever spend on it. Plus you will save that much in grease that isn't wasted.
 
I"ve had good luck using brake cleaner or ChemTool carb cleaner. I run in to this often with machinery at work. Pull the zerk, clean out as much as you can with drill bit or wire(I"ve actually gotten welding wire into the groove on a bearing in a pillow block after old grease was softened). Put the plastic snoozle tube on the can to reach into the hole and focus pressure/liquid at the clog. Give it a few soft squirts; don"t use wide open shots or all you get is a bunch of blow-back. Wait a few minutes and give it some more cleaner. Usually after doing this a few times, I can put the zerk back in and push the now softened old grease out with fresh grease.

Good luck, and y"all have a great day!


Anthony
 
Taking the zerk out and filling the hole with penetrating oil helps.

I have also had some luck with using a <a href="http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-2601-k-d-tools-416.aspx">KD Ram-O-Matic</a> tool.

If there's no seaks/gaskets to melt a little heat will save you a lot of messing around.

Finally, having a good lever-style (10,000psi?) grease gun with a non-leaky piston and hose tip is probably the most important tool.
 
I have had good luck with all of those methods, but first try removing the old zerk, clean out the hole, & replace with a good new one. If that doesn't work then a little heat to soften the old hardened graese. Be ready to put out a fire before you start, be careful.
 
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