Ball Joints and Grease
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 675
Likes: 195
From: Green Oak Township, Michigan
Ball Joints and Grease
Does anyone on the Forum grease their upper and lower ball joints?.. I have this needle adapter for my grease gun and I use it on my Silverado. I dont put that many miles on the vette each year, but I would think that a one time greasing would prevent any problems in the future. Am I overthinking this??
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Hudson WI
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 13,592
Likes: 187
From: Hudson WI
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Does anyone on the Forum grease their upper and lower ball joints?.. I have this needle adapter for my grease gun and I use it on my Silverado. I dont put that many miles on the vette each year, but I would think that a one time greasing would prevent any problems in the future. Am I overthinking this??
Last edited by timd38; Dec 9, 2019 at 04:51 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 675
Likes: 195
From: Green Oak Township, Michigan
Yes. You can buy the needle adapter at an auto parts store. It comes with a zerk fitting mounted right on the needle. Just plugs into your grease gun. It has an angle razor end on it, so it goes in very easily. The hole closes right up.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 22,581
Likes: 1,696
From: South Carolina
No the hole doesn't magically close up. There is also no reason to believe they need additional grease.
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 675
Likes: 195
From: Green Oak Township, Michigan
Well mine did. I cant even see where i put the needle in. And like I said above, Cant hurt....Might help. Its just a little project to keep me busy on a cold winters day.....
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 22,581
Likes: 1,696
From: South Carolina
Puncture the boot...**** gets in mixes with grease wears ball joint out before its time. Can hurt. Or boot hole gets bigger, joint gets dry, wears out. can hurt...or not.
Two winters from now install new ball joints.
hopefully not. 
Last edited by hawkgfr; Dec 12, 2019 at 12:14 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,023
Likes: 174
From: Auburn Al
So a ball joint has two parts A BALL and A CUP that fit very tightly to gther, stabbing a needle thru the boot a putting graese in, How do you think the grease would get between the ball and the cup? osmoses?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 675
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From: Green Oak Township, Michigan
How does the grease get out of the cup to the lower part of the ball normally? When you grease the zerk, how does the grease get to the boot and expand it.?
I think that its a good idea to have some grease at the bottom to ..Wick... its way up and around as the suspension travels up and down. Just my opinion. Like I said...cant hurt.....might help.
As for osmosis..... thats under my kitchen sink...
I think that its a good idea to have some grease at the bottom to ..Wick... its way up and around as the suspension travels up and down. Just my opinion. Like I said...cant hurt.....might help.
As for osmosis..... thats under my kitchen sink...
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 38
Likes: 11
From: Fort Pierce, Florida
I know the fitting you are using. In my opinion, that small a hole in rubber is very unlikely to let much if any water in. In fact I suspect its more likely to let a tiny insignificant amount of grease OUT over time from the joint flexing. Especially if the water is under zero pressure and just simply splashes on the boot. Either way, I dont see it being a problem personally.That being said if mine needed grease my preference would be to just replace the non greasable ones with zerk fitted ones and grease them regularly after that.
Last edited by PrecisionVette; Dec 17, 2019 at 12:53 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8,049
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From: Charlotte NC
St. Jude Donor '14-'15
Wow! you guys will argue over anything won't you. Just go ahead and poke holes in your rubber boot and while you're at it get the tie rod ends also.
Last edited by ls1121; Dec 24, 2019 at 06:20 AM.
Race Director
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From: Central MO
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 675
Likes: 195
From: Green Oak Township, Michigan
