• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Lubricating the front suspension

Share this page

LexTR3 said:
Ha, ha. Yes, indeed, lying on my back with a light in my mouth> Been there; done that!
Click to expand...
FWIW, Wally-mart et al sell an LED "head light" in the camping section that works a lot better for me than the old flashlight in the mouth routine. I've tried several of them, and my favorite so far is the Energizer model HDL33A2E.
https://www.amazon.com/Energizer-LED-Headlight-Bright-Lights/dp/B000BQOVLW

Running it on just the two "flood" white LEDs works well for under the car (or dash), IMO.
 
Randall,

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Your photos are a huge help in finding and identifying the grease nipples.

One of the problems I am discovering is that each manual -- including the Moss catalog -- uses slightly different terminology for these suspension elements. Your key, above (the akas) are a great help.

Practical Hints suggest three or four strokes of grease every 1000 miles; Haynes suggests the same every 1,500 (where I am today with my car); and others suggest as much as 4000 to 5000 miles. I think I will go with a couple of pumps every 1,500 miles. If I don't overdo it, it couldn't hurt.

I think all this may be starting to come together for me, thanks to you and others. We'll see tomorrow and Friday when I attempt the job.

Again, many thanks.
 
LexTR3 said:
If I don't overdo it, it couldn't hurt.
Click to expand...
:iagree:

In fact, even overdoing it won't hurt, as long as you wipe away the excess afterwards. Just wastes a little grease, that's all.
 
Sounds good to me.

One more thought. In all these messsages, I have been writing about lubricating the front suspension and steering. Practical Hints calls for lubrication every 1000 miles. Someone has suggested that the Practical Hints schedule was based on the quality of 1950s lubricants (grease). Haynes, a more recent source, recommends 1500 mile servicing. Friends and bloggers say that I could extend it to 4000 to 5000 miles.

I'm inclined to go with 2000 miles. This lands about in the middle of the various recommendations. Moreover, my insurance limits me to 4000 miles in a year ("exhibition car" rate). The 2000 miles would come in the middle of the driving season. I would do that one. At 4000 miles, I would have a trained mechanic do the servicing, tune-up, winter work, etc.

How does that sound? (Perhaps a bit much servicing, but this car has lasted 50 years and I want it to last another 50 years for my daughter and grandchildren). Besides, it just "feels good" to know that everything is freshly lubricated.
 
LexTR3 said:
One more thought. In all these messsages, I have been writing about lubricating the front suspension and steering. Practical Hints calls for lubrication every 1000 miles. Someone has suggested that the Practical Hints schedule was based on the quality of 1950s lubricants (grease). Haynes, a more recent source, recommends 1500 mile servicing. Friends and bloggers say that I could extend it to 4000 to 5000 miles....
Click to expand...

Ed! Relax! It's not the Space Shuttle, it's a funky old British car!

Get in and drive it and don't worry about this kind of stuff. There will be plenty of other things to satisfy your need to work on it.

I can't remember the last time I greased the front suspension.
 
Dr. Herrera,

Ha, ha! Good advice. I'll try to follow it, but after waiting 50 years to own one of these, I feel compelled to keep it fit and healthy.


PS: I guess my garage is a "shed," in the sense you cited. There I "dawdle with tools and toys."
 
Back
Top