Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

What do you mean Jas, YOUR RECONDITIONED TRUNNIONS. How are trunnions reconditionable? They are made of brass, surely once they are knacked, thats it, throw them away and start again. And i wasnt calling you Shirley!

Secondly. Whilst i dont doubt that your fancy lube, Alex, is more than up to the job, for us paupers who dont want to spent 45 quid on a tub of greese, you cannot beat a quality EP90 gear oil, as the same forces are at work in your trunnions as in your diff. As for getting it in there, trunnions, thats a different matter. If anyone can recommend a pump that does not piss out EP90 oil whilst pumping it through a nipple, i would be greatful, and where to buy it.

Leslie

Oh, and i notice Jas, that the lube you are using is EP ZERO! i wouldnt have thought that would be any good in the trunnion application. Are you SURE that is up to the job intended?

Leslie

Love these debates on trunnion lubrication.

All I can say is grease is designed for low speed lubrication where sealing is poor (how fast do you turn a steering wheel and how good is that bit off rubber at the top of the trunnion as a water seal) and oil is intended for higher speed lubrication where sealing is good.

The original oil based lube recommendation came from the poor quality of grease soaps in the 50 and 60's and fears of the grease setting up hard due to the poor grease soap life - modern greases work fine and are much easier to work with than oil and much better at excluding water from the trunnion pivot.

But in the end if we did not have a trunnion lube diuscussion the world would be poorer

cheers
Rohan

'Tis true enough Leslie. I just used what I had to hand and... 1... it does not stink. 2 .. it pumps nice.

WALA.... It is dear stuff.. But I get it supplied for the machinery. So its dead cheap really..



I found the best 'gun ' for the job was a Wanner single handed pump with a good quality flexy pipe. They too are expensive and I flammin well left my one 'somewhere' and I never saw it again. Bought the Halfords equiv' and its slightly better than useless and hates gear oil. I can only put a little oil in the thing as the spring therein pumps the oil therein out! All by itself! overnight! So I will have to get me another Wanner. Beware of imitations though..

Don't get me started on grease guns!!! Anyone like a Halfords item? Free to a good (oil free!!) home.

I think Jas will have cleaned, checked, fitted new bushes and refitted. Any wear on the brass trunnion = bin.. We all know that.. right?? Oh well maybe not...

Have fun....

Alex...

Alex

Concur with what you say about greese and its uses Rohan, but remember, trunnions are vertical tubes, so once you have got your EP90 into them, thats where it stays, lubing all the thread, all the time.

I pump in the oil till it pisses [french] out the top, at the seal, so if you have oil right to top, there is no room for any water ingress, and after 30 odd years of ownership, have not noticed any water being expelled as the oil goes in. It helps to replace the trunnion seal periodically, as a stiff old seal will NOT keep out water, as you say.

Alex, it sounds like your current oil pump is BETTER than mine, as the one i use [more french] out oil as i am pumping it in, not overnight. Hence I have loads of rags to hand whist doing this job. But it goes in eventually. So come on everyone, what are you all using as a pump. Cant just be the 3 of us filling our boots can it, or trunnions!

Leslie

I use a cheap telescopic grease gun like this:

http://www.toolshopdirect.co.uk/item.ph ... 1/sn/34400

Makes just as much mess as a much more expensive solution

Paddy

The grease (or oil!) gun issue is a pain for sure, and that little Wanner was the best I had. The worst are various cartridge and oil guns I have tried over the years and I gotta say they all end up driving me daft. I in return give them flying lessons when I eventually launch them in the direction of the skip!!

The Halfords one hand-er works, but is not an oil gun and therefore much better with grease. The liquid grease is a bit better than the oil and behaves similar to EP90 oil when warmed up a bit but, without the smell, and leaving the gun full of the oil inevitably ends up with a puddle of ep90 on the floor. Mutter!!

Whats the answer? Buy and use a specified oil gun! Maybe..Perhaps! possibly. Or, what does the team think of a small auto lubrication unit? These are spring loaded units piped (via nylon tubes) to connections where the grease nipples are and are designed to be used with liquid grease but I am sure could also use oil OK, and can be regulated to flow just the right amount from nil, to messy! One could easily be discreetly mounted somewhere I am sure. On some machinery they are securely clipped into place and can be removed for recharging / cleaning etc.

I am beginning to warm to that idea... A full reservoir I recon' could be set to last a summer, but would require the trunnions wiping over now n then to remove any excess.

Gonna get a row again for straying off topic!!

Sorry Ian..

Regards to all

Alex....

As you were... You horrible lot!!

Looked at some prices etc. Not too bad BUT I fear overcomplication so....... Forget it and fill the gun again..



Alex B

i think most of the time the oil leaks out of the brass trunnion plug at the bottom. i have heard of some people running some solder around the plug to stop the e.p. oil leaking out. i think the idea comes from one of the Triumph clubs.
anyone heard about this?
AlanB

alexblack13 wrote:Gonna get a row again for straying off topic!!

Sorry Ian..

Regards to all

Alex....

gee grease works well on my shapecraft body 26r L.H.D. trunnions --ed

While on the trunnion topic, is the king pin (the bit that screws into the trunnion) a fixed part of the vertical link, or is it replaceable independently? I've never looked at that in detail.

Its all one part Bill.If the threads are goosed throw the entire upright in the bin and fit a new one... The wheel stub axle is a sep' part..

Alex B...