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Lube Notes: Grease Lube for Your Vehicle
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Written by Dan Watson CAR Show
Saturday, 31 October 2009 19:25

MAXXTORQUE ISSUES
Volume 2 Issue 4 - Lubrication
Article Content
In previous Lube Notes we looked 0 Volume 3 Issue 3
tweets Lube Notes: Grease Lube for Your Vehicle
at the role lubricants play in Grease Lube Composition
overcoming the effects of friction. tweet Grease Compatibility Volume 3 Issue 2
In this installment, I want to Full Article
examine one specialized type of lubricant: Volume 3 Issue 1
grease lube. Looking at previous civilizations, we can see that man has tried several
methods to provide basic lubrication to load-bearing surfaces; axles have presented one of Volume 2 Issue 4
the most challenging applications. As far back as 1400 BC, mutton fat and beef tallow were
used on chariot axles to reduce friction in order to allow for more speed and to slow down wear. One can only imagine the
pressure on the maintenance men to make the chariot go faster and to avoid axles catching on fire from the continuous
Duramax Fuel System
friction. While there is evidence of lime being added to these fats in order to make their lubricating properties last longer, 6.5L LSR at Bonneville 2009
few other improvements to the composition of grease are known to have been used until we reach the magic year of
1859. Diesel Timing Your Cooling System

What happened in 1859? Colonel Drake drilled the first ever oil well in Pennsylvania; since then, the world has not been Jag XJS Engine Swap
the same. In petroleum oil, man found a lubricant that could be manipulated in a variety of ways to produce greases much Follow Up: Duramax Power Mods
superior to the lubricants that preceded them. In turn, more advanced and effective greases have been produced in
recent decades with the advent of synthetic greases. Lube Notes: Grease Lube

The word grease is derived from the Latin word crassus meaning fat. We can see where the name came from (mutton fat, Duramax Issues + Answers
beef tallow); however, grease lube, for modern purposes, is not to be construed as fat. The American Society for Testing
6.2/6.5 Issues + Answers
Materials (ASTM) defined grease in 1916 as: A solid to semi-fluid product of dispersion of a thickening agent in a liquid
lubricant. In plain English, this means A lubricant composed of lubricating fluids (oils), thickened by mixing chemicals to Global Warming, the Real Crisis
produce a semi-fluid to semi-solid consistency.

Now that we know a little of the history of grease and how grease is defined in modern lubrication; when, where and why Volume 2 Issue 3
is grease lube used? While lubricating oils are able to lubricate any friction-causing situation, greases offer unique
characteristics that are well suited for: Volume 2 Issue 2

• Situations requiring less dripping or spattering of lubricant Volume 2 Issue 1

• Hard to lubricate bearings or joints where reducing frequency of lubrication is needed
• In dirty, dusty or hazardous environments where additional sealing is needed to prevent lubricant contamination. Volume 1 Issue 4
• For intermittent operation. Oil drains away from critical bearings when the equipment is stopped but grease stays
in place. Volume 1 Issue 3

Volume 1 Issue 2

Volume 1 Issue 1

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Grease Lube Composition
Greases are made from oil and thickeners (sometimes called soaps). The process is simple but the details are fairly
complex. The lubricating oil can be petroleum or synthetic and can vary in viscosity. Additionally, anti-wear and extreme
pressure additives can be added to formulate greases for specific applications, such as, high speed bearings, very cold or
very hot conditions, open gears, extreme loads or high moisture conditions, to name a few. Oil and thickeners can be
combined to offer greater temperature ranges and resistance to moisture. Thickeners can be combined or formulated with
additional chemicals to produce more complex thickeners for specific applications.

Greases will vary in thickness depending on the amount and type of thickeners used as well as the viscosity of the
lubricating oil used. The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) is the regulating body that establishes specific
ratings for greases. Greases are rated on a hardness scale from 000 to 6; where 000 is a thick liquid, like pudding, and 6
is a block, similar to hard clay. Today, 000 grease lube is used as a replacement for gear lubes in bearings and
differentials and number 6 grease is used where a rubbing action is needed to produce a light film on the surface to be
lubricated. Wheel bearings and chassis greases used in auto and truck applications are usually NLGI #2. In very cold
climates NLGI #1 grease is preferred because the grease will thicken in response to the temperatures. Synthetic greases
thickened with appropriate compounds are functional over a wide temperature range, from minus 50ºF to 500ºF;
petroleum greases are generally limited to 0°F to 300°F.

In 1991,the NLGI developed a classification system specifically targeting automotive greases (Table One). For the
majority of readers, it is the appropriate rating system for your truck applications.

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MAXXTORQUE IN PRINT

NLGI Classification System for Automotive Greases (Table One)

NLGI
Application Service Service Limitations
Classification

Chassis LA Mild duty, frequent re-lubrication

Chassis LB Infrequent re-lubrication, high loads, water exposure

Wheel Bearings GA Mild duty

Wheel Bearings GB Moderate duty, typical of most vehicles

Wheel Bearings GC Severe duty, high temperatures, frequent stop and go service

So when you are looking to purchase grease lube for your truck, look for grease labeled GC-LB: grease rated for severe
duty for the wheel bearings as well as for the chassis. Multi-purpose grease is the correct match for heavy duty pickups.
Synthetic greases, available from Amsoil and Mobil will provide the best protection over the widest temperature range. (Available through Amazon.com)
Also, using synthetic multipurpose grease negates the need to buy moly-fortified heavy duty grease. Moly (molybdenum
disulfide) is added to grease to provide extreme pressure lubrication. I have explained the difference in extreme pressure
lubrication vs standard lubrication regimes in an earlier issue of Lube Notes, so please refer to that issue for the specific
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explanation. There are no legitimate extreme pressure grease points on heavy duty pickups, so save the heavy duty
grease for larger equipment.

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Product Reviews, Features and

If the grease will be exposed to water, either by submersion or by spray, using water resistant grease is the best choice.
In-Depth Articles for
To be water resistant, the grease must pass additional testing that insures its ability to cling to a surface while being
Duramax, 6.2/6.5 and More...
sprayed with a stream of water. Water resistant greases contain additional thickeners and tackifiers that allow them to
resist washing out. Sometimes, these greases will be labeled “marine” but more and more they are simple referred to as
water resistant. Save $17.95!

Grease Compatibility
A word of caution; not all greases are compatible with each other. This problem occurs because some of the thickening
agents chemically react with others, which can lead to the grease lube becoming very hard or liquefying or preventing the
oil from leeching out to provide lubrication, essentially, rendering the grease useless. Most grease you find for automotive
applications are lithium or lithium-complex greases: these are compatible with each other. Table Two (next page) covers
compatibility/incompatibility of commonly-used greases. If you find grease that uses a different thickener than those listed,
contact me to verify compatibility.

Compatibility / Incompatibility of Commonly Used greases (Table Two)

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Grease Lube, Grease lube compatibility chart, grease lube applications Page 3 of 4

Table Two – Different types of grease lube are not always compatible with each other. For instance, the first two grease
compounds, Aluminum Complex and Barium Complex are incompatible as indicated by the “I” inside a red box. A “C”
inside a green box indicates that the two compounds are compatible with each other. A “B” in a yellow field indicates the
two compounds possess only borderline compatibility.

Grease is the forgotten lubricant, it just doesn’t rise to the level of notice of other lubricants; however, grease lube is
fundamental to proper care for your vehicle. For most auto or truck applications greasing should be done at three month
intervals for petroleum and six month intervals for synthetics. Wheel bearings properly packed with synthetic grease are
good for 10 years but the most convenient time for repacking is when the brakes are replaced. There are few
manufacturers stipulating wheel bearing maintenance and some are now installing sealed bearings that cannot be
greased. Ball joints and steering joints can still be greased in most heavy duty vehicles, but in light duty vehicles, the
grease fittings may not be installed and you will have to purchase them and install them. As with all lubricants, synthetic
greases outperform petroleum greases and the cost difference is actually in favor of the synthetics; you simply use less
grease over time and the up front cost difference is minimal.

As always, call me with your questions at (800) 661-7242.

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Greg said:

What type grease is Amsoil?

Best article I've found on this, however where is Amsoil on the compatability chart, please?

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November 05, 2010

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