Hi I have a 2005 CAT 257b. One one the grease fittings on the undercarriage won't accept grease. I took it off and confirmed it wasn't the fitting by putting grease through it while it was off. I tried heating it up with a torch. I also tried taking out the screw and washer that covered the bearing and tried to use a screw driver to chisel out the grease around the edges. Anyone have any tips on how I can free up this hardened grease?
Going to have to thin it chemically, would not use heat from a gas axe as seal damage can happen. Try a oil can with diesel or kerosene in it to try to flush the outer race area first. That doesn't work you are looking to a tear down and rehab.
Hi thanks, when you say the outer race area is that the space where the grease usually goes? Is there a way to use a grease gun and try to force in diesel or another chemical that will loosen the hardened grease?
Take the grease fitting off and clean it out with flammable brake cleaner, bend the tube to get down and rinse out any grease, leave it full of brake cleaner. Then hook up a porta power pump to the threads and pump it up, that little bit of brake cleaner will work it's way through if anything will. Keep it pumped up and rock it up and down to move the joint. edit: you could do the same thing with the grease gun, take the zerk off, flush it with brake cleaner, leave it full, put the zerk back and pump in the grease to pressurize the brake cleaner. Hold pressure on the grease gun while somebody rocks the joint. 150 degrees isn't going to hurt any seals but I think the solvent will help as much as the heat, and I wouldn't use them at the same time, maybe diesel and heat.
Solvent sounds good. I've put motor honey or "STP" in a grease gun.
Since heating something with a gas axe and brake cleaner have been mentioned in this thread I thought it would be prudent to post this warning. When chlorinated brake cleaner is heated it converts to phosgene gas. Phosgene was one of the poison gasses used during WWI, just to let everyone know how debilitating and deadly it is. Carry on.
And if your brake cleaner says non flammable then it is chlorinated (perc?). The flammable brake cleaner is acetone etc. Apparently chlorinated solvents mixed with Argon and heat/arc are EXCEPTIONALLY dangerous, so don't ever use the stuff to clean before welding either.
Exactly. Perchloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, one in the same chemical. Same chemical solvent used in dry cleaning process. When exposed to certain conditions of heat, arc, other gasses (argon), it's deadly.