Need some help...can't find a small enough nose gear Zerk.

[Nukemzzz]

Hoping to have 34X back in the air in about 3 weeks after being down since March with the cracked engine case, however, the dumbest thing is threatening to stop us... 

The steering joint on the front gear wouldn't take grease so i removed it and found the ball and spring missing.  I don't know that this explains why it wouldn't take grease, but it has to be fixed. 

I've been working with Lasar to try and find a replacement Zerk.  They reported initially that it was 1/4" thread but this isn't true and they have now confirmed that this Zerk is in fact smaller than that.... even Mooney themselves are confused by what part number is needed here.  Now I'm stuck because I can't find a Zerk smaller than 1/4"!

Anyone have any info on this or a source for this mysteriously small fitting?

[jwarren2]

Maybe this will help ?

 

 Pieces Grease Fitting UNF 10-32 Zerk Nipple Straight Brass

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| 3 answered questions

 

 

 

 

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• UNF Grease Fittings Zerk Nipple
• Material: Brass
• Fitting Thread: UNF 10-32
• Package Quantity: 4
• Straight

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[N201MKTurbo]

This is what the parts manual calls for:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pnpages/04-02325.php?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6oDt8qD47AIVEhitBh1agQoVEAQYASABEgIDhPD_BwE

 

[Nukemzzz]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

This is what the parts manual calls for:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pnpages/04-02325.php?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6oDt8qD47AIVEhitBh1agQoVEAQYASABEgIDhPD_BwE

 

Yeah, that’s the problem. My fitting isn’t that part and Lasar is confirming that the parts manual is wrong on this. 

[PT20J]

Are you certain that it is supposed to have a check ball? The front MLG trunnion zerks on my M20J are press-in without check ball. I’ve found them difficult to grease. I also could not get grease in the steering joint with weight on the nose gear, but was able to grease it after jacking.

Skip

 

[RLCarter]

Mooney also used a press fit zerk on the mains, when I did my gear my nose used 1/4-28’s

mybe mine had been drilled and taped at one time?

[Nukemzzz]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

Are you certain that it is supposed to have a check ball? The front MLG trunnion zerks on my M20J are press-in without check ball. I’ve found them difficult to grease. I also could not get grease in the steering joint with weight on the nose gear, but was able to grease it after jacking.

Skip

 

Oh wait... you might be on to something here.  No checkball?  I guess this shouldn't surprise me since the engine didn't have an oil filter.  

We lifted the nose and turned the wheel back and forth and the grease gun just dead heads.  I pulled the zerk to see if it was stuck, found no ball, and decided it was a bad zerk as well and didn't want to put it back in.  Everything I've ever greased in my years as a mechanic had a ball... if the ball was stuck the grease would just piss back out of the zerk after greasing it.  

[Nukemzzz]

1 hour ago, RLCarter said:

Mooney also used a press fit zerk on the mains, when I did my gear my nose used 1/4-28’s

mybe mine had been drilled and taped at one time?

Tapered 1/4-28?  Now I'm all kinds of confused.  Maybe this is why it doesn't fit the 1/4 - 28 thread gage?  

[RLCarter]

I want to say like above, some didn’t have a check ball and those I couldn’t find so they were cleaned and reinstalled 

[PT20J]

38 minutes ago, Nukemzzz said:

Oh wait... you might be on to something here.  No checkball?  I guess this shouldn't surprise me since the engine didn't have an oil filter.  

We lifted the nose and turned the wheel back and forth and the grease gun just dead heads.  I pulled the zerk to see if it was stuck, found no ball, and decided it was a bad zerk as well and didn't want to put it back in.  Everything I've ever greased in my years as a mechanic had a ball... if the ball was stuck the grease would just piss back out of the zerk after greasing it.  

Alemite makes some zerks in oddball sizes:

https://www.skf.com/alemite/products/fittings/industrial-lubrication-fittings/specialty-fittings/special-thread

I thought it was odd to find zerks with no check ball, but that's correct for my MLG forward trunnions according to the IPC. I called Alemite because I was curious and they said that the zerks without check balls are used where there is a need to provide a relief for pressure build up. I'm pretty sure that my nose gear zerks all had check balls though, but I don't know about the earlier models.

Skip

[M20F]

I would suspect that after 50yrs most zerk fittings have been drilled, pressed, etc. very possible you have something non-standard now.  Just have the A&P make something work imho. 

[jamesm]

I believe they are straight  threads 10-32 sounds correct, I know some  zerks have the ball bearing in them, while some  others on the main gear do not.

My memory will come back  when I get to do Annual coming up.

Hope this helps,

James '67C

 

[Nukemzzz]

Update, the 1/4-28 fitting that Lasar showed as the right new PN didn’t fit. It must be a 10-32. We put the original back in for now. 

[LantisPDX]

Sounds like you have this taken care of for now, but my ‘67 F also has press fit zerks without check balls.
Initially my A&P thought they were owner fabricated but after searching we believed them to be original to the plane. 

[Nukemzzz]

14 hours ago, LantisPDX said:

Sounds like you have this taken care of for now, but my ‘67 F also has press fit zerks without check balls.
Initially my A&P thought they were owner fabricated but after searching we believed them to be original to the plane. 

Yes, the main landing gear has press in zerk. This one in the nose gear steering head has threads but it’s smaller than the common 1/4”. 

[chriscalandro]

My 67C is threaded, I’m about to go down this road so, watching. 

[Yetti]

I just let the engine leaks and the sloppy oil changes handle the lube on the front gear,  and corrosion resistance on the belly panels

[1967 427]

I will ask my A&P what the thread was on mine, but had the same issue.  We found the right thread size, but when cycling the gear, it would bend the head of the fitting...every fitting seamed to be to tall.  I suggested that we use a set screw that when installed would be flush.  My mechanic thought it was an ingenious solution (I said “duh”).  I took it to work and had them drill a small hole thru it and machine it to length.  A small amount of Loctite on the threads and the use of an Allen key to install and we were done.  When lubing all the zerks the normal attachment is used, but when lubing this fitting, the lube gun head is switched to a rubber tip, problem solved.

[Raymond J1]

They are all identical on mine, straight with conical thread and with ball, but one was missing. It's actually easier to grease with the plane on its jacks.

[N201MKTurbo]

41 minutes ago, Raymond J said:

They are all identical on mine, straight with conical thread and with ball, but one was missing. It's actually easier to grease with the plane on its jacks.

This is like the Hallmark Channel version of a nose gear!

[TX-Champ]

Anyone find a good source for the smaller 1/8" zerk fittings for the main gear?  These are the tiny grease fittings on the upper arms, mounted to the fuselage bottom.

They're not the 1/4 standard zerks found elsewhere on the gear.  They're probably smaller due to the confined space.

They're on the '70 C model and I've also seen them on early J's.

They may be Alemite 3018s but I'm not sure. 

 

Thanks.

[Buckeyechuck]

On 12/19/2020 at 11:58 PM, Nukemzzz said:

Yes, the main landing gear has press in zerk. This one in the nose gear steering head has threads but it’s smaller than the common 1/4”. 

Anyone have issues with greasing mains with the press in zerks. Most of my grease comes out the press point and doesn’t go into the bushings; even with the airplane on Jack’s and load off of the mains. I have supplemented with heavy LPS. 

[PT20J]

18 hours ago, Buckeyechuck said:

Anyone have issues with greasing mains with the press in zerks. Most of my grease comes out the press point and doesn’t go into the bushings; even with the airplane on Jack’s and load off of the mains. I have supplemented with heavy LPS. 

My IA taught me this trick and it worked for me. Jack the plane and then raise the gear only enough to get it past the over-center locked down position. Then connect the grease gun and pump grease while rocking the wheel up and down.

Skip.

[PT20J]

19 hours ago, TX-Champ said:

Anyone find a good source for the smaller 1/8" zerk fittings for the main gear?  These are the tiny grease fittings on the upper arms, mounted to the fuselage bottom.

They're not the 1/4 standard zerks found elsewhere on the gear.  They're probably smaller due to the confined space.

They're on the '70 C model and I've also seen them on early J's.

They may be Alemite 3018s but I'm not sure. 

 

Thanks.

According to the M20J IPC, its a Alemite 3019.

[Buckeyechuck]

2 hours ago, PT20J said:

My IA taught me this trick and it worked for me. Jack the plane and then raise the gear only enough to get it past the over-center locked down position. Then connect the grease gun and pump grease while rocking the wheel up and down.

Skip.

I’ll try it next annual. Hopefully the zerks won’t come out when I pull off the grease gun.