First Time Greasing

[chessie4905]

I use an air powered lincoln unit with a 16 gallon drum in my pit.
Make sure to get a few spare 45,60,and 90° fittings in both thread sizes. Sometimes re-orienting fittings can be of great benefit. If the grease pees back out of the fitting after adding grease, replace fitting. They make grease fitting service tools with ez-outs rethreader, and angled fitting installers all in one. There is also a tool that you place on the fitting and hit with a hammer to blow out hardened grease or dirt.

[sledhead]

so it looks like I jinxed my air grease gun as I was using it yesterday and first the trigger came undone ? tightened it up . then as I was greasing the tractor I blew a hole in the hose ?

so I put a short 12" hose on it and now I am in the market for a new gun and use this one as a back up .

damn only 13 years out of the old  $29 grease gun

dave

[Jim Blackwood]

I ordered one of those locking grease gun tips off ebay for about 12 bucks, free shipping. I'll see how well it works. Undoubtedly not as good as the premium tool, but it may not have to be. I'll try it out on the bat wing mower. Probably be a year before I need to drive the bus.

Jim

[TomC]

On my 2 axle transit bus, it only takes 1/2 a tube to do the entire bus-including the zerks in the brake cam rollers. I use an air operated with 2ft extension hose-works well. Good Luck, TomC

[GnarlyBus]

Grease gun came today. Went looking for zerks in the steering column. The manual appears to list them in the every 5,000 miles section and the every 50,000 miles section. There's supposed to be two on the u-joint and one on the slip shaft.

I can only find one on the u-joint and nothing that would grease the flexible coupling near the floor... Where are the other two?!

[chessie4905]

That one near the floor looks like one off an older GM pickup. If so, it doesn't  get greased. It would be a rubber lined coupling.

[buswarrior]

Do I have a distant memory of a zerk way down deep in there?

Mine had so much grease down in that cup thing...

Turn the wheel and watch, stuff hides.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Jim Blackwood]

You can dribble some heavy oil down in that cup and it'll be taken care of.

Jim

[GnarlyBus]

No zerk to be found. I'll add some oil or a little grease and call it good. I love this cordless grease gun paired with the LockNLube coupler. So easy.

I'm noticing that not all the zerks are listed in the manual. I found one on the throttle pedal bracket under the floor. I know that the tag axle has two on the center tube but the book only lists the two on the pivots.

I spent a good amount of time looking for a remote grease plate in the spare tire compartment that isn't there. After squinting at the fuzzy triple copied photos in the manual it looks like those zerks would go to a manual trans clutch setup.

I am having fun greasing though!

[GnarlyBus]

I got the 79 manual for the mc-9 (as opposed to the 89) and it has cleared a lot up for me. It has a different listing of zerks and map that match my 84.

I went looking for the lower entrance door hinge zerk and found this (see photos). Am I correct that there should be a zerk here? The bottom of the hinge looks smashed off and was filled with dirt and old grease. There should be a plug on the bottom, yah?

[buswarrior]

Yes, they are readily torn off by striking a high curb while attempting whatever driving manoeuvre.

In busnut duty, clean it up, jam some grease in there and when you run out of other things to do, restore a zerk and cover the bottom.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Dave5Cs]

The cup thingy at the base or floor at the steering shaft just fills up with grease. There is no zerk there. It just leaks down around the shaft during use until full. Also there are fittings at the back of the brakes in the rear. Just one pull of grease. Anymore and you will be cleaning up your pads.

[GnarlyBus]

I cleaned out the lower hinge for the entrance door. Re-tapped it and added a zerk. Also got a plug and put it on the bottom. Greased it up and worked the door back and forth.

I used a needle fitting to get grease into what my wife is calling the "tulip" cup at the bottom of the steering shaft. Thanks for the info on that.

I think it's the brake anchor pins that get just one pump of grease. i read in supposed to take it easy with the brake S cams too. Couple pumps. Also the brake chambers get a special type of lube if they have zerks.

[luvrbus]

You are in the era of synthetic grease now 1 type will cover many of the special type of grease

[buswarrior]

Ditto

Our grandfather's era grease is long gone.

Another area in which marching technology has quietly improved lubrication in leaps and bounds.

Pick the colour you like?

Oh how flamboyant and carefree!

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior