Hello,
I've been getting into automotive repair on my own car over the past couple years (basic stuff - brakes, changing fluids, replaced a thermostat, that kind of stuff). This next weekend I'm planning on swapping the window regulator in my GF's car as well as taking a look at her other windows running slowly and her driver door latch sticking when it's sub-freezing. These tasks are going to take some lubrication, and I asked on another discussion site which ones are suggested. I was told dry silicon lubricant for the rubber window tracks, and "traditional grease" (which is...?) for everything else.
This has prompted me to read up on the types of lubricants. I was aware of greases, oils, and dry lubricants, and have a vague idea which category to use for various applications, but within those categories I haven't the foggiest idea how to settle on the right kinds. Take greases for example - I've seen lithium grease, silicon paste, moly grease, all-purpose grease, and a whole pile of others. When would each be used? I know that in situations where contact with plastic or rubber, or in high heat situations, I would want to utilize special kinds, but beyond that I'm lost. I've started collecting a few kinds for the various jobs I've done simply based on what was recommended by the people whose videos I watched or general recommendations online. However, I don't know in what other situations these would be useful, and I've probably got overlap in the lubricants that I've purchased. I would like to be able to know what kind of lubricant to use in various situations, rather than spending a bunch of time reading online for each specific job I run into.
Any good resources for someone new to mechanical stuff? Searching online most that I'm seeing are throwing out a lot of terms I'm not familiar with, making it obvious I'm not the intended audience. Is there a good "idiot's guide to lubrication" (along with a fairly complete list of lubricants I would find useful in automotive and homeowner situations).
Thanks, all - I figured if anyone on the internet could point me in the right direction, it'd be you guys (I spent a lot of time lurking here, reading up on motor oil before deciding on a brand).
I've been getting into automotive repair on my own car over the past couple years (basic stuff - brakes, changing fluids, replaced a thermostat, that kind of stuff). This next weekend I'm planning on swapping the window regulator in my GF's car as well as taking a look at her other windows running slowly and her driver door latch sticking when it's sub-freezing. These tasks are going to take some lubrication, and I asked on another discussion site which ones are suggested. I was told dry silicon lubricant for the rubber window tracks, and "traditional grease" (which is...?) for everything else.
This has prompted me to read up on the types of lubricants. I was aware of greases, oils, and dry lubricants, and have a vague idea which category to use for various applications, but within those categories I haven't the foggiest idea how to settle on the right kinds. Take greases for example - I've seen lithium grease, silicon paste, moly grease, all-purpose grease, and a whole pile of others. When would each be used? I know that in situations where contact with plastic or rubber, or in high heat situations, I would want to utilize special kinds, but beyond that I'm lost. I've started collecting a few kinds for the various jobs I've done simply based on what was recommended by the people whose videos I watched or general recommendations online. However, I don't know in what other situations these would be useful, and I've probably got overlap in the lubricants that I've purchased. I would like to be able to know what kind of lubricant to use in various situations, rather than spending a bunch of time reading online for each specific job I run into.
Any good resources for someone new to mechanical stuff? Searching online most that I'm seeing are throwing out a lot of terms I'm not familiar with, making it obvious I'm not the intended audience. Is there a good "idiot's guide to lubrication" (along with a fairly complete list of lubricants I would find useful in automotive and homeowner situations).
Thanks, all - I figured if anyone on the internet could point me in the right direction, it'd be you guys (I spent a lot of time lurking here, reading up on motor oil before deciding on a brand).
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