Changing my own oil; need some backup!

DaveS":7inq1yha said:
Tim, there should be what appears to be a "nut shaped" area on the zerk portion that remains in place.
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Yeah, there SHOULD be, bt it came off with the portion that broke off!
 
timflan":2hj4y630 said:
Yeah, there SHOULD be, bt it came off with the portion that broke off!
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So...it broke off flush, leaving just the threaded portion inside the hole?

If so, head down to a tractor or auto supply house, and pick up a stud extractor - commonly called an easy out or ez-out. They should be able to get you the right size, if a set is too expensive.

Here's a link for reference, however I'd not trust this is the right size for your application.

As you can see from the link above, they are basically a tapered drill bit with a left-hand twist. Carefully insert it into the broken zerk fitting, and slowly/gently twist it back out.

Usually, these work fine. However, the caution on being slow/gentle needs to be heeded - busting off the extractor, will leave you in a worse position than you are now.

Good luck...
 
Thats one reason I don't like the small grease guns. You can actually get angled fittings that fit on the end of the flexible hoses of the larger grease guns. I'd take one of the other zerk fittings out and take it to the auto parts store with me to get the correct size replacement for the broken one.
 
OK. Some photos to help illustrate the points:


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Monel Zerk Fittings for Marine use.

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Easy-Out Tool

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Special easy out tool designed for removing broken grease fittings and re-threading their bores. Also has built in socket wrench to remove and re-install Zerk fittings. Equivalent should be available at your local quality auto parts store. Description HERE.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Thank you Joe for posting those pix for Tim. I knew that you would come through! :lol:
 
Thanks for the comments!

It's fun to try to find photos that illustrate the points and link them together so that there can be less misunderstanding and ambiguity.

As a former teacher, I know how much easier it it for most people to "see" something in a photo or drawing than to get the picture through words, no matter how skilled the person is doing the describing.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Thanks Joe. Very clear. I've wrapped up the proceedings for the day.

I did go to the auto parts store, I dropped off my used motor oil, and I got an extractor bit just like in the picture, but very small. I got a new (metric) zerks fitting, too.

Went over to Fisheries Supply, but they closed early. "Winter hours". Beware winter hours! :-)
 
tim pick up the phone, I am at home. I can come down in the morning. Not to help but to video you is action.
 
Here are some photos from today. It's late, so no captions, sorry.

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Great oil "filler"! :wink:
Robbi
 
Tim...the nozzle on your grease gun appears to be tightened all the way down. Grab the knurling on the tip and loosen it from the gun. The tip is built like a chuck on a drill motor...and if loosened will go on and off the zerks with much less effort. If you are on a zerk that is difficult to get off...turn the knurled tip to loosen and the gun will come right off...maybe won't break the zerk next time!
 
Chris":gsolidyu said:
Tim...the nozzle on your grease gun appears to be tightened all the way down. Grab the knurling on the tip and loosen it from the gun. The tip is built like a chuck on a drill motor...and if loosened will go on and off the zerks with much less effort. If you are on a zerk that is difficult to get off...turn the knurled tip to loosen and the gun will come right off...maybe won't break the zerk next time!
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Yes, it is tightened all the way down. And it won't budge! I tried to loosen it before I broke the zerk, but being new to this, I wasn't positive it was supposed to loosen, and I couldn't get it to loosen anyway.

The new coupler fitting I bought yesterday afternoon tightens and loosens, just like a chuck. So I decided to try again to loosen the one with the zerk stuck in it. No luck. I've really mangled the cylindrical outside with a pair of pliers, while using a wrench on the hex-shaped part, and I can't get it to move at all.

So as near as I can make out, the coupler that came with my grease gun was faulty. I'm surprised I got it to go on at all, but it seemed to click into place with what I felt was an appropriate amount of pressure.
 
My god tim, you did not brake off the zerk , you pulled it apart. I have never seen this before. You should be able, or someone should be able, to grab the stud and turn it and back the zerk out with out braking it off. Did pat anderson help you with this? Oh no he was on the water and has a alibi, good lawyer.
 
Tim, welcome to my life - wait until you have to get a lug nut off! Seriously, this is why I will continue to have West Coast Marine change my oil, grease my fittings, and check everything out. I read the post down farther about loosening the tip on a grease gun. I am sure every man, woman and child in Alaska knew that, but nobody ever told me that. And when I posted that I had Mann's Trailer and Hitch do my brakes and bearings, somebody rather condescendingly said "Why don't you do it yourself, it is not that difficult." BS. Breaking a zerk off is one thing, screwing up your brakes and bearings is quite another...


timflan":109dvpys said:
Successfully greased one zerk fitting. The gun would NOT disengage from it. I pulled at it, yanked at it, moved it around a little and yanked some more. I tried prying gently, but just was not comfortable that that much force should be necessary. So I moved the grease gun from side to side, a little bit at a time, to see if I could get it off by pulling at an angle. Just a little at a time, you know, very gently. After a few tries, it felt like it was coming loose.

It came loose, alright! I've broken off the tip of the zerk fitting, which I still cannot remove from the grease gun, by the way. So I wonder how you remove the REST of the zerk fitting from the engine component, with nothing to grab onto. There's just a tiny little spring sticking out of it. Any wisdom? Hopefully I don't have to spend every penny I save changing my own oil fixing this.
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Pat Anderson":3cqpy5g5 said:
....I am sure every man, woman and child in Alaska knew that, but nobody ever told me that. ...
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I will admit I never knew that either! When I greased my engine my gun went over the zerk fittings no problem but I too struggled to get them off. Who knew the end was adjustable....I will check that out the next time I go into the shed.
 
Pat Anderson said:
Tim, welcome to my life - wait until you have to get a lug nut off! Seriously, this is why I will continue to have West Coast Marine change my oil, grease my fittings, and check everything out. I read the post down farther about loosening the tip on a grease gun. I am sure every man, woman and child in Alaska knew that, but nobody ever told me that. And when I posted that I had Mann's Trailer and Hitch do my brakes and bearings, somebody rather condescendingly said "Why don't you do it yourself, it is not that difficult." BS. Breaking a zerk off is one thing, screwing up your brakes and bearings is quite another...

I am having this post embroidered, suitable for hanging.


:lol:
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Marty, That's funny!

Only a professional journalist like our buddy, Tim, could stretch an oil change into 3 pages of posts.
 
I’ve got to admit this has been one of the funniest light hearted threads I’ve read here in a while.

Was an oilier before becoming a Journeyman heavy equipment operator, busted off a few zerks in my day; would carry an easy-out with wrench in one pocket and zerks in another.
Not the end of world, just a temporary annoyance.

As for Pat’s comment about Alaska he forgot to mention we use whale blubber for grease, it flows easier at -40.
Have to go; my igloo is melting-dang global warming!
:moon :D :wink
 
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