Zirk fittings

[bayoubengal]

How many zirk fittings are on a 2017 E450. So far I have only found 4. The owners manual never mentions anything about lubricating fittings. I called Fords motorhome customer service center and they couldn't find any information regarding zirks on a class C but only on a class A. So much for customer service, lol.

[samven1]

I have a Chevy 3500 chassis and there was no mention of grease points in the owners manual, but I happen to take the RV into a Walmart one day in the middle of a long trip to get the oil changed and the tech said he got all 13 grease fittings. I asked what grease fittings, he showed me a diagram that they print out when they punch in your vin for the oil, filter, lube service that showed all the zerks. Big surprise to me because I have not seen any vehicle since my 95 F150 that had lube points.

[bayoubengal]

CharlesinGA wrote:
Try googling the term

e450 lube points

and you get lots of hits, basically what you found, few to no fittings.

Charles

I agree but it just amazes me that Ford has no information regarding lubrication points on an E450 class C.

[CharlesinGA]

Try googling the term

e450 lube points

and you get lots of hits, basically what you found, few to no fittings.

Charles

[j-d]

I guess this means that Ford's definition of a MoHo is a Class A chassis and the rest of us just have "Vans." Vans that are orphans since the mainstream van is now the Euro Transit.

[bayoubengal]

j-d wrote:
Our 2012 axle has no fittings on the ball joints and there is no hole to thread them into.

The 2012 OEM Steering Linkage has fittings, a total of Four of them.

EDIT: We can claim the non-grease-able ball joints are there to wear out and generate service department revenue. Perhaps, but it's also possible more ball joint failures were traced to the bellows being burst by too much grease/grease pressure, than from lack of lubrication...

You probably have the same four as mine but isn't it strange that the owners manual doesn't mention anything about grease fittings? Even more strange is the the motorhome customer service center folks can't find any mention of zerk fittings in any of their literature. I spent 24 minutes on the phone with a technician trying to find some information regarding this subject with no results.

[j-d]

Our 2012 axle has no fittings on the ball joints and there is no hole to thread them into.

The 2012 OEM Steering Linkage has fittings, a total of Four of them.

EDIT: We can claim the non-grease-able ball joints are there to wear out and generate service department revenue. Perhaps, but it's also possible more ball joint failures were traced to the bellows being burst by too much grease/grease pressure, than from lack of lubrication...

[bayoubengal]

Cobra21 wrote:
Factory parts usually don't have zerk fittings, but often times the replacement parts do??

The motorhome is new so no replacement parts.

[Mich_F]

If I remember correctly, the few fittings they have, are supposed to be greased at 15,000 miles.

[Cobra21]

Factory parts usually don't have zerk fittings, but often times the replacement parts do??

[j-d]

There used to be grease fittings on ball joints. Then no fittings but there were plugs, and you could remove them and install fittings. Now, No Fitting, No Plug, No Way to grease the ball joints.

I think you'll find them on the steering linkage. OEM driveshafts don't have fittings either.

To Drew's point, our chassis was stretched 5-feet (158" to 218") but none of the U-Joints have fittings.

I know there aren't any fittings on the rear suspension.

So, those four are probably IT.

[DrewE]

"Zerk" isn't wrong, either, of course. The fittings were invented by one Oscar U. Zerk and patented in 1929.

There are not many (if any) fittings on the current Ford E series chassis. There at least used to be some on the steering fittings, and sometimes (on older ones) removable plugs on the ball joints where a zerk could be installed. The universal joints may also have zerks (the Ford ones generally don't, I believe, but stretching the chassis results in one or more other universal joints being installed).

[darsben1]

Not directly related to your story but I went to AutoZone and O'Reilly auto parts asking for ZERK fittings.
Neither young expert knew what they were. O'Reillys had them and I found them on the shelf. Expert said they were just grease fittings. Technically he was right

[ScottG]

I would just check all the usual places, tie rods, u joints, ball joints, basically anything that moves under the rig, and look for them.