Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:21:28 -0500
Reply-To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: What Type of Grease Lasts 20 Years?
In-Reply-To: <4f0ce8bc.90d7e70a.7546.625c@mx.google.com>
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At 08:41 PM 1/10/2012, Derek Drew wrote:
>-- CV joint grease tends to be too runny, I think.
It's a special-purpose grease for an application about as far from
wiper pivots as you can imagine. And quite possibly loaded with lead.
>-- I don't need non-wash-off aluminum bel ray waterproof grease there.
I'm sure that would work perfectly, but it's not too likely that the
existing grease is aluminum based. To use it you'd need to fully
degrease the joints first. Given that you don't actually know what's
in there now that's the safest thing to do anyway. But if you were
taking bets, I'd bet on it being a lithium base.
>-- As far as I can tell, Bentley changed its recommendation that you
>use lithium grease on the shifter parts and changed its mind to say
>to use CV joint grease (G 000 602 MoS2 grease, it says).
I got a little bit of special VW moly grease from the parts guys
(they let me scoop out a pill-bottle-full. I think they said it was
NGLI 3 -- very stiff grease with a golden shimmer inside the
black. Pretty sure it was what they dug up when I went asking for
stuff for the shift linkage and my eyes bugged out when I saw what
they wanted for their unit-of-sale.
Since the shift linkage isn't an extreme-pressure application I
imagine they're hoping to get some dry-film lubrication from the MOS2
when/if the grease washes off in the weather?
G 052 133 A2 - specified CV joint grease for '84 and '89 as of Etka
7, update 597. Didn't check other years but I doubt a difference.
G 052 133 A3 - specified for '91 Passat.
G 052 150 A2 - lithium grease, on page with brake slave cylinder for '89
G 000 602 not found in Etka. However the universe seems to think
it's CV joint grease along with 603.
Service materials:
G 000 100 - grease for clutch plate splines.
G 000 150 - lubricating paste for door checks
G 000 300 - high melting point grease for distributor
G ooo 190 01 - grease, no other description
G 000 405 A2 - silicone grease
G 000 450 O2 - grease for sliding and tilting roof (sunroof) and for
electric window lifters
G 000 650 - lubricating paste for fitting brake shoes and cables
>As I recall, white lithium grease is among the least reactive greases
>and so safest, so I would assume it might be the best all around
>general purpose grease unless you are working with parts known not to
>come in contact with rubber.
The lithium part is the metallic soap base in which the oil is
suspended. It's the qualities of the oil (and of the rubber) that I
think will mostly govern how it attacks rubber etc. (it's the soap
however that contributes largely to incompatibilities between
different greases). Since people spray white grease everywhere it
wouldn't surprise me if it were formulated with low attack potential
as a desideratum.
I tend to use a good grade of NGLI 2 lithium-base wheel bearing/all
purpose grease for this sort of low-speed shaft lubrication. Haven't
had a bad result yet. I do degrease before I apply it since there's
really little way of knowing what's already there. It would be
interesting to see what VW G 000 190 01 was actually like.
For what it's worth, the stuff I just wiped off the pivot on a spare
wiper motor is black and sticky, very different from dried-out wheel
bearing grease. The plastic bushing is also black, of course, but it
didn't seem particularly worn. A bit iffy given the age, but
wouldn't surprise me if it started out pretty similar to that NGLI 3
stuff I got from the dealer as it was also quite sticky.
Yours,
David
