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Zert for grease

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I am taking the front rims off my 62 Tr3a and I don't really know where all the zerts are to grease them. Does anyone have a diagram or can tell me. When I get the oil changed they always tell my father "I did the zerts" but they only do 3 or 4 for the whole car. I know there are more and my father (the original owner whose 75 now) says there are around 20-30. Anybody could help let me know where they are?
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"Zerk" actually. Probably your best bet is to get hold of an owner's manual or workshop manual, either of which should show the locations and specify how often and with what to lube them. Assuming this is a fairly original and unrestored car, you might consider power-washing or even steam-cleaning the underside, after which you'll probably be able to see all the fittings much better. (And that's good, since you'll now want to get fresh lube in there ASAP!)
 
Aloha,

Of the top of my head, I recall five zerks on the steering (four on the tie rod ends, one on the idler arm), four on the front suspension (one on each upper ball joint and one on each of the lower trunnions), three on the drive shaft (one on each u-joint and one on the front sliding shaft). That accounts for twelve.

Additionally, the water pump may have a zerk (most newer replacement pumps do not have the zerk or have non working one for appearances) and the clutch operating cross shaft may have zerks on either end.

The cross shaft zerks would be for an earlier gearbox and over time the were no longer use by the factory as it was apparently determined the shaft did not need greasing. A few years ago I noticed that the clutch was slipping in a recently acquired TR3. The reason was that some one had previously aggressively applied grease to these zerks routinely. It eventually built up enough grease in the bell housing to ruin the clutch.

I may have missed one or two, so I second Andy's advice that you get a manual.
 
Thank you all for the help. My father and I found the five zerts on the idle arm and the front wheels. Unfortunately a lot of grease is outside meaning it didn't go in the zerts. We will have to replace them. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif
 
Hmm, not enough. Should be a total of 13 zerks just on the front suspension, 4 on the outer A-arms, 2 on the trunnions, 2 on the upper ball joints, 4 on tie rod ends, and one on the idler arm.

Note that there are lots more points that should be lubricated : few drops of oil on the lower inner suspension pivots, top off the steering box, drop of oil under the ignition rotor, drop of oil in the generator rear bearing, repack the wheel bearings, oil the brake and clutch pivots, oil the rear springs, door hinges, top up rear shocks, just to name a few.

Personally, I like the grease zerks on the clutch shaft; the shafts without zerks wear out much faster. The later cars without the zerks also had different bushings with more surface area. I added the zerks when I converted my TR3A to a TR6 gearbox.

Also not mentioned (yet) are 3 zerks on the handbrake, and 2 on the rear wheel bearings.

Of course in all cases you have to be judicious about how much grease/oil you put in. Too much is almost as bad as none at all.

BTW, the workshop manual doesn't cover all of this. I suggest you find a copy of "Practical Hints for the Maintenance of the Triumph T.R.3", preferably 6th edition or later, which is the factory "owner's manual" for your car.

Also BTW, there were no TR3As built in 1962. Either the date has been changed, or your car is really a TR3B.
 
TR3driver said:
Also BTW, there were no TR3As built in 1962. Either the date has been changed, or your car is really a TR3B.
Click to expand...
True, Randall, but sales had slowed way down for the 3A in '61, so likely this is one of the typically "retitled" leftover cars.

What is the commission number?
 
And don't forget the zerks on the U-jints at each end of the driveshaft -- likely neglected by a shop.

These can be hard to get at, may need (or may have) a long zerk installed to give easier access, even then they may not be accessible excect in one shaft position. I do the front one thru the plugged hole in the gearbox cover and the rear of couse from underneath the car.
 
The most important fittings to get grease into are at the trunnion. The journals are very small and the grease goes away fairly quickly. The manual suggests to grease these every 2000 miles.
If the car sat for an extended period of time, it would probably be in your best interest to disassemble the suspension and clean these passageways. The grease can dry and make it impossible to lube.
I had a vertical link break years ago on the interstate while doing 65 mph and went three wheeling into the medial. Not something I would wish on anyone.
 
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