Mixing grease

M

Magoo2

Member
I’ve got a 31 pickup I’m about to grease everything that has a grease fitting. I like the Lucas “red sticky grease”. Are there any compatibility issues with using that grease with grease that gas been in the car for 90 years?
 
Magoo2 said:
I’ve got a 31 pickup I’m about to grease everything that has a grease fitting. I like the Lucas “red sticky grease”. Are there any compatibility issues with using that grease with grease that gas been in the car for 90 years?
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It's hard to imagine that a car has never been greased in 90 years! If that is really the case, every kingpin, every tie rod end, etc. is either worn out or seized and in need of replacement, in which case just use the grease of your choice.
Otherwise, just grease away! The new grease will push most of the old out and what's left won't matter.
 
The old greases (chassis) may have been calcium, sodium or soap based while many of the new ones are lithium or Moly based . BELL PERFORMANCE has a good article about compatibility issues as you state. If a concern, track down some grease that is non- lithium based, such as Valvoline General Purpose grease for chassis not subject to high heat..
 
Many use mystic JT6 long strand for wheel bearings and anything else. Thick stuff that clings. Look it up to check it out. Search here and the internet.
 
if you google the subject matter, NAPA has an excellent blog. It basically says it is not a wise idea.
 
Wouldn't comparability become more of an issue when something like a wheel bearing is packed with grease which I would hope they would be cleaned anyway? If you get your car lube back in the day or now, they are going to pump if full of what they sell, which may not be what is in it now. Most areas you would be flushing out the old grease and more then likely the u-joint housing is mostly dry anyway.
 
redmodelt said:
Wouldn't comparability become more of an issue when something like a wheel bearing is packed with grease which I would hope they would be cleaned anyway? If you get your car lube back in the day or now, they are going to pump if full of what they sell, which may not be what is in it now. Most areas you would be flushing out the old grease and more then likely the u-joint housing is mostly dry anyway.
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X2! You have obviously "been there, done that"!
 
redmodelt said:
Wouldn't comparability become more of an issue when something like a wheel bearing is packed with grease which I would hope they would be cleaned anyway? If you get your car lube back in the day or now, they are going to pump if full of what they sell, which may not be what is in it now. Most areas you would be flushing out the old grease and more then likely the u-joint housing is mostly dry anyway.
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I would agree if you are planning to use a somewhat "generic" grease. "Back in the day" I don't think there was anywhere NEAR the different configurations of grease as there are today. For the most part, grease was grease. Not so any more and the OP is considering gong to a "designer" grease. A quick story of why I pay close attention to grease types. about 14 years ago I was transferring water with my water truck for my brother. The pump (3" Bowie") needed greasing every load. I ran out of grease (I as using PetroCan synthetic IIRC) so I got a couple uses from my brother. The first use, I got about 2 pumps when the gun came up tight. Next zerk, same thing. I was only able to get 1-2 pumps in each of the 4 zerks then the gun came up tight. The truck had a grease gallery with hoses perhaps 2 feet long going to the pump. I thought "that's odd" and carried on. Next load, I could't get ANY grease in any of the zerks. I was unable to grease any of them for the rest of the day. When I got home, I took the hoses off and warmed them up in the shop and was still unable to push grease through them. I put them in boiling water to soften the plug and was finally able to force grease through them with considerable effort. Those hoses never did flow grease as easily as they did before the grease mix. The were always constricted. IMO, 99% of the time you can mix greases with no ill effects but experience has taught me that it is NOT 100% of the time and that one time can cause some REAL problems.
 
redmodelt said:
Wouldn't comparability become more of an issue when something like a wheel bearing is packed with grease which I would hope they would be cleaned anyway? If you get your car lube back in the day or now, they are going to pump if full of what they sell, which may not be what is in it now. Most areas you would be flushing out the old grease and more then likely the u-joint housing is mostly dry anyway.
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And why is that? Where does the grease go? :p :p
 
The Master Cylinder said:
And why is that? Where does the grease go? :p :p[/QUOTE
1 because it was never filled or under filled in the first place and 2 because it leaked/forced out. The u-joint housing is not completely sealed and grease can get forced out by spinning u-joint. I have worked on a number of A's that might have had a pump or two in the housing and that was about it. Could get washed out when 600W gets forced thru the rear bearing (not every transmission has newer sealed bearings installed) or bad seal on driveshaft allows it to move down the shaft.
I saw the smile faces after I posted this! LOL ;)
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