Johnny Joint grease—an experiment

[chimmike]

We aren't trying to keep water out, we are trying to keep the oil in the grease base. If the oil leaking out of my grease gun with marine grease is any indicator, it doesn't stay mixed with the base any better than non marine grease.

makes me try to think of industrial applications. What do they use on mine equipment, open pit equipment. What do they use in GA on equipment, on that red clay?
I have a few contacts I can reach out to about it and see what they use. But I came across bentone grease, or lucas X-tra heavy duty. Wonder if either of those would work.

 

[Blackjack]

I wire wheel the guck off the balls. No harm, no foul.

Yep. Wire wheel on a bench grinder makes quick work of it.

 

[Blackjack]

makes me try to think of industrial applications. What do they use on mine equipment, open pit equipment. What do they use in GA on equipment, on that red clay?
I have a few contacts I can reach out to about it and see what they use. But I came across bentone grease, or lucas X-tra heavy duty. Wonder if either of those would work.

Most machines used in the dirt use the grease it a lot ideology. Things like pivot pins etc are not sealed and rely on constant greasing to keep contaminants out.

 

[Mike_H]

makes me try to think of industrial applications. What do they use on mine equipment, open pit equipment. What do they use in GA on equipment, on that red clay?
I have a few contacts I can reach out to about it and see what they use. But I came across bentone grease, or lucas X-tra heavy duty. Wonder if either of those would work.

If Johnny joints accepted grease as easily as heavy equipment did, this wouldn't be a discussion. You'd just hit em with a grease gun after wheeling and call it good. They don't work that way though, so you can't. I'm trying to extend my service intervals.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I don't know if it's the same stuff they were using in 2001, but I used what was provided in an Energy Suspension bushing kit in my 280Z and drove it for 4 years with no squeaking. They were the cylindrical split bushings so there wasn't really a path for anything to get in or out but it at least seemed to last and should be fine from the material compatibility standpoint. I think you're on to something and as long as clay doesn't have the same affinity for silicone that it does for oil, it could work.

Since I have yet to do my UCA's I may try it on my rig instead of the red stuff that I used on the LCA's. Then I have direct comparison.

 

[chimmike]

If Johnny joints accepted grease as easily as heavy equipment did, this wouldn't be a discussion. You'd just hit em with a grease gun after wheeling and call it good. They don't work that way though, so you can't. I'm trying to extend my service intervals.

understood. I'll see what you mean soon enough, whenever my order ships and subsequently arrives.

 

[srimes]

If Johnny joints accepted grease as easily as heavy equipment did, this wouldn't be a discussion. You'd just hit em with a grease gun after wheeling and call it good. They don't work that way though, so you can't. I'm trying to extend my service intervals.

What about fitting a grease boot to effectively create a moat around the joint. The clay would have to dry out the grease in the boot before it started drying out the joint, and the boot could be easily refilled with a needle.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

What about fitting a grease boot to effectively create a moat around the joint. The clay would have to dry out the grease in the boot before it started drying out the joint, and the boot could be easily refilled with a needle.

I like the idea. Not sure you'd even need to fill it with grease, if you could keep the clay out of it. But you might want to be able to fill it to push debris out just like a TRE.

I'm picturing something like a short length of bicycle inner tube, sealed up at one end like a sock. Cut two holes opposite eachother that are sized so they'll just stretch over the flanges on the bolt sleeve and fit snugly around the minor OD of the sleeve. Then seal it up around the JJ housing threads, so the whole joint is wrapped up. I'm not sure of another way to get a boot to stick around the housing and not open up during misalignment.

 

[Mike_H]

What about fitting a grease boot to effectively create a moat around the joint. The clay would have to dry out the grease in the boot before it started drying out the joint, and the boot could be easily refilled with a needle.

You could have grease all around the joint at that point, but nothing is going into the joint. Those races are pressed together HARD. That is why the current zerk on the body doesn't work. The screw bolt zerks have a better shot, but still, there isn't a lot of room for the grease to flow inside the joint where it needs to be.

Wrapping a plastic bag around the joint would probably be just as effective.

 

[srimes]

You could have grease all around the joint at that point, but nothing is going into the joint. Those races are pressed together HARD. That is why the current zerk on the body doesn't work. The screw bolt zerks have a better shot, but still, there isn't a lot of room for the grease to flow inside the joint where it needs to be.

Wrapping a plastic bag around the joint would probably be just as effective.

The point of the boot isn't to put grease into the joint. It's to keep the grease that's in the joint from being sucked out by the clay.

 

[someguysjeep]

it's not gettin sucked out, correct?
the clays get drug in with moisture and when it dries up and leaves the debris behind. the clay absorbs the grease from the joint at that point.

this is why i grease exposed ends of the joint, moisture and mud has to get through that b4 it can stick to the ball end and be drug inside. that was my reasoning anyways.

 

[pagrey]

it's not gettin sucked out, correct?

The oil is getting sucked out, that's kinda the whole deal with this clay stuff. It sucks the oil out of the grease.

 

[someguysjeep]

The oil is getting sucked out, that's kinda the whole deal with this clay stuff. It sucks the oil out of the grease.

dries up........."sucked out" implies that if u get some on the casing it's gonna draw out the lubricant inside.
it has to get inside and then it acts like cat litter or oil dry once the moisture that snuck it in is evaporated.

 

[chimmike]

bumping this up. What about something like this? https://www.amsoil.com/p/synthetic-...QigJHzrbhIILE8XQnhkQh8Xn3J0o85nhoCMhQQAvD_BwE

 

[Tob]

bumping this up. What about something like this? https://www.amsoil.com/p/synthetic-...QigJHzrbhIILE8XQnhkQh8Xn3J0o85nhoCMhQQAvD_BwE

The stuff rockjock sells as "johnny joint grease" is Phillips 66 Megaplex XD5 NLGI #1. That's NLGI #2. They also stress the "high-moly" part too.

 

[chimmike]

The way I understand the NLGI is #2 is thicker and may be less apt to washout?
Trying to get something I can use on the johnny joints as well as steering joints and what not.

 

[Mike_H]

I personally think anything that isn't silicon based will be susceptible to drying out in clay.

I was wheeling a week and a half ago, power washed the Jeep, and went for a drive today. No squeaking. Going to continue to monitor, but I'm hopeful

 

[chimmike]

I personally think anything that isn't silicon based will be susceptible to drying out in clay.

I was wheeling a week and a half ago, power washed the Jeep, and went for a drive today. No squeaking. Going to continue to monitor, but I'm hopeful

So, something like this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081JE2PQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[Mike_H]

So, something like this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081JE2PQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I explained what I used in this thread. I can't hazard a guess if that stuff will work or not. I've not used it, so I can't say whether it will work or not.

 

[mrblaine]

I explained what I used in this thread. I can't hazard a guess if that stuff will work or not. I've not used it, so I can't say whether it will work or not.

I wonder if we can mix some hydrophobic nanoparticles in with the grease and solve it that way?