Anyone with an explanation?

[MGPD03]

I know there are some intelligent people on this board, so maybe someone can "dumb this down" for me.

Ok, I'm 26 and just now getting "anal" about my maintenence i.e. ensuring it gets done by doing it myself. Case in point: My '05 Silverado. There is no way in heck that the "iffy lube" kids grease every zerk on my truck in two minutes. Heck, to get to two of them you have to remove five bolts and drop the skid plate.

This being said, I've purchased a Lincoln 1134 pistol grip grease gun and a tube of Amsoil Series 2000 grease. Now, I'm a decently intelligent guy, but I had to read the instructions a couple of times to even figure out how to properly load the grease cartridge.

The explanation I'm dying for is: After the cartridge is loaded you exert a little pressure on the plunger rod and it'll totally retract, right? Where'd the grease go? Did it actually compress that much or does it take an entire tube of grease to fill the various cavities?

I know these are retarded questions, but I'm the kind of guy that this will bug the heck out of me until I have an answer. Thanks in advance guys/gals.

Oh, one more thing: Do I store it with the plunger retracted or just leave it as it is? I originally stored it for a week or so with the plunger retracted and went to try and grease the idler arm fittings but I had a helluva time getting the plunger to fully recompress.

 

[bruce381]

""The explanation I'm dying for is: After the cartridge is loaded you exert a little pressure on the plunger rod and it'll totally retract, right? Where'd the grease go? Did it actually compress that much or does it take an entire tube of grease to fill the various cavities?""

You make no sense when "trigger" is pulled grease will come out hose. If no grease it takes a few squeezes on a new cartridge to fill gun.
is that what you need?
bruce

 

[bruce381]

also store as is other wise each time you have to "prime" it.
bruce

 

[Wrehch]

The grease didn't go anywhere, it's still in the gun. No it didn't compress. When you put a new tube in you get some air trapped in it. It could be the air compressing or the plunger follower just moves when you push the rod in. In any case the Martians didn't beam down and steal any of your grease.

As for storing it, just leave the rod in. Also note you solved your own problem with the vanishing grease. Once you got the air purged out of the gun and reretracted the rod and then later tried to push it back in it's hard. That's because there is no more air in it, you are forcing the grease back in the gun and forcing the plunger that is under spring preasure back.

 

[MGPD03]

I guess I may not understand the mechanisms of a grease gun, eh? Anyone have an exploded view/cross section of a grease gun?

 

[doitmyself]

Here's your answer, if I can figure out how to explain it. You pull out the plunger rod that has a rubber sealed plate/cup on the end. You lock the rod in place (extended) to insert the tube. That plate/cup is not permanently attached to the end of the plunger rod. When you release the plunger rod, the plate/cup is pushed up by a spring to compress the grease. The rod then is pushed thru the center of the plate/cup back up into the grease gun.

 

[MGPD03]

Ok, maybe that's where I was confused. I ASSUMED that the plate/cup was affixed to the plunger rod. Thanks for clarifying...now I only feel halfway retarded.

 

[rutwad]

And with the rod all the way in, you can pull it back out until you feel the extra pressure caused by the cup/spring. That should give you some idea how much grease is left in the tube.