812 CV joint lubrication

The shorter is the zerk and nipple for the outer joint-remove cotter pin and plug and insert. The longer is a set-up for the left inner joint. [img]<a%20href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc180/36cord/?action=view&current=DSC02095.jpg"%20target="_blank]<img%20src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc180/36cord/DSC02095.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="U%20joint%20lub][/url][/img]

I screwed up. the machinist is not a squirt, and he doesn't know why the parts are harder.
CORDially Mike

Gee, L-29's do have something in common with 810/12's. That's the way I grease my CV's. 3 or 4 squirts every 800 to 1000 miles.
I am going to go out on a limb here and discuss the grease I am using. It's just like discussing oil, each person has a different opinion. I have a squirts who has machined shafts etc. for my L-29. We were discussing these parts and he ask me what kind of grease I used. He told me when he machines parts that used synthetic lubricants he can tell. He tells me the outer surface is harder than a part using reg. lub. He synthetic know why, he can just tell. I was using a semi synthetic and have switched to full synthetic for my CV joints. I must stress that I completely cleaned the joint before changing types. Just one persons opinion for what it's worth.
CORDially Mike

Greasing original outer u-jts is a pain. You have to remove the hubcap, the cotter pin at the center nut, then the slotted pipe plug in the center. Next you screw in a zerk with a nipple -- regular zerk threads won't reach.

There is no practical way to know how much grease is needed. The hole in the side of the housing is useless -- grease will not "flow" out of it no matter how much you pump in. So ol' Cord drivers go thru this procedure every 500-1000 miles, and give the grease gun a couple of strokes to replace what you guess might have leaked out of the joint since the last time.

There is no need to be paranoid about this. The joints really do not need to swim in grease. There will usually be enuff in there unless you do a lot of high-speed driving. In that case, you should be using the Richardson conversion which, under normal circumstances, ends greasing altogether.

73, I was going to suggest cutting it off but you came through! Lithium base greases should not be mixed with others, the label may tell you what is in the products. Henry

Thanks, Mike and Henry. I appreciate the feedback from those with greater experience than mine. One of the great benefits of this forum. I believe I can remove the center zerk fitting without great difficulty by cutting the tip off the fitting, leaving enough clearance to unscrew the hex base. I think I can extract a small sample of the grease used, and will try mixing it with Lubriplate #8, to see if they separate, thicken, or do something else obviously undesirable.

ASm 73, The only correct fitting in your picture is the lower one. It was originally intended to only lube the lower the lower bearing as there was a plate installed above it which would not allow the grease used there to go into the U-J. The factory used an 1/8th pipe plug in the center one (on later cars) as you say to check the lube level. The upper one should have the expansion chamber with an 1/8th pipe end screwed into the king pin with a vent tube attached &amp; running down the back side of the suspension arm &amp; attached at the bottom. They didn't work great as they became plugged; but better than nothing. The lube was installed by removing the 1/8th pipe plug (should be slotted)in the outer end of the U-J &amp; installing an extended pipe &amp; zerk fitting. Mike is correct about mixing lubes, check with an expert. Taking that center zerk out will be a problem. 31631F Henry

I don't know much about 810/12 but I do know that there are many different kinds of grease and they are not all compatable with each other.
CORDially Mike

I'm starting to lube the CV joints on my 812 Beverly and have a few questions regarding the attached picture.

There are 3 zerk type grease fittings shown: The lower kingpin, the upper kingpin (barely visible), and a third in the center. I believe the middle zerk has been installed in place of the lube overflow outlet plug. Is this correct? Secondly, as I understand matters, the upper kingpin should not be lubricated via a grease fitting, but was intended to receive lube as it is slung off from the rotating CV joint. However, I read of an expansion chamber in connection with the upper kingpin as a substitute for a vent. Is this chamber internal to the kingpin, or did it screw on top of the kingpin where a zerk is presently installed? I also gather that the expansion chamber doesn't work well, and that I would be better off installing some kind of vented fitting in place of the zerk. Comments solicited. Lastly, my hubs have been packed with grease in the past. I will be using Lubriplate #8 and don't particularly want to disassemble the hubs to clean the old grease out. Should I expect any problems if I just add Lubriplate until it runs out the overflow hole?