How has anyone delt with this zerk problem?

[Mart]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

I will try that making sure the end of the zerk does not pass the inside surface of the clam.

Yeah, you might have to file a little bit off the end of the fitting.

Mart.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by 1937pickup

Does anyone know what they did back in the day? These cars did not just roll off the assembly line. There must have been a solution when they were common.

My thinking is that when the tranny mount is new it holds the clam up high enough to get the grease gun on the zerk but over time it may compress just enough to lower the clam zerk down too close to the frame. Mine tranny mount was new 50,000 miles and 4½ years ago so maybe it's worn down over that time. I don't know. I've ordered a new one and when it comes I'll compare both carefully to see what differences if any. If they're identical I'll know that's not the correct answer.

[Mike51Merc]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

My thinking is that when the tranny mount is new it holds the clam up high enough to get the grease gun on the zerk but over time it may compress just enough to lower the clam zerk down too close to the frame. Mine tranny mount was new 50,000 miles and 4½ years ago so maybe it's worn down over that time. I don't know. I've ordered a new one and when it comes I'll compare both carefully to see what differences if any. If they're identical I'll know that's not the correct answer.

Did you try jacking up the rear of the transmission a bit?

I'm not familiar with the clamshell on a closed drive, but perhaps you could flip it so the grease fitting is on the top instead of the bottom?

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Mike51Merc

Did you try jacking up the rear of the transmission a bit?

I'm not familiar with the clamshell on a closed drive, but perhaps you could flip it so the grease fitting is on the top instead of the bottom?

To jack up the transmission to get what grease I put in a month ago I had to remove the floor, loosen the transmission mounting bolts and jack it up. Others have suggested putting the zerk on top but that means removing the floor every time it needs greased which is every 1,000 miles or more than once a month for me as much as I drive. Removing the floor of my car requires removing the clutch and brake pedals, disconnecting the gas pedal, removing the floor mat, removing the padding underneath it, removing the water barrier underneath that, removing the radio foot control, removing all screws that hold the floor down, and removing the floor to put the grease in then reversing the procedure when done. Hope I can find a better alternative than that but thanks anyway.

[Mart]

Hang on.

The tranny mount bolts solidly to the ears of the transmission rear mount. the clearance between the rear of the trans and the trans mount does not change if the rear mount rubber goes soft. The whole shebang may sit lower relative to the frame, but the critical clearance we are looking at here does not change.

If yours is a repro rear mount, who is to say if the clearance is the same as the genuine ford mount it rolled off the line with?

If the clearance of that fitting is not adequate, it is because the rear mount is wrong. Not worn, wrong.

If something is wrong it needs to be put right. In this case, a new rear mount might be the answer. It may be that the new rear mount is the same as the one you have.

I will repeat the advice I offered twice already.

Add washers between the ears of the trans mount and the rear mount until enough clearance is gained to get access to the grease fitting.

Please stop agonising over this and just put into place a simple fix that does not involve protracted floor removal and messing about.

here's a novel solution: Why not just carve a chunk out of the rear mount to give clearance? They are a replaceable item, around 25 bucks. get a new one, set it up on the trans as a dry assembly with the clam shell halves in place and grind a chunk out of it.

It may be that the new mount gives enough clearance out of the box.

Mart.

[big job]

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Napa, its not 90 degs hard to explain, its straight with a slit on the side, so you screw
this on the grease gun it is slid in sideways. I have a couple zerks on a backhoe, impossible to grease until i found this at Napa. best i can explain..

[28A]

Why don't you just replace the mount, and while the old mount is out.. grease it up good.. put new mount in and forget about it?

Or do what mart said and the three washers ontop of the trans mounting ears put them underneath the mount instead.

Sounds like you are overthinking such a simple problem..

[Cecil/WV]

Why do you grease it every 1000 miles? Is it leaking out? Once filled, it should last a long time.

[Mike51Merc]

Henry,
If it troubles you so (and it sounds like it does), remove the clamshell and the zerk, weld up the old hole, drill and tap a new hole in a different place that's more accessible.

[51 MERC-CT]

Is it my imagination or an optical illusion or is the tranny shifted to the passenger side.
If shifted maybe a slight nudge with a pry bar would give enough clearance to access the fitting.

[1931 flamingo]

Do as Mike51Merc says. JMO
Paul in CT

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

Is it my imagination or an optical illusion or is the tranny shifted to the passenger side.
If shifted maybe a slight nudge with a pry bar would give enough clearance to access the fitting.

You might be right. The solution may be as simple as that.
Right now everything but the engine is off of the car waiting for parts coming from Mac VanPelt to rebuild the drive line, transmission, and clutch. Before I reinstall the transmission I will bolt the clam shell to the rear bearing retainer on the transmission and bolt it down to the new tranny mount and see what clearance I have for the zerk and go from there. It may well be that the mounting holes are big enough to "cheat" the whole thing to the driver's side and create enough room without anything else. I like it better than shimming up the tranny on its mount.

Thanks for the idea.

[19Fordy]

Will a 45 degree zerk will work?
https://www.google.com/search?q=45+d...sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Or maybe a street elbow?
http://www.lincolnindustrial.com/cat...ic/pg02-21.pdf

But in the end, I would also first try 51Merc's idea.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Cecil/WV

Why do you grease it every 1000 miles? Is it leaking out? Once filled, it should last a long time.

Originally Posted by G.M.

Once greased with a low drop point grease it will be years before it will need it again. G.M.

I filled the U-joint cavity with grease when I installed a new drive line in December 2012. Like G.M., I thought that the grease would just stay in there (it has no place to go, right?) and I wouldn't have to add any for a long time. Well, that long time was a year until I started getting the vibration in December 2013 and pumped a half cartridge of grease in there in February. Just a month later (last week) I removed the rear axle and torque tube to open up the U-joint cavity thinking that it should be full of grease that I just pumped in there a month before. It was not. There was only a "residue" of grease in there. Discussing it with Mac VanPelt last week, he said the grease leaks into the torque tube. So, I guess that's why my Ford operator's manual says to add grease to the clam every 1,000 miles and that's what I'm a gonna do from now on.

[42merc]

Three pages of suggestions, sounds like Henry just likes to type.
PUT IN A NEW TRANS MOUNT, works for 38,000,000 other Fords.

[Teich]

As has been suggested install new zerk 90* make sure that coupler on grease gun is the small diameter one, and a good one , if need be grind mount as needed Laurie

[1937pickup]

Oh Old Henry I did not put two and two together until just now. I know more about pre war than post war-but isn't the universal joint in the clam shell? If so we are into the dreaded what type of grease to use when greasing. STP mixed with wheel bearing grease, wheel bearing grease, 10,000 weight motor oil or the John Deer corn head grease.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by 1937pickup

Oh Old Henry I did not put two and two together until just now. I know more about pre war than post war-but isn't the universal joint in the clam shell? If so we are into the dreaded what type of grease to use when greasing. STP mixed with wheel bearing grease, wheel bearing grease, 10,000 weight motor oil or the John Deer corn head grease.

I've been using JD Corn Head grease but am switching back to chassis grease only for the reason that Jiffy Lube can pump it in when they're doing the rest of the 18 zerks underneath instead of me having to jack up the car, put it on jack stands, and do the "beached whale shimmy" under there to do it myself.

[topchop]

Old Henry, I know just what you mean. A while ago I posted comments about a noise in the drive train, and suggestions were noted about greasing the front u-joint and mid torque tube bearing. Confusion followed with not being able to find a grease fitting in the front u-joint. It took me a while to discover that the previous owner (or before that) had removed the zerk and forgot to put it back.
I decided to try to reinstall a fitting. It took a while, but I had to remove the little 90 degree head so it will thread on (wouldn't swing clear of the rear tranny mount), position it in the right clock position, so I could carefully install the small fitting. Wow, what a pain. Never thought about what you did, and lift the whole dang thing up to clear.

Jim

[1931 flamingo]

How about just take the clam shell off and work on it on the bench??
Paul in CT