• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Filling a grease gun

Ken G

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
I suppose this is a tool question. I'm sorry it's so trivial.

For my 1925 Rover 16/50 I had to obtain an adapter for the 19/32 inch hexagonal grease nipples. Of course, it had a British pipe thread, so I dug out my old British hand grease gun, and the adapter fits perfectly.

However, I don't know how to fill the gun from a can of grease. I must have done so 30-odd years ago, but I cannot remember how. I unscrewed the body of the gun and pulled back the spring-loaded piston with the open end in the grease, hoping to suck it in, but that doesn't work. I tried filling it using a teaspoon and my thumb, but that puts in more air than grease, and it simply won't pump properly. As far as I can see, modern American guns take cartridges of grease, so the problem doesn't arise. I don't think the available cartridges will fit my gun. In any case, cartridges are a new invention (no more than 50 years old), so there must be guns around that need filling.

Clearly I am missing something, but what? I suppose I might try a bag and nozzle designed for frosting cakes. Help!

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50
 

Charles #677556

Senior Member
Offline
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ken G:
I suppose this is a tool question. I'm sorry it's so trivial.

For my 1925 Rover 16/50 I had to obtain an adapter for the 19/32 inch hexagonal grease nipples. Of course, it had a British pipe thread, so I dug out my old British hand grease gun, and the adapter fits perfectly.

However, I don't know how to fill the gun from a can of grease. I must have done so 30-odd years ago, but I cannot remember how. I unscrewed the body of the gun and pulled back the spring-loaded piston with the open end in the grease, hoping to suck it in, but that doesn't work. I tried filling it using a teaspoon and my thumb, but that puts in more air than grease, and it simply won't pump properly. As far as I can see, modern American guns take cartridges of grease, so the problem doesn't arise. I don't think the available cartridges will fit my gun. In any case, cartridges are a new invention (no more than 50 years old), so there must be guns around that need filling.

Clearly I am missing something, but what? I suppose I might try a bag and nozzle designed for frosting cakes. Help!

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50
<hr></blockquote>

Ken G;
Not being familiar with the '25 Rover grease gun, I am familiar with the "old style" non-cartridge type of grease gun.
Providing the "pumping action" works properly, you are on the right track with the "teaspoon and thumb" method.. better yet, just get a handfull of grease and, using the gun as a "scoop", shovel it into the hole.
The "trick" to getting the air out is to use a dowel rod to "poke the grease".. this way you are (sorta) "packing" the grease into the gun and "puncturing" the air bubbles to allow more grease into the tube.
It's a messy process to say the least. Have lotsa paper towels or rags around as you will end up wearing a fair amount of grease.. And always check the bottom of your shoes before going into the house.. I don't know how the grease gets there, but it always shows up on the living room carpet :-(
An option is to use a "modern" cartridge grease gun with either a flexible hose or a rigid extension, insert into the Rover's tube and fill the grease gun. This will help reduce the air bubbles as the "string" of grease can be "coiled" as it fills... you will still need to poke it with a dowel, tho.
Once filled, you are going to have to "pump" like crazy to get the thing "primed"..
I have found that putting "pressure" on the spring-loaded plunger while you initially pump/prime the gun seems to help void the air that's between the top of the grease and the pumping mechanism a bit quicker.
Once it starts pushing out grease, you are set until it's time to refill it..
Hopefully this will help. Best of Luck.
 
OP
K

Ken G

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Charles,

Thanks for the advice and guidance. It's not an original Rover grease gun, merely one from the 1960s (used with my 1968 Mini), and when it isn't trying to pump air it works well. (On the other hand, I have an original oil can with a thumb-operated pump; I haven't yet filled it to see whether it still works). I hadn't thought of poking the grease to release bubbles, but that makes sense. I think your idea of using a modern gun with a cartridge to fill mine is even better. On the subject of where the grease goes, a few weeks ago I spent a day or two under the car, removing bolts holding on the oil pan, and a day or two later noticed that I had grease on my pillow-case!

Regards,

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50
 

piman

Darth Vader
Offline
Hello Ken,
I still fill my own grease gun, which is a lever action type, is yours a straight pump action?
On my gun, to fill, I unscrew the reservoir from the operating end and place the open end into the grease can and pull on the chain to suck the grease in, with very little air. But, the tins I use are designed to fill guns and have an internal metal disc with a hole in the centre.
The reservoir tube rests on this disc, which is the same diameter as the can, and the grease flows through the centre of the disc into the reservoir, and as I pull on the chain which pulls the piston in the reservoir the grease flows in and the tube/disc sinks into the grease can.
Very simple but extremely hard to describe in a few words.
Alec
cheers.gif
 

Charles #677556

Senior Member
Offline
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ken G:
<Snipped>
On the subject of where the grease goes, a few weeks ago I spent a day or two under the car, removing bolts holding on the oil pan, and a day or two later noticed that I had grease on my pillow-case!
<Snipped>
<hr></blockquote>

Ken G;
To also relate a "story".. When I was in high school in the early to mid-'60's, I rode a "Full Dress Harley" (not a common sight back then)..
One day, I had been "doing maintainance" to my "Hawg", usual stuff of adjusting the valves, cleaning and regapping the plugs, resetting the points, etc.
My cousin rode his Harly over to the house just as I was finishing.. we adjourned to my room and had no sooner started plotting our evenings "adventure" when I heard a blood-curdling scream.. a single word.. "Grease".. carried at full volumn for a full ten seconds.. It was my Mom, not only was there a grease spot on the carpet, but a series on them leading straight to my room!! Busted!!
In later years, My loving wife didn't mind me adjusting the valves on my XK120 Jag's head on the living room coffee table... But she didn't "enjoy" me rebuilding my racing motorcycle in the living room during the winter, at all..
 

Steve

Moderator
Staff member
Platinum
Country flag
Offline
lol.gif
There is a true gearhead! If I wore a hat I'd take it off to you right now. It's logical, to bring the machine inside where you can work on it in warmth and comfort, but my wife would not see it that way. What kind of racing motorcycle did you have? Do you still have it?
 

Charles #677556

Senior Member
Offline
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Steve:
lol.gif
There is a true gearhead! If I wore a hat I'd take it off to you right now. It's logical, to bring the machine inside where you can work on it in warmth and comfort, but my wife would not see it that way. What kind of racing motorcycle did you have? Do you still have it?
<hr></blockquote>

Steve;
I raced motorcycle for ten years, three professionally. At one time, I had a dozen motorcycles.. three were Harley's.. one was a 74 cu in "Full Dress" Pan-Head, one was a 74 cu in "Scrambles" bike and the third was a "Chopper", a 1939 "EL", which was the 61 ci in "Knuckle-head" V-Twin.. After I "worked it over" it had 110 cu in and could pull an 18" wheelie! It "idled" at 70 MPH!
Yes, I still have three of my bikes.. the '70 Honda 50 Mini-Trail (pit-bike), a '72 Kawasaki single cylinder 350cc F-9 engined GP RoadRacer, topped out at 165MPH and a '71 Bultaco 250cc Flat-Tracker (goes straight and turns left.. by rule, no brakes were allowed to be fitted to Flat-Trackers!).. this was the bike I was racing when I broke my neck (crushed C-4 & fractured C-5).. I also quit racing that same day ;-}
 
OP
K

Ken G

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
On the road, but the hotel has free internet access from my room, and I couldn't resist!

From Piman's response:

"But, the tins I use are designed to fill guns and have an internal metal disc with a hole in the centre. The reservoir tube rests on this disc, which is the same diameter as the can, and the grease flows through the centre of the disc into the reservoir, and as I pull on the chain which pulls the piston in the reservoir the grease flows in and the tube/disc sinks into the grease can."

Thank you. Now I remember how it worked (it was 30-odd years ago). I wonder if I can improvise a disk to fit in the American cans of grease. If not, I'll have to get a can (yet another) with the gizmo while I'm in England in September.

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50
 
G

Guest

Guest
Guest
Offline
A trick that I use to get the pump primed is to swing the thing around in circles as hard and fast as you can and let angular momentum force the grease to the biz end of the gun.
Watch for spots on the walls.
 

Dale

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
They're here to help you, and boy do you need it!
You had me going for a minute though. !o)
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
D Filling Holes Austin Healey 21
steveg TR6 Cooling system filling Triumph 7
S Filling Steering Gearbox with Castrol Hypoy Process Austin Healey 10
maxwedge5281 sxplash or overflow when filling healey gas tank Austin Healey 6
T Filling an Armstrong Lever Arm Shock Spridgets 0
T Filling for an Armstrong shock Spridgets 1
Gearhead_Garage Fuel backup while filling Austin Healey 24
D Location of gearbox/transmission filling area Spridgets 12
N Filling holes??? Spridgets 16
H TR6 Filling up the TR6, overflow? Triumph 6
T filling/flushing steering rack Spridgets 7
T Revised fuel tank filling strategy - re ethonal Triumph 5
TRMark TR4/4A Shorten the radiator filling neck on a TR4? Triumph 7
T over-filling the gas tank Austin Healey 30
R Filling overdrive oil on BJ-7 Austin Healey 5
BOBBYR Filling my O/D transmission Austin Healey 8
CCURTISS TR2/3/3A Filling TR3 Steering Box Triumph 10
B Filling SU Dampers? Spridgets 20
A Filling Coolant Spridgets 6
G Checking & filling shock absorber fluid Spridgets 9
Johnny Filling differential Austin Healey 4
DerekJ Gearbox oil level and over-filling Austin Healey 11
L Filling shocks MG 16
T Filling rear Bugeye shocks - any tips? Spridgets 7
G Filling a completely dry cooling system.... Triumph 13
M Filling up with Gas MG 11
R question on filling rear shock....[armstrong] MG 3
Obtong Filling Steering Rack/Boots MG 6
L Red Rubber Brake Grease Austin Healey 2
J MGB Front Wheel Bearings. Re-grease or replace? MG 19
drooartz What am I seeing - oil/grease on wheel Spridgets 20
Hangtown Healey King Pin Bushings Grease Groove Austin Healey 8
K TR2/3/3A Girling red grease that used to come with brake cylinder rebuild kits? Triumph 7
K TR2/3/3A The grease gun brake caliper piston removal trick..... Triumph 6
S TR2/3/3A Putting dish soap in the radiator to remove grease Triumph 10
M TR2/3/3A Rear Axle Bearing Grease Triumph 5
Got_All_4 TR6 drill and tap for a grease fitting tr6 rear hub assembly Triumph 4
T TR2/3/3A Steering box oils - grease ? Triumph 20
Jayplum TR2/3/3A Grease cap Triumph 25
K For Sale Original Grease gun and jack....complete your TR3 collection. Triumph Classifieds 0
AUSMHLY Grease type for zerk fittings Austin Healey 7
warwick-steve Missing grease cap in front hub Austin Healey 8
warwick-steve Front hub bearing grease repacking Austin Healey 28
S Grease Gun Recommendation? Spridgets 7
steveg Recycling grease question Austin Healey 11
R grease for windshield wiper motor- BJ7 Austin Healey 4
D TR2/3/3A grease nipple/zerk Triumph 6
C TR2/3/3A Grease Zerks Triumph 7
S TR4/4A how ro grease steering box? Triumph 4
C General Tech Grease and Grease Gun recommendations Triumph 12

Similar threads

Top