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Author Topic: Johnny Joints won't take grease  (Read 4867 times)

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Offline Slewfoot

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Johnny Joints won't take grease
« on: July 22, 2014, 09:54:01 PM »
Two johnny joints on my rear upper control arms won't take grease - both of the joints at the axle.

I've removed the zerk fittings and they look ok, and the ball bearings move freely.  The holes where the zerks go look OK and I can feel the rubber of the bushings, no crud, just dirty grease.  I've greased them OK before, but now they only take enough to fill the zerk fitting before it starts squirting past the grease gun.  (I took them off again and there was grease inside the fitting itself so it's making it past the ball bearing in the zerk).

Does anyone know a trick to it (perhaps shifting weight with a jack) or am I looking at removing the control arms to get it sorted?
2006 Rubicon LJ (Unlimited) Mostly Stock

Offline cjust

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2014, 10:04:35 PM »
Id take the control arms out just to inspect the johnny joints.... What harm will it do
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Offline morerpmfred

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2014, 06:36:28 AM »
Sometimes the little check valve in the grease nipple does not let the grease flow through. A little grain of sand will do. Everything looks fine and there is movement in the check valve.
Can you push grease through the nipple with it removed ?

Offline Jrama

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2014, 09:25:58 AM »
Johnny Joints don't take a lot of grease and are easy to over grease, by that I mean forcing grease into them will blow out the urethane bushing.

Offline Slewfoot

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2014, 10:57:48 AM »
Got it sorted.

The zerks were fine.  Just needed a different grease gun where I could hold the coupler in place better and get more leverage on the pump handle.
2006 Rubicon LJ (Unlimited) Mostly Stock

Offline Bnine

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2014, 09:52:25 AM »
Johnny Joints don't take a lot of grease and are easy to over grease, by that I mean forcing grease into them will blow out the urethane bushing.

You cant "blow out the bushing" on a currie jj with grease.

Maybe on some of the knock offs like roughstuffs and trail ready's. Not curries.
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Offline Jrama

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2014, 08:26:21 AM »
Mine got pushed quarter way out (black urethane bushing)...Looked it up on the inter-webs and it said it was possible if you were a real arse hole with a grease gun....I Probably was....


Offline Bnine

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2014, 11:06:15 AM »
Mine got pushed quarter way out (black urethane bushing)...Looked it up on the inter-webs and it said it was possible if you were a real arse hole with a grease gun....I Probably was....



Still dont think it was a currie jj. With about 500 installed and at times standing on a grease gun I've never seen this happen, and if you look at the joint, what you are describing isnt even possible unless you had some factory defect.

Most the joints have a hole in the ball that allow the use of a greasable bolt, and also allows grease to go out the ball around the bolt if you are using the body nipple.

If this happened to you on a actual currie joint you either had a defective one, or should by a loto ticket cause "rare as frack" doesnt even begin to describe the chances of that happening.
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Offline Dingleberry

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2014, 02:29:16 PM »
You cant "blow out the bushing" on a currie jj with grease.

Maybe on some of the knock offs like roughstuffs and trail ready's. Not curries.

This has in fact happened to me also. And yes, it was a Currie Johnny Joint.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2014, 05:02:55 PM by morerpmfred »

Offline hps4evr

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2014, 06:57:20 PM »
Still dont think it was a currie jj. With about 500 installed and at times standing on a grease gun I've never seen this happen, and if you look at the joint, what you are describing isnt even possible unless you had some factory defect.

Most the joints have a hole in the ball that allow the use of a greasable bolt, and also allows grease to go out the ball around the bolt if you are using the body nipple.

If this happened to you on a actual currie joint you either had a defective one, or should by a loto ticket cause "rare as frack" doesnt even begin to describe the chances of that happening.

I rebuilt Jamal's JJ and this did indeed happen. I cannot say how it happened but the bushing was sticking out the side. It was very weird to see it like that... But to prove how good JJ's are In a pinch that bushing could have been re-used. I haven't seen it before or since.... So Jamal, go buy a lottery ticket;)
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Offline ARBXJ

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2014, 11:40:37 AM »

Offline ARBXJ

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Re: Johnny Joints won't take grease
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2014, 11:46:34 AM »