Oily drops from grease gun mobil 1. Is it breaking down ??

[Quantico]

Was greasing my snow blower today. Mobil 1 red grease inside and once again constant drips of red light weight oil coming out. Is the grease just breaking down ?? I go thru 3 tubes a year so its not inside the grease gun for more than 6 months ever.. whats going on ??

Its a huge mess to keep cleaning it up

 

[billt460]

I have yet to see a grease that doesn't do this over time. The warmer it is, the worse it gets. Here in the desert, in the hot Summer months it's really bad. In fact, I'm done buying large tubes of grease because of this.

I never get the whole good out of a single tube. I bought a smaller grease gun that takes the small mini tubes. (I think they're 4 ounces each). That way I don't end up tossing as much grease. I keep the extra cartridges in a zip lock bag, in a small fridge. That prevents a lot of the leakage and separation.

 

[CharBaby]

I get the same dripping with Mobil 1 grease. I just use regular grease in my guns and I don't notice any dripping from them.

 

[Lubener]

I have had it happen. Use another brand.

 

[Food Scientist]

To my understanding that's actually a good sign. Grease as we all know is a thickened oil, but that oil is actually what's doing the lubrication. The sign that it's bleeding out would indicate it will also release from it's thickening agent easier under actual use. It's a bit of an inconvenience to use though.

I would suggest to store your grease gun with the plunger retracted and laying flat. That will take the pressure off of the grease which should limit separation and if it does separate, laying it flat will give a better chance that when you do use it, you won't pump a bunch of thin oil and/or complex base with reduced oil.

 

[tblt44]

I switched from mobil 1 to red n tacky then to a marine grease to get rid of that annoying leak

 

[demarpaint]

It happens, store the grease gun with the plunger drawn out, and in a plastic bag, or a bucket, or some other way that collects what drips out.

 

[gman2304]

Same with Valvoline Crimson.

 

[JavierH19]

happens all the time. thats why i like the much smaller tubes now. less bs.

 

[64bawagon]

Its normal. My HD will leave a few drops on the floor after it gets greased with Red N Tacky. We used to get that when I was greasing class 8 trucks also.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Yes, this is a well established issue, especially in the southern states. However, Exxon Mobil knows how to make grease. The lubricant is the liquid, the rest is filler holding the liquid. Having said that, I changed to Motomaster synthetic made by Citgo because of the leakage.

 

[wayne55]

I tried Mobil 1 grease once and only once because of the separation.

 

[zfasts03]

Mystik JT-6 High Temp is my go to grease due to this. I also use the Mystik with the 3% moly where applicable.

Mobil 1 turns to liquid, among others, and Valvoline SynPower w/moly seems to get dry with age.

 

[Dave9]

Doesn't bother me, have seen it happen with several different greases. I just put a piece of cardboard down on the bench shelf where I store the gun horizontally and wipe with a rag before use. Never even considered tossing out a cartridge due to this. The viscosity didn't change THAT much. Maybe my garage doesn't get as hot as some, shaded by trees it only gets near 95F a few weeks per year.

 

[Kestas]

To my understanding that's actually a good sign. Grease as we all know is a thickened oil, but that oil is actually what's doing the lubrication. The sign that it's bleeding out would indicate it will also release from it's thickening agent easier under actual use. It's a bit of an inconvenience to use though.

True that the oil does the lubricating, and the thickener keeps it together, but I've never known oil bleed to be a positive character of a grease. You want oil bleed from a grease to be at a minimum. It needs to stay together.

I've seen extreme cases where nearly all oil has bled from a grease and you're left with a Grade 5 grease, basically crayon. Usually the result of overheat.

 

[Warstud]

I like the idea of using a soft grease like Mobil especially in the cold so I'd stick with that. Loosen the purge valve after each use and use a ziplock bag on the end.

 

[Quantico]

Guess its more common than I thought. I store my grease gun with piston retracted. The garage gets to 110 degrees in the summer I bet..but i go thru at least 4 tubes a year .. so its not like its old stuff.

 

[tig1]

To my understanding that's actually a good sign. Grease as we all know is a thickened oil, but that oil is actually what's doing the lubrication. The sign that it's bleeding out would indicate it will also release from it's thickening agent easier under actual use. It's a bit of an inconvenience to use though.

I would suggest to store your grease gun with the plunger retracted and laying flat. That will take the pressure off of the grease which should limit separation and if it does separate, laying it flat will give a better chance that when you do use it, you won't pump a bunch of thin oil and/or complex base with reduced oil.

This post explains this well. Better quality grease does separate a bit. I have used M1 grease for many years with never a wheel bearing failure, and I like how my trailer bearings stay cool even after highway running.

 

[fozzdesy2001]

Mystik JT-6 High Temp is my go to grease due to this. I also use the Mystik with the 3% moly where applicable.

Mobil 1 turns to liquid, among others, and Valvoline SynPower w/moly seems to get dry with age.

The red JT-6 has never lost a drop out of the gun even when I left it in a hatchback exposed to full summer sun. If I would have done this with Mobil 1 the mess would have been God awful. Mystik is great grease!

 

[billt460]

This is my standard grease gun after a couple of months in a hot garage. The paper towel is fully saturated with Lucas "Red N Tacky", along with the pan it's sitting in. Which has now become, "Red N Runny". If you really want a nice mess, try some of the black Moly greases. They work wonders on a white tee shirt.