Date:         Tue, 7 Jun 2011 08:08:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: best lube for sliding door
In-Reply-To:  <279CB261-FC8A-4D66-AC8B-DB92B7EC8F28@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Frank,

Fortunately :)  I agree with you, I wasn't really all that comfortable
greasing the way I did, so everybody might want to disregard my method.
Perhaps I didn't check the archives enough, but I couldn't think of any
other way to lubricate the ball on the bottom track -- yes it does get lots
of dirt on the track, and I have worried that the grit will get into the
ball itself and jam it.

For the side rollers, yes I was able to look in there and see the roller,
which probably means bearings inside.  They goal was to quiet it down, since
it appears the metal of the roller rides on the metal of the track.

So what is the right way to quiet these things a bit, and how to lube the
bottom roller / track?  For the side rollers there appear to be 2, one to
hold the weight, and the other a horizontal guide.  I was almost thinking
I'd like to find a way to put some type of plastic strip on the track for
the roller that hold the weight in this area.

Roland

On Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 2:37 AM, Frank Condelli <RAlanen@aol.com> wrote:

>        Grease where you put it is just attracting dust & dirt that will
> eventually get into the BALL BEARINGS of the rollers.  It's the ball
> bearings that really need the lube.  Yes, it requires taking everything
> apart to get in there but just putting grease between the roller and the
> metal track it rides on is not the best solution.
>
>
> On 2011-06-06, at 4:37 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>
> > I just cleaned / lubed all the sliding door guides a few weeks ago.  I
> used
> > "White Lithium Grease" which is a good choice for this purpose.
> >
> > For example:
> > http://www.amazon.com/Panef-Corp-GS-20-White-Grease/dp/B000BXOFV6
> >
> > Your local home depot or equivalent should have it,not sure about the
> local
> > FLAPS.
> >
> > I put it on the bottom slide / roller, and also inside upper track and
> the
> > rear track.  Previously there was a "metal on metal" sound coming from
> these
> > areas, a bit of this grease quieted the whole thing down.  I used very
> > sparingly, since I didn't want a whole bunch of extra grease hanging
> around
> > collecting dirt, so a little already made a difference.  I think using
> even
> > more grease would provide even less noise.  To grease the rear roller, I
> > didn't have to remove the cover, just put the grease in the right exact
> > place with the 2 finger feel method:  one finger with grease on the tip,
> the
> > other finger clean, as a guide to find the right places.  The bottom
> roller
> > is a regular once-a-year maintenance area for me, clean and replace a bit
> of
> > grease.
> >
> > Reason for doing this?  I installed FatMat inside the sliding door, and
> > wanted to quiet the rollers at the same time.
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Frank Condelli
> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
> '87 Westy & Lionel Trains (Collection for sale)
> Frank Condelli & Associates - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the
> Ottawa Valley
> Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems
> BusFusion a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2011
>