Nipples

[johnl]

So it happened, as I knew it eventually would. One of my upper ball joints has started to move in ways it's not supposed to do.

The other one is still good, and in an attempt to keep it that way for as long as possible I've fitted a grease nipple to it. I extracted the wishbone along with the casting to which it is attached (as is necessary), then drilled a suitably sized hole in the top of the ball joint, tapped the hole to match the the thread on a grease nipple, and fitted the grease nipple. I drilled and tapped as deep as I dared, which isn't as deep as might be ideal, which results in the nipple not threading all the way down, so some of the thread is exposed, but it fits tightly.

Next I pumped the grease in, but it was hard to tell if enough is going in until I removed the clip from the rubber boot (the smaller clip on the shaft / post, not the larger one on the ball joint body). When enough grease has been pumped in this allows the boot to move up the taper on the shaft, and some excess grease can be squeezed out by manually compressing the boot.

While I had the wishbone off I also greased its rubber pivot bushes (with 'rubber grease'). The original grease was very thick, not very 'greasy' and not very much of it. The wishbone moves much more freely now.

Regards,
John.

[bazzbazz]

While you were there, you should have fitted grease nipples for the bushing points as well, like this -



Was that a "DOH!" I heard ?   

[johnl]

Yeah Baz, I was going to, even bought the nipples, but when I saw that the bushing material was not a polyrethane (or similar) as I expected, but is actually a hardish rubber (or rubber like synthetic?), I realised I'd need to have a grease gun dedicated to proper rubber grease. So, I didn't bother, considering what the stuff costs and how much I'd need to be useful in a grease gun...

When I first thought of doing this I poked the bushing material with a screwdriver, and it seemed too hard to be rubber, hence my incorrect assumption that it was some kind of plastic. My error was obvious once I had it apart on the bench.

Anyway, I expect that the new grease will outlast the ball joint, maybe...

Regards,
John.

[Cool Jesus]

Dammit, was so excited in clicking this thread open. That's not fair titling a thread like that 

[Citroënbender]

What-ling a thread? 

You mean like Jayne Mansfield in Promises! Promises! then?