Bud,
The "recommended" lube is gear oil, but the grease that is used today is far
superior to the grease that was used 20 years ago. Don't worry, the
trunnions will be fine, especially if the shop is using a synthetic grease.
With the infusion of molybdenum disulfide that most lubes have today, you
are probably better off. Not to mention that they don't wash out the way
old greases did.
Larry Zink
Z Group Racing and Performance
1964 Spitfire4
Houston, Texas
-----Original Message-----
From: Bud Rolofson <Bud_Rolofson@nps.gov>
To: triumphs@autox.team.net <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Date: Monday, August 10, 1998 10:11 AM
Subject: Triumph - Trunnions (Lower Steering Swivels)
>
>Listers
>
>I think I'm using the correct subject...we all have trunnions don't we???
>
>While checking the oil levels on my gearbox and differential, and changing
my
>oil yesterday I noticed that there was grease around the zerk on my
trunnions
>(lower steering swivels). It also looks like there's some grease around
the
>rubber seal.
>
>I suspect that my alignment guy pumped grease into my lower steering
swivels
>(trunnions) thinking he was doing me a favor with a free lube job. When he
in
>the process of balancing the tires I watched as he put grease in the upper
ball
>joint and then about that time got chased from the bay by the shop foreman
>(insurance regs., yada, yada, yada). It didn't occur to me that he would
grease
>everything...since they usually don't do something you haven't agreed to
pay for
>on the work order. My mistake.
>
>He obviously didn't know that only oil should be used and I didn't think to
>specifically tell him not to put any grease in the trunnions.
>
>Should I:
>
>1) Try to clean the grease out of the trunnions. Can I do that without
pulling
>the trunnions completely off?
>
>2) Pump oil in there and let the grease work its way out on its own. Will
that
>happen?
>
>3) Do nothing and just worry about the future cost of replacing improperly
>maintained trunnions? Never mind...I'm not going to do this one.
>
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>Bud.
>
>P.S. I got a reminder about a past thread about how to get those square
plugs
>loosened on the gearbox and differential (also the brake adjusters) when I
>checked fluids this weekend.
>
>I tried every socket (12 point, 6 point, etc..) and wrench that I had to
try to
>not round off the darn things but could not get them loose. I finally was
>trying every wrench in an assortment of old wrenches that I'd inherited
from my
>father and the one that finally worked was a good old 8 inch Crescent (the
REAL
>Crescent) adjustable wrench. Now I'd tried a couple of other adjustable
>wrenches, Craftsman, and some other brands that I don't remember but the
REAL
>Crescent wrench was the one that would adjust to the right size and hold it
>tight enough to turn the plugs. I don't know if it's because it is thicker
than
>other adjustables or what but I know that it worked for me when nothing
else
>would. Of course I don't have any financial interest in Crescent, Blah,
Blah,
>Blah, and I don't even know if they are still making them, but If you can
find
>one on a garage sale I would buy one. The two Crescents I own say they
were
>made in Jamestown NY.
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