aftermarket parts grease interval

[mjoekingz28]

On my Saturn I have replaced the outer tie rods and the rear sway bar links with greasable parts.

The links are Moog and the tie rod ends are TRW.

I drive just under 1500 miles weekly and change my oil every 4 weeks and wondering (since this is my first time with zerks) is every other oil change (11000 miles) an okay interval.

Grease is Mystik red.


Also, is it proper to pump until you see the grease ooze out of the seal. I've read you can pump until you see the seal swell, but since I'm new I am not that keen 'yet'.

 

[Maritime Storm]

Every month or so would be about right. Some only grease every oil change, I find that too long myself.

 

[eljefino]

I only (sometimes) do it when I have the tire off for rotation, snows, brakes, what have you.

Some parts have a clever grease "vent" flap in the boot you pump till it comes out. Others you can wreck by over filling. I go for the slight bulge myself.

 

[The motor guy]

Just make sure the boots are nice and squishy. I wouldn't wait til grease oozes out. You've put too much in and broken the seal if you do that.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Just greased the parts today, half of them anyway. Greased had seeped out of both the tie rods and sway bar links. I hooked up the gun and began pumping and noticed if not perfectly straight on the grease would ooze out of the fitting where the gun hooks to. After I got it straight it took maybe one or two pumps to see grease come out of the seal.

This is after one month and 5000 miles or so. After observing this, I think I will go to a 3 month interval next time and shorten or extend it to 2 months or 4 months, which would be 11000 or 22000 miles. Sound like a plan?

I just feel bad for breaking the seal to begin with and will probably pay for it with increased maintenance required or dirt ingestion.

 

[SteveSRT8]

On our fleet trucks (with 12 zerks!) there is no need to panic if the grease oozes. No seal is 'broken', the grease will simply come out and the rubber still has tension so the part remains protected.

They're not water tight anyway. They're more like a dust cover.

Interestingly, I have one van with about 180k miles on it that has had a torn upper ball joint boot since new and it is just fine, no excessive wear at all. I simply wrap my finger around it and then wipe the excess off when done pumping.

We use Amsoil synthetic grease (Series 2000 Synthetic Racing Grease, NLGI #2,)