>So just how _do_ you grease the kingpins? Are they two of the six or so
>grease fitting on the front end?
>
>>...The brass bushes are quite
>>soft, and wear fairly fast if not greased OFTEN (about every 1,000 miles,
or
>>monthly).
The kingpin bushes are lubricated via four (two on each side) of the six
(three on each side) grease fittings on the <<stock>> front end. Looking
at the whole assembly on the left side (driver's side to Americans, offside
for the British), from the front of the car, you'll see three fittings once
you clean the accumulated grease and roadstuff off. Working up from the
bottom:
1) Fulcrum pin (Where the Kingpin meets the lower A-arm, screwed into the
A-arm).
2) Lower Bushing (Screwed into the steering knuckle)
3) Upper Bushing (Screwed into the steering knuckle)
(On the other side of the car, the fulcrum pin grease fitting is accessed
from behind the wheel on the <<stock>> front end.)
I guess the short answer is, they are four of the six.
You'll notice that I've referred to the <<stock>> front end a couple of
times. The difference I'm thinking of doesn't relate to the kingpin
bushings, but is important nonetheless. The lubrication for the fulcrum
pin is supposed to come from the one grease fitting, go to the bearing
surfaces closest to the grease fitting, and also go down a drilling in the
center of the fulcrum pin to lubricate the other side. Seals between the
fulcrum pin and the A-arm are supposed to constrain the grease so it really
goes to the other end of the fulcrum pin, rather than only to the nearest
end. This works either poorly or not at all. As a result, some folks
(like me) have a grease fitting installed at both ends of the fulcrum pin,
so there is one fitting at the front and another at the rear on both sides.
I grease the whole shebang at 1,000-1,500 miles and before any long trip.
If you have never greased these fittings, and/or don't know when it was
last done, do it ASAP. If it's been a long time, the steering will seem
really light once it's done.
Chris Kotting
ckotting@iwaynet.net
'77 Midget (just about due for another shot of grease)
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