grease nipples

[halbe]

Hello all,

On Vg the grease nipples are probably the originals.
Are they any good? if not which ones are the best alternative?

Regards,

Halbe

[prharris25]

If you are lucky enough to have the original nipples, then cherish them ! They work perfectly well if used in conjunction with the proper oil gun. I have the originals on my 10/4 and have lubricated everything with perfect ease using 140 gear oil since I took the car over from my grandfather in 1963. By the way, that was 101,500 miles ago !
Apart from anything else, more recent nipples simply do not look right.

Paul.

[Ian Grace]

I agree with Paul. I usually find about one in ten don't work - the internal spring can break and then the ball bearing doesn't seal them and the grease oozes back out, or the ball is jammed somehow. Sometimes I find one completely blocked and useless, but much more often than not, they work perfectly well. I test them by holding them flat on their back on a flat surface and pumping down on them. Thsi also ejects the back old greas and primes them nicely with fresh grease. And I agree that modern high pressure ones don't look good.

[Highlander]

Halbe, Use the originals if you can, they look better and work very well. I still use an old fashioned pump grease gun. I have admired your workmanship and have said so somewere else. You have hade a very good job of binding your springs. How did you finish the binding? Is it knotted or tucked back under? Also the finish you have on the axle and backplates? Handpainted or stoved? However you have made a wonderful job. When finished I hope you will not be afraid to drive it!!!!!! Highlander.

[halbe]

OK, I'll use the originals and like you I also think they look great on the car.
Can somebody put a picture on the forum showing the right grease gun?

Allister; All the paint is handbrushed and than dried near a stove.
and I will drive VG as I drive the Aston when she is finished

Regards,


Halbe

[Highlander]

What at 80 mph!!!!!!!! A question to you all, not about nipples but rear axle. I went out in the Minor today (super day here, sunshine all day) but because someone had double parked in our drive it was very tight getting my minor out of the garage so I pushed it out. I heard light clonking from the rear end and went under to look if the nuts and bolts on the hardy spicer were loose. All OK. Brakes not binding so off I went to Reigate - 10 miles. Everything fine. Thinking of Halbe aand his nipples Icheckedthe oil in the rear axle - NOTHING!!!!. I had not check the oil for over two years - no leaks so I thought no need. I looked in my handbook which is for 1932 models. (Mine is 33). I noticed on my car the axle had a dip stick. No picture of this in the handbook. I poured the oil in the filler hole and kept looking at the dip stick and of course I overfilled it and costly oil all over the drive. Questions. Is mine a later axle, an axle off another model (8hp) and why, when full at the filling hole, the dip stick is still half empty!!! Finally Molly and her mate (female) have just walked in and you have guest it - trod in the thick oil and sand and walked it all over the kitchen!!!! Anyone joining me for Fish and Chips? Highlander.

[prharris25]

I know the feeling well, having stepped out of the MG after a short test run staight into a bowl of warm dirty engine oil that I had just drained from it.
It sounds to me if somebody has fitted a later Morris Eight diff in your car....I am not aware of any Minors having a dipstick, although of course the Eights did. Has your car got the proper filler cum level plug on the the rear of the axle housing, if not, could be the wrong axle as well ! (but I doubt it).
Final thought, some MG's might have had this feature, not sure.

Paul.

[Ian Grace]

I agree that I don't think any Minors had dpistick diffs - except maybe the '34s? Not sure about them - I'd have to check.

I got some advice from someone years ago re filling Minor back axles. Can't remember who now. The advice was not to fill the axle to the level of the filler plug lip in the rear cover as originally recommended because this is unnecessary with the greater quality of modern oils. Filling like this greatly increases the prospect of oil getting outboard through to the brakes. I have followed this advice over the years without any problems. My guess is that as long as there is sufficient oil so that the crowm wheel dips just into it, then this is sufficient. It's going to get flung around everywhere anyway, so the extra can only be there to counter losses and neglect.

[prharris25]

No, the '34 season cars did not have the dipstick. Still had the vintage style rear filler level plug...incidentally the last Morris to carry this feature which started in the dawn of Bullnose Morris lore. Why do I not know anything useful ?
If Alistair has a Morris 8 diff but with the "correct" filler on the back plate, then I'm not surprised that the diff would be up to level without the dipstick registering as the 8 has an altogether different shape axle case.

Paul.

[Ian Grace]

Thanks, Paul. The other thought I had is that if this is a later axle, might it need hypoid oil instead of straight oil? Another rumour I heard long ago was that it is not a good idea to use hypoid gear oil in our early back axles as it attacks the bronze in the bearings. is there any science behind this? Is there any bronze in our back axles? Would this problem go away if we fitted modern bearings?

[halbe]

Hello Allister,

The ropes are tucked back under which make for a much neater appearance .
After driving some of the club cars , I now know that 45/50 mph in a minor is exciting enough for me.

On the question of overfilling a rear axle , the Aston has a level plug does so overfilling is impossible with that out of the axle. Does the minor axle also has something similar?

Regards,

Halbe

[Highlander]

I have started something here!. The filler hole is on the back end half way up the casing just like most cars. The dip stick is very well made with a black knob on the top and is on the opposite side to the filler hole, very difficult to withdraw as it hits the underside of the "boot" floor (only by quarter of an inch). I found the whole opperation difficult as the filler hole is tight up against the petrol tank (inch) and very little room to get spanners or box spanners on and then turned. Everything looks right and tomorrow I will try and take some photographs (will not be easy). Can the original axle filler plug be undone from under the car - or only fron the top via the floor board hatch? Highlander.

[Ian Grace]

Interesting - OHC and '31 SV cars don't have this problem as the fuel tank is above the driver's knees! I guess this problem was never envisaged when the back axle filler was designed.

[Toby]

I am also lead to believe that hypoy oils have additives that destroy bronze bushes, straight 140 or 90 seems to be the stuff of gearboxes, not sure about axles, depends if the roller cage is bronze??? Maybe we need a modern lubricant guide as well as paint matches on the website?

[Highlander]

Just a bit of information re my dip stick in my rear axle. The oil level, i.e. end of dip stick, would be in the centre of the crownwheel tooth at BDC. Toby please ring re the kindest of offers from Ian re a diff unit. 0208 393 6732. I can do most times. Highlander.