Aluminum-based grease through u-joints/ball joints

[Mambo_Dave]

Here is the issue: Wanting to buy and have a tube of some really good grease on hand for the vehicles, I just used Royal Purple Ultra grease through my grease gun, and lubed up the ball joints and u-joints of a 1991 Jeep two days ago. Only after did I come across the compatibility chart that seems to state their grease is not readily compatible with what I think are commonly-used greases. I didn't use the grease in something easier to get opened up and to clean out like wheel bearings, so now I'm left wondering if I should re-grease the same areas again with RP to push more of the old grease out, if I should switch back to some off-the-shelf Lubri-matic grease to expel the RP, or if I should just not worry about it? http://royalpurpleindustrial.com/assets/RP_Ind_Technical_Appendix_Grease_Compatibility_Charts.pdf Thanks for any replies.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The aluminum grease shouldn't hurt anything. If you are concerned about mixing two types, just keep pumping in the aluminum grease until you see it start to purge out.

 

[Ken2]

Compatibility varies. All lithium and lithium complex bases are compatible with other lithium & Li complex. Some aluminum complex bases are compatible with the Li products, and some aren't. Contact the Al grease maker to find out for sure. I've used the Schaeffer Al base greases for years, Schaeffer says they're compatible, and I've had excellent results. 120,000 miles on my truck's u-joints, and they're in excellent condition.

 

[Mambo_Dave]

Originally Posted By: Ken2

Compatibility varies. All lithium and lithium complex bases are compatible with other lithium & Li complex. Some aluminum complex bases are compatible with the Li products, and some aren't. Contact the Al grease maker to find out for sure. I've used the Schaeffer Al base greases for years, Schaeffer says they're compatible, and I've had excellent results. 120,000 miles on my truck's u-joints, and they're in excellent condition.

Err... I didn't ask for a recommendation, and just how does one ask old grease in a used vehicle what brand and mix it is? Do you open up your old used u-joints and send the grease out for analysis to find out what the prior owner used? Wow... I came to the wrong forum - that's a bit extreme and costly for me.

Originally Posted By: Miller88

The aluminum grease shouldn't hurt anything. If you are concerned about mixing two types, just keep pumping in the aluminum grease until you see it start to purge out.

Thank you. The more I look at that chart, the more I see that while Lithium greases aren't compatibly, Lithium Complex greases are... and LC greases, from what I've read since posting that, seem to be in the majority of greases used. I may just be OK.