Is grease/lubrication a DIY on your rig?
If you DIY the grease points on your rig, chime in. I have a 2000 Ford E 450 and an considering DIY. How many grease points? Where? Tips on buying a grease gun and grease. All input appreciated. T...
Forum Discussion
Mike, you know me. Everything's DIY... I'm lucky to have two lever-type (trigger type would be nice, though...) American-Made grease guns. Alemite, Lincoln, one of those good old brands. One has a hose and the other a custom-bent solid line. E450 has Four grease fittings on the Steering Linkage. Our OEM Ball Joints had plugs and I put fittings in them, total of Eight. I removed most of the original fittings and installed angled ones. Some 45*, some 90*, and pointed them so I could easily get the gun with the solid connector onto them. The latest E-Series Ball Joints are literally SEALED, I mean not even a plugged hole for a fitting. NADA, Sealed. That's what I found when I installed a 2012 take-off axle.
Driveshaft doesn't have fittings OEM. If you DO have the U-Joints replaced, two points. First, some have the replacements have the fitting down in the root of the "cross" and others have it out on one of the caps. I'd pick "caps" but also understand the better joints have more small needles. Cheap ones have fewer large needles. Second, ask the shop to make sure they install the joints and shafts with all the fittings lined up. That way the driveshaft might have to turned to grease the U-Joints, but this way only once.
Driveshaft doesn't have fittings OEM. If you DO have the U-Joints replaced, two points. First, some have the replacements have the fitting down in the root of the "cross" and others have it out on one of the caps. I'd pick "caps" but also understand the better joints have more small needles. Cheap ones have fewer large needles. Second, ask the shop to make sure they install the joints and shafts with all the fittings lined up. That way the driveshaft might have to turned to grease the U-Joints, but this way only once.
