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Canadian_eh85

(07-12-2020 )JimT Wrote: Normally I go to TA as stated due to cost comparison. As for greasing, I really have no clue what's supposed to be greased. Sure I see a bunch of spots, but it would be nice to find some kind of check list so I don't overlook something critical. I know I've caught other mechanics missing obvious ones on my truck before, and they should know

Any other tools or such, other then the basic wrenches, that might come in handy for any of the other items listed? I'd like to have everything I need on hand so I can knock it all out in one shot. Even makeshift homemade devices are welcome!

Suggestions on particular grease to use? TA's been pumping some redish stuff in there, not exactly sure of the product or brand. Just don't want to mix incompatible stuff together by accident. Also, suggestions on grease guns? I'v got a cheap one from harbor freight, not too fond of it. Wouldn't mind getting one or two

Well as for grease spots I just start at the front and work my way back. If there’s a grease nipple than grease goes there. Unless you have greaseless front spring bushing and drive line you will have grease nipples on each end of your front springs, your king pings in your steering axle as well as each of your tie-rod ends, clutch peddle linkage, steering shaft u-joints and slip shaft. As a rule when you grease you pump it tell you hear or see it starting to purge from the seals. That important to push out any of the crap in there. Underneath your tranny’s clutch release bearing will need a couple pumps, as well as each of your cross shafts in the bell housing. Your drive line u-joint as a rule will take about 10-15 pumps before they start to purge. Always check to make sure all your caps are purging together. If you only have a couple that purge and the rest don’t it’s time to look at replacing that u-joint. If you have greased slip yokes on your drive line I give mine about 25-50 pumps each time a grease. Your s-cam tubs need to be grease as well as your slack adjusters. A couple pumps for the slacks is about all the take tell they purge and your s-cams depends on when they were last greased..... as a rule I pump tell I hear or see a lil grease purge on each tube. I grease my truck once a week but I run a lot of off road and am hauling around 140,000lbs. I have always used a full synthetic grease either mobile 1 or chevron full synthetic NGL 1.5-2 and vis 150-460 depending on the time of year or what’s available to me. Have had good luck with it and in 6 years have yet to replace tie rod ends or kingpins and never have a u-joint fail that I didn’t catch first. Another bonus to greasing your truck your self and why I WILL NOT EVER let some one else do it. Is when I am under there I am not just greasing I and checking everything out for play, wear, tear, cracks, Air leaks, do my brake adjustments you name it. That is my time to make sure everything is up to my standers and to fix what I find wrong.

Tools......well depending on your slack adjusters you will either need a 7/16 wrench which you will turn the adjust but clockwise tell it tightens and then you will back it off a 1/4-1/3 turn..... that style if it’s an auto slack will ratchet when you back it off. The other style you will use a 5/16 wrench and a flat head screwdriver. Same thing for for adjusting it. Clockwise tell brake is tight against the drum and then you have to use the flat head to lift the flat headed dent pin and sack it off a 1/4-1/3 turn. When I am greasing while I am under there I adjust all my brakes. Even though all my brake are auto slacks I still like to do them manually every week or so. Sometimes they don’t always adjust like they should so never trust that your brakes are adjusted just because they are auto slacks. A few mins of checking while greasing goes a long ways to keeping everything up to spec.

As for grease guns. Honestly there is nothing wrong with a good old fashion hand pump grease gun, I have used them lots and like it for the fact you can feel the grease as it’s going in and when it purges. That being said I do run an cordless grease gun. All my cordless tools are Milwaukee M18 fuel brushless. Awesome grease gun. 2 speed and I can go though 10 tubes of grease before I need to recharge the batterie.

Hope I didn’t overwhelm you, just thought I would give you a basic list of what to look for. Best of luck. Once you start doing this stuff yourself you won’t want to let anyone else do it for you.