So Fix it

Grease guns are important to the everyday maintenance of automobiles, farm equipment, and other shop equipment. Grease fittings are inserted into automobile steering components, ball joints, driveshafts, and other components that need periodic lubrication. The grease fitting directs grease to all the necessary components without removing the components and applying grease with a brush or by hand as they did in the old days. Modern grease guns use a cartridge to load grease into the gun. The old ones required that the grease be packed into the guns cylinder using a spoon, fingers or a stick.

Instructions

1

Spray the entire grease gun with brake cleaner and wipe it down with shop rags to clean the dirt from the grease gun. This prevents dirt and contaminants from entering the gun and accidentally getting injected into a part that needs lubricating.

2

Pull the T-handle all the way out of the bottom end of the cylinder and slide it to one side to lock it into a groove that holds the spring loaded T-handle out of the cylinder while the new cartridge is being loaded.

3

Move the pump handle out, away from the gun and thread the top of the gun, that includes the pump handle, off the gun by rotating it counterclockwise, viewing from the nozzle. The gun should now be in two pieces, the pump handle assembly and the cylinder assembly.

4

Pull the old grease cartridge from the grease guns cylinder, the cylinder is the metal tube with the spring loaded T-handle out the end. The old grease cartridge looks like it is part of the cylinder but it is not. There is a metal lip at the threaded end of the cylinder that can be griped with pliers and pulled out.

5

Remove the plastic cap from the bottom of a new sealed grease cartridge, and slide it into the cylinder. The cartridge must be inserted slowly to allow the cartridge to displace the air in the cylinder. Remember the spring loaded T-handle must be pulled out of the cylinder to install a new cartridge.

6

Pull the "soda-can-like-tab" off the top of the newly installed grease cartridge installed into the cylinder.

7

Thread the top handle assembly back onto the cylinder assembly by rotating it clockwise onto the cylinder threads, viewing from the nozzle end.

8

Slide the spring loaded T-handle out of the holding grove and push it back into the cylinder.

9

Position the guns nozzle straight up, pump the handle until the air is removed from the gun and grease begins to pump flow out of the nozzle. If no grease comes out after prolonged pumping, Loosen and re-tighten the bleed-valve screw in the pump handle assembly near where the nozzle screws into the threaded cap to release the trapped air. Most bleed screws use a screwdriver to loosen, some may use a hex head.

The Combustion Engine

A natural byproduct of a combustion engine is water. It is expelled with the exhaust gases. Fuel is mixed with air and then forced into the cylinders. Once the mix is inside the cylinder, a small explosion occurs before the exhaust camshaft opens and the exhaust is released into the manifold. Because of the intense heat of the combustion engine, the water is vaporized.

The Catalytic Converter

All vehicles since 1980 have catalytic converters. The catalysts convert the unspent fuel into spent fuel before being expelled past the component downstream. Older converters were called two-way converters because they turned carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons into water vapor. Not only is water vapor present in the exhaust system coming directly from the engine, but the converter also produces more by chemically altering the hydrocarbons. Nowadays, vehicles employ a three-way catalyst which also reduces harmful nitrogen oxides.

Preventative Maintenance

Depending on your geographical region and driving habits, its not unlikely for the exhaust system to rust and corrode from the inside out. If you live in a place that has severe winter weather and uses sand and salt on the winter roadways, your exhaust may deteriorate on the outside as well as the inside.

Short commutes are a major cause of internal water corrosion of the exhaust system. The water vapors do not have the chance to expel from the system and turn back into water once the vehicle is shut off. When there is no back pressure forcing the water vapors out of the system, the vapors coat the interior of the exhaust components and then form puddles on the bottom. Many mufflers employ a manufactured seep hole in order to allow the water to drain from the muffler. But the pipes and converter do not drain.

If you take short trips, try to run your vehicle for at least 15 minutes to allow the water vapors to purge from the exhaust system.

Car owners in regions with severe weather should wash the undercarriage of their vehicles once a week during these seasons to clean off the sand and salt. Even stainless steel exhaust systems will be compromised in these areas, although they will last significantly longer than aluminized steel systems.