Hydraulic Cylinder Rod End - Grease Won't Flow

[Beckbenj]

Hey All,

The rod end of the dipper cylinder doesn't want to take grease. I'm not familiar with how the rod end grease fitting and bushing needs to line up, but I'm suspecting it may be out of alignment and that is why I can't get grease to flow into the joint.

Does the bushing need to be pressed out and back in the correct alignment?

Thanks!

 

[Delmer]

I wasn't expecting those pics. Take a right angle o ring pick and find the hole in the bushing, clean it out, remove the zerk, clean the hole. There's usually a groove around the inside so the bushing alignment isn't critical. If it won't push grease through, try oil in a grease gun, while picking at the hole in the bushing. If there's no movement, then I guess the bushing has to come out.

 

[Beckbenj]

I’ll give that a shot, thanks!

 

[kshansen]

Some bushings have a groove around the outside some don't. If flushing with oil in grease gun does not work then agree press it out and clean everything.

Problems like this are why I always preferred to grease equipment at the end of the shift not in the morning at start of shift. That way any crap that might have gotten in during the shift can be flushed out before it has a chance to harden up over night.

 

[Beckbenj]

Looks like I’m buying a porta power hollow ram cylinder, the oil in the grease gun didn’t do anything. Didn’t seem like there was anywhere for the pick to go either when sticking it in the ports.

So now the question: Can the bushing I remove be reinstalled, or should I plan on buying a new bushing?

I was planning to try and remove with the porta power and then getting dry ice to freeze and reinstall (again with porta power).

Any thoughts / suggestions?

 

[92U 3406]

Personally I would just go out and buy a good drill bit that will fit inside the hole for the grease fitting and just drill a hole through the bushing if you can.

 

[Delmer]

If you can't get a good enough bit to drill the bushing, then a masonry carbide bit will drill hard steel if you sharpen it to a little sharper angle on a grinder.

 

[kshansen]

Hard to tell from the picture, is that a brass bushing? If so should drill easy.

If you do drill a hole and it doesn't line up with one of the grooves I'd just use a small grinding stone to connect the hole to the grooves.

 

[Beckbenj]

Not a brass bushing, definitely hardened steel. I tried drilling with a freshly sharpened cobalt drill I have and didn’t do much. And good thought on the connecting the groove, I have a small dremel I should be able to get in there with.

 

[Beckbenj]

Here's a picture of the bushing's outside, appears to have an external groove.

 

[MarcusZ1967]

Have you tried a new grease zerk? I've seen those things fail tooooooo many times.....

 

[skyking1]

All good ideas on drilling and connecting the hole to the existing groove pattern. I would not remove a good bushing for this fix.
Thanks @92U 3406 @Delmer @kshansen

 

[Beckbenj]

Have you tried a new grease zerk? I've seen those things fail tooooooo many times.....

Good point, I'll double check this.

 

[4bz]

You do not need a new grease fitting to determine if the old one has failed or is still working. Remove the existing grease fitting, and connect the grease gun to it on your workbench. If the grease fitting does not accept grease while it is off the joint, it is time to get a new one.

 

[Welder Dave]

You could try heating it too if there's stuck grease blocking grease going in. I've had to use heat and penetrating oil along with a pick to free up the grease passage way. Grease fittings do plug too.

 

[92U 3406]

Hardened grease is one of the reasons I always install the bushing with one of the holes aligned with the grease fitting. Makes it a lot easier to clear out.

 

[Beckbenj]

Finally got it flowing again, heating with a heat gun several times on top of penetrating oil seemed to do the trick!

 

[Coaldust]

Crisis diverted