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Topic: First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes (Read 730 times) previous topic - next topic

First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes

Howdy.  Our coach has some zerks dripping with fresh grease and others that look neglected.  Unfortunately the calipers have been greased with what appears to be Lucas Red and Tacky.  I've read quite a few posts and watched the Rockwell YouTube video on air brake maintenance.  I plan to grease the chassis and also to purge as much of the red and tacky out of the calipers as I can.

Below is a photo of my right front caliper.  I know that clay-based grease goes in the two zerks in the orange boxes.  I want to confirm what type of grease goes in the slack adjuster zerk in the blue box.  I've read some posts that say regular grease is fine and others that say use the clay-based grease.

What's the preferred lubricant for that zerk in the blue box?
Mark Duckworth
2003 U320 4220
Build 6199, Motorcade 17971

Re: First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes

Reply #1 –
From Meritor Maintenance Manual 4M, ADB Series Air Disc Brakes, Revised 04-05:  Use a lithium-based grease.

http://www.meritorwabco.com/meritorwabco_document/mm4m.pdf
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes

Reply #3 –
Calipers should only be greased every 100K miles.  Purge the calipers and lube the chassis.
Regards,
Brett

'99 42' Foretravel Xtreme
'14 Brown Motorsports Stacker
'05 Chevy SSR
'02 BMW R1150R

Re: First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes

Reply #4 –
Lithium and bentonite clay grease are "incompatible and will make each other revert to a runny mess", per the TractorByNet forum. See photo for grease compatibility chart. Lithium is the most compatible grease, but it's not compatible with bentonite clay. Bentonite clay grease is a high-performance lubricant. The original poster raised a good question that made me understand that grease compatibility is a complex issue.

I was just about to grease my zerk fittings, but I'll hold off for a while until this thread concludes. My question is: How do I know what grease my rig has?

For the last 20 years, I have used the high-temp, high-pressure grease used for disc brakes, but is this compatible with my Foretravel?
1997 U270 34FT Build 5140 Cummins 8.3 Allison 3060R
Solar 1920Watts, 14KWH lithium. Orion BMS.
 

Re: First Time Greasing Chassis and Brakes

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Tim –
See photo for grease compatibility chart. Lithium is the most compatible grease, but it's not compatible with bentonite clay.
Cool chart, Tim.  Thanks for posting it.
Mark Duckworth
2003 U320 4220
Build 6199, Motorcade 17971