Grease Question, Part 2

Hi, I am the poster of the original Dumb Gease Question.
I wanted to know why I can't fit my 25 year old grease fitting on my
2002 Caravan zirc fittings, because the zirc is smaller than the grease
nozzle, and even pushing with a lot of strength, the greases oozes out
all over the zirc fitting but does not go inside it.
The responses I got were nostalgic, dealing with "I remember when there
were grease fittings all over the place".
What I want to know is, "is there something special about the zirc
fitting in my Caravan".
Picture 005, towards the bottom, shows the zirc fitting that I am
talking about. Picture 005 also shows another zirc fitting at the top
right, that works OK. If I try and grease the bottom zir, the zirc
fitting is DEFINITELY smaller than the other zirc fittings on the front
end. This is true for left and right sides, these 2 bottom zircs only.
Pictures 006 and 008 show my grease gun.
If you think I am crazy, I am OK with you telling me so, but these 2
particular zirc fittings are absolutely smaller than my other cars, and
from the other Caravan fittings. Is this normal ? Is there a special
grease nozzle I need to buy?

http://www.frontiernet.net/~rkalita/caravan/

 

Hi...

I'm the old guy who desperately tried to grease my brake
bleeders, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but...

The bottom "fitting" sure doesn't look like any grease fitting
that I've ever seen. Are you *sure* it is? (cleaned up, and
viewed from the end, can you see the check ball? )

Take care.

Ken

 

Obviously you didn't read my reply. Your vehicle may not have grease
fittings!! I wasn't joking when I replied the first time

Glenn

 

Well, yes, I did think you were joking. Thank you sir for replying.
These little doo-dads sure look like grease fittings, and they sure are
located in a spot that would have you assume that they are grease fittings.
The other little zirc fittings sure allow my grease gun to fit onto them
and apply grease. If this one is for looks only (meaning it was for a
one shot grease infusion at the time of assembly, and never again), then
I am really amazed at the engineering staff for putting them there.
At first, I just thought that one side was defective, like a little bit
smaller. The other side being the same smallness just bewildered me,
like "am I supposed to use something special on these fittings".

I am also amazed at the collective intelligence of fellow internet
users, and I imagine I will learn something from my fellow Chrysler
enthusiasts.

 

I don't see any grease fittings in picture 005.
The -thing- in the lower ball joint is either a plug or a snapped
off zerk, it certainly doesn't look like it will accept the end
of a grease gun.
Pity that the shots of the grease fittings weren't as detailed as
those of the grease gun...

 

Thanks. I did not get a great picture in 005 because I have to jack up
the car and take the wheel off to do so.
If the group is urging me to do so for clarity, I may be able to do this
after work tonight. Maybe it's not a grease fitting, but it sure looks
like one, and maybe a good picture would convince others as well.

 

Once upon a time, seemingly to discourage use of anything other than
factory fill grease, zerks were broken off.

 

I am the original poster.
I took new pictures of the fitting. Can anybody say if this fitting
needs greasing? My issue is, I try to fit a normal grease gun onto this
fitting, and no grease goes in. It just oozes out without going into the
supposed grease fitting.
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rkalita/caravan/zirc5_14_07 003.jpg
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rkalita/caravan/zirc5_14_07 004.jpg
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rkalita/caravan/zirc5_14_07 009.jpg

 

Why do you keep going on and on with this thread about the grease fittings.
let me spell it out ok. They do not have grease fittings!!! They have been
lubricated for life and then snapped off. Do not try to install grease
fittings. This started back on the 1997 mini vans.

Glenn

 

Thanks. You did spell it out loud and clear, about the grease fittings
being lubricated for life, and not to install grease fittings.
I am not sure I would have known this if it wasn't for you, because I
had hunted around (Google) for weeks trying to understand why I couldn't
grease these fittings.
The power of this group is the collective knowledge!

 

The tie rod ends have normal grease fittings, and grease up normally.
Mr. Maxpower summed it up nicely, that the fittings in my pictures are
lubed for life, and are not meant to be regreased.

 

Well, it may have started "again" in 1997 but as I tried to indicate
in my previous post ("Once upon a time.."....get it?) the lubed-for-
life idea with broken off zerks isn't new....it dates back to the
60s.

 

We are talking Chrysler Mini vans here. the mini van wasn't around in the
60's

 

The irony.

 

Was it Tom or Dick that said, "I did not know that."?

 

Neither - it was Johnny.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

I thought it was Johnny that said, "I never kneeeeew that."

 

He said, among other things: "Ahhh - I did not *know* that!"

One of my favorites that he did (one time) - he slipped it by the
censors - remember he would bring 3 or 4 people from the audience up on
stage and they would read from a script to create a play. Johnny, as
narrator of the play, introduced a new character "...Mister D. Big
Fookendeel..." (read it out loud - you'll get it). After he said the
name, he paused and looked right into the camera with a big gleam in his
eye, and then continued the sentence.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')