Date:         Fri, 25 Jun 1999 19:23:51 -0600
Reply-To:     Fred Brittain <vanpire@BIBBS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Fred Brittain <vanpire@BIBBS.COM>
Subject:      CV GREASE, ETC (long)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Greeting Vanagonders,

Bought an 89 Westy last Oct from a friend who wholesales cars.  Had been
a dedicated lover of air-cooled Westys right up till the time a kid in a
high rise pick up T-boned by beloved 78.  My mom bought it new and I had
maintained/driven it the last ten years.  Bottom line on the 89 is that
I don't have a clue about things like what kind of cv grease is in it or
any other tidbits I could have gotten from a previous owner.  So, when I
decided to add (not replace) cv joint grease this week, I had some
questions about what to put in.
Started with research on the net.  Looked up NLGI (nat'l lube grease
inst.) and couldn't shed any light on the subject. I went to four flaps,
two oil distributors (one of which called his consulting engineer while
I was there) and didn't learn a whole lot.
No one at any flaps knew the compounds in their "cv joint" grease.  I
finally located one that  listed a lithium stearate base with 3%
molybdenum sulfide additive.  I found expensive aluminum base greases
(mostly syns) that claim to withstand extreme demands.
I went with some lithium base moly grease.  It's what I'd always used on
the 78. It had 175K and good, original cv joints.  I have drawn some
conclusions (engaged in groundless conjecture?) about successfully
adding grease with a needle.
The listee(s) who reported loosing large amounts of grease either out
the end or through a hole (epidermic) in the boot MAY have mixed greases
with incompatible bases.  I figure it's a crap shoot with me because I
simply don't know what had been put in them before.  I can say I got a
lot of grease into the joint by inserting the needle through the end of
the boot.  By counting pumps and dividing into 14 oz (standard grease
tube size) I know I got very close to 4.6 oz into each boot.
Also changed the brake fluid.  My fluid reservoir is stamped "use only
Dot 4."
When I put on a new fuel filter and noticed the old one was turned
backwards (gas does flow from tank to engine?) I had Tom Waits on the
original VW cassette deck. He's perfect for working on VW products. His
lyrics are often outrageous, sometimes abstruse, and others times make
no sense at all. I love my vehicle.

Peace and Wisdom

Fred 89
89 Westy