On Sun, 21 Nov 1999 10:40:03 -0500
"John A. Simmons" <jsimmons@intrepid.net>
Subject: Re: lube
OK, I'll bite. Why should the trunnions be lubed with gear oil instead of
grease. What's wrong with using grease.
John
OK, if no one else will tell him, I will.
Dear John,
The factory workshop manuals tell you to use EP90 gear-oil (EP = Extreme
Pressure)
It is exactly the same lube you should put into your gearbox, NOT grease.
This is for several reasons:
Firstly if you look inside your trunnion, you will note that the vertical
link section is made with a hole up the centre, this is the oil reservoir.
On the outside of the vertical link, inside the phosphor-bronze trunnion you
will see a threaded section, and this is an archimedes screw, so called
because as the front suspension rises and falls, it pumps the oil up and down
the threaded section, providing lubrication.
This is critical to the longevity of your front suspension, steering and
possibly you!
Grease OTOH, dries out, whatever anyone says, and is not suitable.
If you don't believe me, use grease, wait 5 years, and find out for yourself!
Trunnions should be oiled every 6,000 miles without exception!
They will then give very many years of service.
I had a pair - they are sided - in my Triumph for over 100,000 miles without
need for replacement.
Good Luck
Now Go pump that OIL.
BTW, Before putting the oil in, you must take the weight off the front
suspension of the car, by lifting it, preferably with a hydraulic jack of
some kind.
Then, after wiping away any dirt which may be around the nipples, or blanking
plugs, remove the nipples from the vertical links, and pump at least five
strokes of the oil into the link/trunnion assembly.
You will know when you have put enough in, as it will ooze out from below the
rubber seal on top of the trunnion.
This rubber seal should be in good condition, to keep oil in, and prevent
water/dirt ingress.
I use a simple and cheap oil can with a flexible spout and a simple lever,
this does a perfectly good job and the oil doesn't have to be under 'much'
pressure to go in
You don't have to convert expensive grease guns.
Note that should you get a chance to examine the top of the vertical link,
behind the natural rubber seal, should you see any, and I mean ANY rust pits
on the steel surface, then you must discard that vertical link, as it will
certainly be very likely to snap before much longer.
I know vertical links are expensive, but...
Oh yes, nearly forgot, if you want to know exactly why there is a grease
nipple in your vertical link, then the reason is almost certainly as follows:
When your Triumph left the factory, it was usually fitted with steel blanking
plugs in all four (front & rear) vertical links, however, over a number of
years of removal/replacement for oiling, these very small plugs, got twisted
and often snapped off in the vertical link, and then the link had to be
removed in order to extract the remains of the plug, using a screw extractor
or similar.
This job is a right royal pain, therefore, most mechanics replaced the steel
blanking plug with an aluminium grease nipple, which had the same thread, and
into the bargain, is much easier to remove, as it already has a hollow centre
for grease to pass through.
(I have certainly fitted grease nipples to my cars for that very reason)
Léon F Guyot
Triumph Sports Six Club
International Liaison Secretary
1963 Triumph Vitesse 2-Litre Convertible
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