plugged zerks

[bucktail]

Trying to get my L1500DT ready for work. most of the zerks are stuck (one of them is broken now) From reading here, it appears that the lock n lube is the answer to prevent the broken ones, but there's another tool out there and I don't know what it's called and can't find one for sale. It's basically a tube with a grease fitting that screws tight like the really old ones. There's a punch that fits inside the tube. You put a little grease in the tube, screw the fitting tight on the zerk, put the punch in the tube and hit it with a hammer. Anyone know what I'm talking about and where to get it?

 

[nickelplated5s]

No but a 1/4 socket would work. Just put a punch in the drive side.

 

[D2Cat]

Might do a search for grease joint rejuvenator.

 

[Lil Foot]

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/grease-fitting-cleaning-tool?a=1518543
Instead of grease, use a light oil, penetrates better than grease.

 

[CountryBumkin]

And this https://www.amazon.com/KD-Tools-KDT416-FITTING-CLEARING/dp/B001PIKCS6
There are plenty of manufacturers of this little gem.

 

[meackerman]

I've got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009K58B98

works well enough, but on the really stuck ones its just easier to replace them.

 

[Ramos]

+1 meackerman! Besides, if something is jamming up the works, do you REALLY want to drive it into whatever you are trying to lube?

 

[bucktail]

The only 2 that I would worry about putting zerk shrapnel into are the front axle on the bull & pinion or planetary or whatever they have in there, and they take grease just fine. The ones giving problems are on ball joints and the 3 point.

 

[meackerman]

I remove the zerk before clearing it. If it doesn't clear easily, in the trash it goes.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Buy a box of 10 or 25 and replace as needed. The effort to replace is usually much less then fighting to get them to accept grease. Used to be about 20 cents apiece.

 

[Diydave]

Never had much luck with the rejuvenator. Best is to take the zerk off, clean out gunk, and spray with Kroil, then re-assemble, and use the lock-n-lube. Sometimes it helps to build a little resevior out of 1/8" pipe, and keep filling with Kroil, sometimes takes a couple months and repeated applications, for the Kroil to eat its way through. Once on a backhoe, I put a pressure line into the fitting hole, and pumped hydraulic fluid through at about 3000 PSI, but you have to be careful with that, so you don't end up spraying someone with hyd oil, at high pressure, that can be deadly, google oil embolism...

 

[Lil Foot]

I have a steel block with several sizes of threads for various zerks; pop 'em out, stick 'em in the block, put the tool on, give it a smack, it's never failed to clear one. Have done a few in the field on other peoples stuff, always worked there too.

 

[bucktail]

Upon further reflection, I think I'll just replace the zerks. I did buy a rejuvenator, but it's for a different project. I used Mobil 1 grease on a truck that I don't drive much. Mobil 1 grease turns to the consistency of window caulk after a couple of years.