hydraulic pump zerk fitting - oil or grease how to tell?

[metalmagpie]

I just picked up a surface grinder after looking for one for a long time. I had the seller drain the hydraulic fluid before I brought it home so it didn't splash all over the place. Today I put in fresh hydraulic fluid and ran the grinder with the X feed working: http://nwnative.us/Grant/images/itsAlive.mp4

If you turn up the volume you will hear how my hydraulic unit sounds. The rotation is correct i.e. not running the pump backwards. I don't believe the noise is coming from the electric motor - I've heard lots of motors run with bad bearings and this doesn't sound like that. Here is an image of the hydraulic pump. Highlighted is a zerk fitting near its input shaft. I want to try lubricating the motor but I know some machines use zerk fittings for oil and if that were the case I wouldn't want to pump grease in there. How to tell?



metalmagpie

[wierdscience]

Probably grease for the outboard bearing set. Barnes is now Haledex/Barnes/Concentric, might give them a call-

http://www.hoornweg.nl/content/6154/...GCPmp_US-1.pdf

[mickeyf]

If it's intended for oil, would there be a) enough volume for a reservoir of it, and b) a drain plug below? Or not necessarily? On some electric motor bearings for example, the oil is just expected to be "consumed" but in a gear box it may be expected to be drained and refreshed. Can't tell from the photo what's attached etc, but that looks like a good sized housing.

Edit: now that I look at the video I see that that's a right angle drive, so gears, but that by itself doesn't provide enough info. As Wierdscience said, if the manufacture is still in existence it's always a good thing to check at the source.

[metalmagpie]

A guy with the same machine talked to the manufacturer back in the '90s and they told him to grease it lightly occasionally. I put a little grease in and it helped a little. Might get better as it works around in there.

Thanks.

[Mike Amick]

Most of the zerks on my Millrite mill are for oil. Real common complaint with new buyers having to take machine apart to clean grease from where there is suppose to be oil.
I honestly don't think you can tell by looking at the zerk.

[CCWKen]

Most of the zerks on my Millrite mill are for oil. Real common complaint with new buyers having to take machine apart to clean grease from where there is suppose to be oil.
I honestly don't think you can tell by looking at the zerk.

My BP had dried and caked grease all over the ways. I had to take it apart to get it home so it was easier to clean all the "soap" out. I replaced all the Zerks with new ones and modified one of my grease guns for way oil. (Removed the plunger and sealed the rear cap.) It works great as long as you hold it upside down.

You can tell if a Zerk was used for grease by removing it and looking in the hole.

[JoeLee]

My BP had dried and caked grease all over the ways. I had to take it apart to get it home so it was easier to clean all the "soap" out. I replaced all the Zerks with new ones and modified one of my grease guns for way oil. (Removed the plunger and sealed the rear cap.) It works great as long as you hold it upside down.

You can tell if a Zerk was used for grease by removing it and looking in the hole.

that's a good idea but that only tells you what the last guy did. I looked at the zerk fitting on my pump, it doesn't have a hex which means it's more than likely the drive-in type. you going to mess it up taking it out and the last thing you want to do is get any chips or particles down in that hole.

JL.....

[portlandRon]

Maybe take out the zerk and see if there is grease behind it.

[metalmagpie]

Maybe take out the zerk and see if there is grease behind it.

Good idea! I did think of that. It turns out the zerk is one of the press-fit types and I had no easy way to remove it.

metalmagpie

[JoeLee]

What did I say in my post number 7?

JL....

[metalmagpie]

What did I say in my post number 7?

Great minds think alike!