The lincoln I have has never lost the prime and I've run multiple tubes thru it. Of course, once it's running out, and blowing some air, I add another tube; I don't keep pumping it to **** air for 2 minutes because I'm too lazy to change it and want to leave that for the next guy- since I am the "next guy".
Grease guns
- Thread starter jkesselr
- Start date
Now the question is what grease to use… I am rebuilding a front end on a Tahoe with moog parts and they use something that looks like a translucent blue version of red n tacky. It isn’t the typical milky blue look of marine grade grease. More of a bright royal blue color. I called moog and they can’t tell me what it is specifically. Sooooo, any recommendations on brand/kind of grease for the job? Obviously a GC-LB NLGI#2 is what they recommend, but what’s the best, easy to get, grease out there?
CGarage
Well-known member
My guess is that is a Valvoline Cerulean product if it is blue.
For Chassis grease meeting / exceeding GC-LB specs, the TRC Paragon 3000 is the best you can get.
Amsoil makes a grease called GLC that is also excellent and amongst the best for this application.
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CGarage
Well-known member
You want one of these two:
(Amsoil shows this is currently out of stock. Excellent product. Appropriate for light and light-heavy class GVWR trucks up to Class 3 / 14,000 Pounds GVWR).
locknlube.com
(Note: This one is without Moly)
(Amsoil shows this is currently out of stock. Excellent product. Appropriate for light and light-heavy class GVWR trucks up to Class 3 / 14,000 Pounds GVWR).
Paragon 3000 Lithium Grease
Multi-purpose, high-quality lithium grease (NLGI #2) offers extreme anti-wear protection under heavy loads, shock conditions, and normal loads. Passes a full 100 lb. Timken test. Best choice for high heat applications. High-quality lithium grease (NLGI #2) Extreme anti-wear protection under...
locknlube.com
CGarage
Well-known member
I actually found out about the Umeta grease guns from Griot’s Garage circa 1998 or so. Called Griot’s and they had stopped carrying them, but were kind enough to point me in the right direction.
CGarage
Well-known member
The Abnox Swiss guns are smaller and more handy for access in tight areas and I like them for that. They look and feel beautiful. But they want rude bucks for them nowadays.
The Umeta Germany guns are proverbial teutonic tanks. I am sure my Snap-On or Lincoln does the same job, but the Umeta is built stout with more heft.
The Umeta Germany guns are proverbial teutonic tanks. I am sure my Snap-On or Lincoln does the same job, but the Umeta is built stout with more heft.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Completely agree. I began greasing items on the farm when I was only about 12 years old and used whatever the cheapest grease my dad bought. Most of my professional life has been in the Industrial Maintenance field and I began that career in 1988 as a PM mechanic. Let's just say I learned a lot of about grease, lubrication in general and found it interesting watching patterns emerge. Those first few years of my career I became all too familiar with grease and grease guns.
Years later I'm even more **** about usage, intervals and processes even in my home shop.
I've seen parts manufacturers use a variety of various "colored" greases over the years, but I have come to the conclusion that it has more to do with the bottom line. I have come to my own consensus on use however.
This is what I personally use:
My main EP2 grease of choice is Phillips Multi-plex (#220) grease which is red on color and lithium based. I use that for general purpose greasing of things like U-joints and general bearing grease. My 5-gallon pail of grease that I have my Alemite bearing packer attached to is also Phillips Multi-plex. That is what I used for old style tapered front wheel bearings as well as all trailer bearings that come through my shop.
For ball joints, tie rods and other high load carrying joints or extreme pressure loads, I prefer a grease with moly (molybdenum). Ford calls out in their FSM to use a moly-fortified grease for things like ball joints, tie rods, etc. and I feel that is a good call having more surface area and joint contact. For ball joints, tie rods, ect. I use Valvoline's Synthetic Moly-Fortified grease which is also lithium based. I do not use this in bearings or U-joints however.
Those are probably the two most used greases in my shop followed by a new one I started using about 5 years or so ago, Paragon 3000 made by Texas Refinery. Although I've only been using it for a relatively short amount of time I have found it to be a very good grease with excellent extreme pressure characteristics. I use the NLGI #2 in this also which is blue in color and has a bit of a stringy nature, much like Lucas' Red & Tacky.
I have one gun loaded with Lucas Red & Tacky as I have used that in motorcycle steering necks for many years with great success.
I have another gun loaded with RCV's moly-fortified grease. This gets used in all of the RCV joints that come through my shop as it is what they recommend and although I feel it is very similar to spec to the Valvoline Moly-Fortified and could probably eliminate the RCV grease and just use the Moly-Fortified Valvoline that I already use.
CGarage
Well-known member
They make a moly fortified Paragon 3000 as well.
The Paragon is calcium-lithium soap based. I have yet to see a better performer on paper.
The Paragon is calcium-lithium soap based. I have yet to see a better performer on paper.
CGarage
Well-known member
Amsoil makes an EP truck grease, but it is for medium and heavy class trucks with GVWR over 14,000 pounds, not a Tahoe.
So in a ball joint and tie rod end kind of application, would you recommend the Paragon 3000 or Paragon 3000 with moly? Also, I looked up the Cerulean and it does appear similar. Is it any good or should I hunt down the Paragon with or without moly?
CGarage
Well-known member
1) The on-paper specs of the Paragon beat everything else I have seen out there, including the Amsoil GLC, which is currently out of stock, but also a great alternative that is slightly more conventional in composition.
2) I can understand the Ford decision to include the Moly additive for anti-wear. It’s up to you if you want to go down that path. It would be interesting to hear from a tribologist on moly vs non-moly for a suspension ball joint application. I can’t give you a good answer on this. I continue to use non-moly for my GC-LB applications.
I use Moly fortified for slip-joints on prop shafts, etc….when it is called for.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Personally, I'm a fan of using moly-fortified grease in components such as ball joints, tie rods, and even pins to bushings such as in farm and mining applications.
In our industrial environment we've seen the shafts and bushings last longer when using a moly-fortified grease vs. a standard lithium, calcium or even polyurea based grease without moly. The moly seems to aid with the high impacts such as compactors, presses, etc.
While I'm not necessarily a Ford fan, I did agree with their recommendation years ago when I read it in a FSM because we had seen the benefits in our environment at work, so to me it just made sense. I've also read several articles over the years in the publication "Plant Engineer" that quotes similar results with moly-fortified greases.
Thanks, gents! I decided to go with the Paragon 3000 non-moly. Moog says premium high pressure GC-LB that is lithium or synthetic. I read something somewhere that seemed to hint at lithium not being compatible with moly, so I took Moog's recommendation to mean non-moly. Feel free to correct me if I misunderstood.
CGarage
Well-known member
You misunderstood.
The lithium complex is the thickener / base that the grease uses. This is the most common kind of automotive grease you will find.
The Paragon 3000 is a calcium-lithium complex grease, so you need to remove all of the old lithium grease before using it.
Moly is just an additive.
Most greases of different complexes are not compatible with one another.
WWheeler
Well-known member
Switched from Lincoln 1134 to a Lock-n-Lube Heavy Duty when my >20 yr old previous Lincoln 1134 finally quit and found out the hard way the new ones are now Made in India and aren't even close to the same level of quality. The new Lincoln I bought to replace it had grease squeezing out everywhere, top and bottom, and around the hose ends, everywhere, which never was the case for my old trusty Lincoln. I've honestly never touched a worse grease gun than that newer Lincoln. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. I didn't bother to clean it up before returning it so they could see for themselves what a messy POS it was.
Since switching to the Lock-n-Lube HDs everything's been fine. Not long after the first I bought another one. Their included coupler now fits everywhere I need it to. I had a little trouble at first getting it on a couple fittings, and considered getting their little roll-up kit of adapters, but I just changed out a couple zerks from straight to angled and got them pointed to where the coupler now gets on them just fine.
For the equipment I service I have a Dewalt cordless, that I've also fitted with the longer Lock-n-Lube coupler which fits everywhere I need it to.
Since switching to the Lock-n-Lube HDs everything's been fine. Not long after the first I bought another one. Their included coupler now fits everywhere I need it to. I had a little trouble at first getting it on a couple fittings, and considered getting their little roll-up kit of adapters, but I just changed out a couple zerks from straight to angled and got them pointed to where the coupler now gets on them just fine.
For the equipment I service I have a Dewalt cordless, that I've also fitted with the longer Lock-n-Lube coupler which fits everywhere I need it to.
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
I like my Lube Shuttle. Got fed up with the traditional type. My useage is acceptable for the proprietary refills. If I used more, I'd refill my own with the bulk supply of my choice.
Wait, so to use the Paragon I just bought, I have to clean out whatever the Moogs came with? How do I do that? Thinking I’d be better using a different grease that is compatible, than jack around with trying to ungrease the joint only to regrease it. I don‘t need to risk tearing a boot. Would something like Lucas red n tacky work?
DemoFly
Well-known member
My Macnaught grease gun is the finest gun I've ever used.
But I can't fault my Lincoln gun either.
But I can't fault my Lincoln gun either.
CGarage
Well-known member
Lucas ‘red and tacky’ belongs with the dinosaurs. Hardly cutting edge or best in class.
You are up a creek because Moog doesn’t tell you what they used at factory.
My opinion, use the Paragon 3000 and Re-apply a pump or two in ~ 5000 miles.
I do not normally see ball joints come “pre-loaded” with grease from factory.
Lithium complex mix well with other lithium complex greases.
Lithium-calcium mix well with other lithium-calcium complex greases.
So what lithium complex would you recommend so I don’t have to jack around with it?
CGarage
Well-known member
CGarage
Well-known member
Ask someone more knowledgeable than me.
You may be good using the lithium calcium complex with the lithium complex. It’s possibly compatible.
Okay, thank you for your guidance!
CGarage
Well-known member
CGarage
Well-known member
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I know this thread happens to be a couple of months old now, but my son sent me this video last week showing a different style of grease gun, along with the grease and thought I'd share it here.
Granted, it pretty much locks you into their available grease(s) but I did find the style of gun interesting.
While the company does offer quite a range of greases, I really don't like the waste associated with what is remaining in the pump's head and hose when changing from one grease to another using the same grease gun which is what they tout as a sales pitch. Therefore, I think I still prefer to have multiple grease guns with the most commonly used lubricants in one's shop, but that's just me as I hate waste.
Granted, it pretty much locks you into their available grease(s) but I did find the style of gun interesting.
While the company does offer quite a range of greases, I really don't like the waste associated with what is remaining in the pump's head and hose when changing from one grease to another using the same grease gun which is what they tout as a sales pitch. Therefore, I think I still prefer to have multiple grease guns with the most commonly used lubricants in one's shop, but that's just me as I hate waste.