Greasing M38a1 Shackles

Is there a trick to getting grease into the M38a1 style spring shackles? I'm not having much luck getting mine to take any. I've tried lifting on the frame with a floor jack to take the weight off the shackle and that isn't any help. The grease just comes out between the nipple and the gun. One of the shackles on the vehicle took a little but the other three I got nothing

 

Unscrew the nipples, replace with new ones. Cheap part, buy a few dozen.

While it's out, ream out the grease passage in the shackle, if needed.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...at=0&_odkw=assorted+grease+fittings&_osacat=0

 

Not just the jeep shackles but I have had pivot points on equipment that would not take grease from being neglected too long and all dried out. As Pete said removing the fitting zerk and cleaning out the dried grease and dirt will often help. Also I had good luck taking an empty grease cartridge in a grease gun and fill with some hydraulic oil. Often times it will flush out the dried grease and dirt and loosen up the joint, then grease.

 

Grease fittings are cheap when you only have a dozen or so to worry about. On the farm I had the little piston you fill with oil and hammer on, typically made a mess. Then I got a pneumatic grease gun with a good coupler.
Biggest thing is to clean the nipple before you latch on or it'll get dirt and rust in where you want grease.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll get some new nipples and see what needs cleaning

 

If you're like me and obsessed with saving everything, but are also afraid of damaging the grease fitting trying to remove it to clean it more thoroughly, there's a tool for that.

I bought it to free up the original grease fittings on my trailer and the winch on my truck. Fill it with grease, get it in over the fitting and hit it with a hammer. Worked great for me so far.


It's performance tool part number W54209

 

Just don't try heat...

A veteran mechanic told me how he once put a torch to one. The check-ball shot him, through his arm.

 

Ouch

That tool looks like a good option. I'll give that a try.

 

the grease hammer tools work pretty well if you use them with a lighter weight oil. then flood them with new grease.

 

Like engine oil?

 

I used pb blaster. 5w20 or atf would be my 2nd choice.

 

Never seen one before.
Given all the clogged grease fittings I've fought with over the years, that tool would have been a Godsend.
Well, off to Amazon to spend more money.

 

The first time I saw it at FLAPS my life was changed.

I've tried all sorts of little tricks that were more work and far less effective.

 

Sometimes greaseable joints will clog up at the best you can do. But on the other side of the coin a well and often greased joint rarely has any trouble taking grease. they just don't dry out if one keeps them greased often enough. I often grease the pivot points on my skidsteer every day in normal use. (Every 8 hours of operation). If any of the joints are operating in water or mud I will grease them twice a day. The dump/ bucket roll pivots move 3 times as much as the other joints, so those joints get greased with more grease and more often too.

 

I would try something thinner than engine oil, even something like WD40 or 3-in-1, just something thin to slam into the joint to get things flowing to clear it out. Doesn't really matter what it is. Engine oil might work, but if it doesn't, try something thinner. all you're trying to do is to dislodge all the old grease and crap that is in there, so i generally start with thin oil to move things along if a grease joint seems to be seized. the once it's clear, fill it with regular grease and try to keep it filled regularly

 

Or you can disassemble and clean the offending part.
I've seen various linkages and such wear out/rotated/mis-installed where the grease holes become covered/blocked, sometimes over time. If you can't get the fitting to take grease, the final step is to buck up and pull it apart.