Dumb Grease Question

I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan.
I went to grease the front grease fittings on the suspension and
steering components (zirc fittings), and my trusty grease gun of 20
something years wouldn't work!
The symptom is, the grease gun fitting is slightly too large, and the
grease just oozes out and doesn't go in. I tried using all my strength
to hold the grease gun fitting onto the zirc fitting, but it still oozed
out because the zirc nipples are a bit smaller than normal. This is
true for the left and right sides.
This same grease gun works fine on my 2 GM cars.
I looked in the store, thinking that maybe they've come out with new
grease fittings since 20 years ago, but all I see are one size, and the
same size as what I have.
Am I missing something here?

<newsmail (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote

I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan.
I went to grease the front grease fittings on the suspension and
steering components (zirc fittings), and my trusty grease gun of 20
something years wouldn't work!
The symptom is, the grease gun fitting is slightly too large, and the
grease just oozes out and doesn't go in. I tried using all my strength
to hold the grease gun fitting onto the zirc fitting, but it still oozed
out because the zirc nipples are a bit smaller than normal. This is
true for the left and right sides.
This same grease gun works fine on my 2 GM cars.
I looked in the store, thinking that maybe they've come out with new
grease fittings since 20 years ago, but all I see are one size, and the
same size as what I have.
Am I missing something here?

Yea, your probably missing the grease fittings, some years and I believe
that is one of them does NOT have grease fittings, look carefully and make
sure you have them.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

maxpower wrote:

newsmail (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote in message
news:WM70i.8225$ya1.4635 (AT) news02 (DOT) roc.ny...
I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan.
I went to grease the front grease fittings on the suspension and
steering components (zirc fittings), and my trusty grease gun of 20
something years wouldn't work!
The symptom is, the grease gun fitting is slightly too large, and the
grease just oozes out and doesn't go in. I tried using all my strength
to hold the grease gun fitting onto the zirc fitting, but it still oozed
out because the zirc nipples are a bit smaller than normal. This is
true for the left and right sides.
This same grease gun works fine on my 2 GM cars.
I looked in the store, thinking that maybe they've come out with new
grease fittings since 20 years ago, but all I see are one size, and the
same size as what I have.
Am I missing something here?

Yea, your probably missing the grease fittings, some years and I believe
that is one of them does NOT have grease fittings, look carefully and make
sure you have them.

Hi...

Yikes, another flashback for a real old guy

When they first started that, I could only find a coupla
places to grease. Had a heck of a time getting grease in
the brake bleeder valves

Take care.

Ken

"Ken Weitzel" <kweitzel (AT) shaw (DOT) ca> wrote

maxpower wrote:
newsmail (AT) frontiernet (DOT) net> wrote in message
news:WM70i.8225$ya1.4635 (AT) news02 (DOT) roc.ny...
I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan.
I went to grease the front grease fittings on the suspension and
steering components (zirc fittings), and my trusty grease gun of 20
something years wouldn't work!
The symptom is, the grease gun fitting is slightly too large, and the
grease just oozes out and doesn't go in. I tried using all my strength
to hold the grease gun fitting onto the zirc fitting, but it still
oozed
out because the zirc nipples are a bit smaller than normal. This is
true for the left and right sides.
This same grease gun works fine on my 2 GM cars.
I looked in the store, thinking that maybe they've come out with new
grease fittings since 20 years ago, but all I see are one size, and the
same size as what I have.
Am I missing something here?

Yea, your probably missing the grease fittings, some years and I believe
that is one of them does NOT have grease fittings, look carefully and
make
sure you have them.

Hi...

Yikes, another flashback for a real old guy

When they first started that, I could only find a coupla
places to grease. Had a heck of a time getting grease in
the brake bleeder valves

Take care.

Ken


You have to crack the bleeders first!!! LOL

In the good old days I owned a 1956 190SL. It sported over 20 grease
fittings. Several would fill with water and splash all over the service
guy's face when he tried to fill the fittings. On MB's top of the line
vehicle they had a grease tank and lines running to the fittings. The driver
merely had to push down on a pedal to force grease into the fittings. Talk
about overkill.

Richard.

On Wed, 9 May 2007 12:40:33 -0400, "Richard" <rfeirste (AT) nycap (DOT) rr.com>
wrote:

In the good old days I owned a 1956 190SL. It sported over 20 grease
fittings. Several would fill with water and splash all over the service
guy's face when he tried to fill the fittings. On MB's top of the line
vehicle they had a grease tank and lines running to the fittings. The driver
merely had to push down on a pedal to force grease into the fittings. Talk
about overkill.

Richard.

Central greasing from a reservoir and floor pedal was not uncommon in
luxury cars. Quite a few American and British cars of the 20's and
30's had that.

I used to have a 1971 Avanti II that used what was basically the
Studebaker Lark convertible chassis.
The front end alone had over 19 grease fittings. The rear axle
bearings, spring shackles, etc added a few more. The quicklube type
places hated the car...
:-)

Doug

Doug wrote:

On Wed, 9 May 2007 12:40:33 -0400, "Richard" <rfeirste (AT) nycap (DOT) rr.com
wrote:


In the good old days I owned a 1956 190SL. It sported over 20 grease
fittings. Several would fill with water and splash all over the service
guy's face when he tried to fill the fittings. On MB's top of the line
vehicle they had a grease tank and lines running to the fittings. The driver
merely had to push down on a pedal to force grease into the fittings. Talk
about overkill.

Richard.


Central greasing from a reservoir and floor pedal was not uncommon in
luxury cars. Quite a few American and British cars of the 20's and
30's had that.

I used to have a 1971 Avanti II that used what was basically the
Studebaker Lark convertible chassis.
The front end alone had over 19 grease fittings. The rear axle
bearings, spring shackles, etc added a few more. The quicklube type
places hated the car...
:-)

You had grease fittings for the rear axle bearings? I bet that someone
had tore the rear end out and replaced it with an old Studebaker one,
they dropped those in 57-58ish. Unless N&A reintroduced them...

you do go through a lot of grease with one of those cars. The kingpins
alone take an incredible amount of grease, but unless you get the thrust
bearings greased up well, it'll be hard to steer and "sticky."

nate

(worked on too many Studes)

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

. On MB's top of the line
vehicle they had a grease tank and lines running to the fittings. The driver
merely had to push down on a pedal to force grease into the fittings.

All

My 31 Buick was that way. Never did get all the lines cleaned out.

Bob AZ