HOW TO GREASE A SWAY BAR
HOW TO GREASE A SWAY BAR
Dear Sarge,
Re: Your answer in the March column about greasing the sway bar’s rubber bushings. Is there an easier way to grease them? I connect the grease gun to the Zerk fitting, and I think it is on straight, but all I get is a blob of grease that drops on the ground. I actually have to remove the rear wheels on my RZR to see what I am doing to get grease into that hidden Zerk.
Brian Wilson
Longview, Louisiana
Private Beach Boy, I stated it could be done, not that it was easy. Assuming you have opposable thumbs, use one and your first finger to hold the grease coupler straight on the Zerk while with the other, squeeze the grease gun’s trigger. But, assuming you can’t master that complicated maneuver, Boot, then I suggest you requisition a LockNLube locking grease coupler that will positively lock the grease gun’s hose onto the Zerk fitting. See here: https://locknlube.com/pages/pick-your-
grease-coupler? Another alternative, Boot, would be to relocate your sway bar grease point to a more convenient location with a remote grease fitting kit. Conveniently, LockNLube makes custom relocation kits to fit most any Zooter. Just choose what length grease hose you need and then the fittings to relocate the Zerk to a more convenient point that you can access with your non-opposable thumbs, Boot! See here: https://locknlube.com/products/
grease-fitting-relocation-kit? If you go that route, Boot, remember to pre-fill the hose with grease. Using your opposable thumbs, Boot, I want to see 25 pushups—now! Dismissed!
See UTV Action’s full test on the RZR Turbo R 4 Ultimate here: 2022 POLARIS RZR TURBO R 4 ULTIMATE – UTV Action Magazine
WHEEL BEARINGS FULL OF RUST
Dear Sarge,
I own a 2006 Yamaha Rhino 660 with 28-inch tires, and the wheel bearings seem to need replacing every year. The front end starts getting loose, and when I pull a front wheel, the bearings practically fall apart! I have tried eBay bearings and factory Yamaha bearings with no discernible difference in life. Sarge, I don’t understand how the water can be getting into the supposed sealed bearings. I am hoping you can shed some light on my problem.
Jeffery Davis
Chatsworth, Georgia
Boot, you have no idea what quality of bearings you get when purchasing on eBay! They could be just fine or a Chinese knockoff with zero grease inside. Now, when you say you have used factory bearings with the same result, that makes Sarge think your problem is not the wheel bearings! I think your problem is actually worn-out seals on the rear of the steering knuckle. Or, the knuckle is worn out, causing movement that allows water to enter the outer seal and then the bearing. Check the knuckle for play and replace as needed. When installing the new set of seals, make sure they are seated in squarely and there are no gouges or scrapes on the steel that would channel water past the seal. Before installing the new bearings, add extra marine waterproof grease to the bearings. Finally, never use a pressure washer in the area of the knuckle. You don’t want to be forcing high-pressure water past the seals into the new bearings. A garden hose with a spray nozzle is sufficient to clean the area without doing any damage. Since you are versed in front ends, Boot, report to the motor pool; the remaining Humvees need their geared hub spindle nuts re-torqued with new tab washers! Dismissed!
IS GREASE, GREASE?
Dear Sarge,
Recently, at the Tug Hill SNIRT Run, there was quite a discussion about greases at one of the stops. I maintain that any grease is better than no grease. Others say that only synthetic lithium-based marine grease should be used due to the synthetic poly bushings used in modern UTVs. I would think any grease in a dry bushing is better than no grease in a dry bushing because you don’t have the “correct” grease!
Phil Weber
Syracuse, New York
Private Grill Master, in the short term you are correct—more damage will be done to a dry bushing if it is not lubricated. However, in the long term, when that conventional petroleum-based grease starts attacking the synthetic bushings and dissolving them, and you have to requisition new ones, you would wish you had listened to the people that actually knew what they were talking about! Everyone has their favorite grease. But, Boot, unless they have done side-by-side testing of every major brand of grease, it is all hearsay! Brand is not really important, color is not important, nor is advertising hype. You want waterproof, synthetic, lithium hydroxide-based moly-fortified grease. Period, end of story! However, some of you boots will still continue to argue that their grease is still the best, so I will go a little deeper with my explanation of grease. There are three parts to grease: oil, thickener and additives. Lubricating grease typically contains about 50–95-percent base oil, 3–45-percent thickener and 2–8-percent additives. A synthetic base oil will provide better stability over a petroleum-based oil. The thickener is a material that will produce the solid to semi-fluid structure of grease. Additives such as molybdenum disulfide (moly) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are used to reduce friction and wear. Other additives can be used as oxidation and rust inhibitors. Grease holds these solid lubricants in suspension, unlike oil where they would drop out of suspension. Dismissed!
You can write to Sarge at Troubleshooter, ATV Action, P.O. Box 957, Valencia, CA 91380-9057 or via e-mail: [email protected]. When sending e-mail, you must include full name, city and state. Also, be sure to put “SARGE!” in the subject line.
Comments are closed.