How much grease is too much when lubricating?
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 90
Likes: 2
From: Las Vegas Nevada
How much grease is too much when lubricating?
I took out my door latch and cleaned it up with brake cleaner. I finally found some white lithium grease and am ready to lube that sucker up and was wondering, how much grease do I put on the moving parts of the latch? Do I just rub it in and wipe of any excess? Do I lather it up and leave it all gooped up? II know that the grease can attrack dust/dirt/grime over time so I'm not sure if the amount really matters but I thought I'd ask. I'm trying to write up a nice tutorial with pics and don't want to give incorrect information on lubrication, so any help with the amount of grease to use is appreciated. Thanks!
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
You need to put a 'modest' amount on every working surface and joint. The excess grease [white lithium is the correct stuff to use] is there to prevent lube at the joint surface from drying out too quickly and to provide some 'reserve' when it does. Too much will just collect dirt more quickly and cause the mechanism to get 'gooped-up' more quickly. Basically, a "smear" on sliding surfaces and a "dollop" at pivot joints should do the job. 
Good luck. 
Good luck.
