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Re: Oiling leaf springs

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Oiling leaf springs
From: "TeriAnn Wakeman" <twakeman@apple.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 94 09:59:35 -0700
In message <Pine.ULT.3.90.941018001657.16647B-100000@macbeth.umd.edu> Chip Old 
writes:
> On Mon, 17 Oct 1994, Jerome Kaidor wrote:
> 
> > > Some leaf springs have rubber inserts between the leaves.  Depending on 
> > > what type of rubber is used, lubrication may cause the rubber to 
> > > deteriorate.
> > 
> > *** Luckily, there are a lot of motorcycle chains these days with rubber
> > O-rings in them.  Using a chain lube rated for ``O-Ring Chain'' should 
> > avoid
> > any rubber deterioration.
>  
> Except that those O-rings are neeoprene or some other synthetic rubber
> that can withstand contact with petroleum-based lubricants.  The inserts
> used in older leaf springs are sometimes natural rubber, which
> deteriorates in contact with oil or grease.  That's why some BritCar
> owners manuals warn against lubricating the leaf springs.  It's likely
> that the inserts in newer replacement springs are oil-resistant synthetic,
> but unfortunately the only way to tell for sure is to try it and see what
> happens. 
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Chip Old              1948 M.G. TC  TC6710  NEMGTR #2271
> Cub Hill, Maryland    1962 Triumph TR4  CT3154LO (daily transportation)
> feold@umd5.umd.edu

My first car, a 1955 Ford, had squeeky leaf springs.  I took it to a service 
station and the cured it by spraying something they called rubber lube between 
the leafs.  I have not heard of it since & wonder what it was. It sounds like it
might be a lubercant of choice for other cars that had rubber between meaves??


TeriAnn Wakeman        Large format photographers look at the world
twakeman@apple.com     upside down and backwards     
LINK: TWAKEMAN              
408-974-2344                         TR3A - TS75519L, 
                       MGBGT - GHD4U149572G, Land Rover 109 - 164000561



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