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TR6 Oil in a grease gun for TR6 lower steering swivel?

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Bruce100

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I am reading through the Maintenance section of the Repair Operation Manual for my TR6. It states in 10.00.16 (42) "Using a grease gun, CHARGED WITH A RECOMMENDED OIL, lubricate the lower stearing swivel, via the grease nipple, until oil excudes from the bearing."

Forgive my ignorance, but how does one use oil in a grease gun? I asked the NAPA parts guy locally, he hadn't heard of this either. Advice?
 
I got a special made trunion oiler from spitbits which worked great for oiling my new trunions. Silly me forgot to fill the trunions half full of gear oil before assembling, but the tool made it not a problem, it's based on the same design as above, a zerk fitting end on an oiler.
 
Mercury Marine also sells a gun, designed to work with their oils that come in a tube.
 

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IMO the can I got from HF was just too flimsy even after modifying the lever as Justin suggested. The Mercury Marine gun is much sturdier, but it tends to leak unless stored with the tube hanging down.
 
Way back when I rebuilt the front end, I oiled the new trunnions with 90W using the Mercury marine gun. Next morning all the oil was on the shop floor. It may drip out of the welch plugs on the bottoms of the trunnions. I don't know a cure for this other than trying different trunnions.
 
As a DIY method, you can buy the mini grease guns that use the small (preferably plastic) cartridges. Empty one of the cartridges of grease. You should find the "piston" on the gun has a rubber cup plunger that can be flipped inside out so the skirt is pointed "up". Set it up with that skirt inside the empty plastic tube, fill the tube with some of your oil and assemble as normal.
 
TR4eh said:
Way back when I rebuilt the front end, I oiled the new trunnions with 90W using the Mercury marine gun. Next morning all the oil was on the shop floor. It may drip out of the welch plugs on the bottoms of the trunnions.
Click to expand...
That sounds like the TR4 trunnions, which are supposed to be greased. The TR6 trunnions are one piece on the bottom, no plug to leak.
 
Ok, decided to make my own. Figured I'd better go look at the location on the car. I cannot find it! Nothing looks like the diagram in the Repair Operation Manual. lowersteeringoil.jpg

Hints please? thx!
 
So, are you saying you can't find the vertical link? Or just that there isn't a plug in that location?
 
Well, the plug might be the same; but the Moss page is showing the plug in the steering rack, not the one in the vertical link. You are (I think), looking for item 85 on this page: https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=32797

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of that area on a TR6 (or even really on a TR3). I was hoping someone else might have one. But maybe this might help (click to zoom in)

The pink circle shows where you should be looking, but you will be looking around on the back side of that piece (which is the vertical link). Obviously that photo was taken with the wheel, hub and dust shield removed; plus the suspension partly dismantled. And it is a TR3 so many of the details will be different (eg you should have a bolt head where you can see the splined stud sticking out near the bottom on my TR3).

So get the car up on jack stands (or a rack), and turn the steering all the way to the side you are trying to lube. Then look at that area right under where the steering arm meets the vertical link. You may find a plug as the manual states, or the last person to service it might have left the zerk in place (as Moss shows).
 
Here is the fitting on my TR4A, this is the passenger side link, taken from the front of the car. Mine have always had zerk fittings on them, certainly a PO could have replaced the plug. You can see the fitting just above the seal between the trunnion and the vertical link.
 

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