grease fittings

Bigbucks10 · March 2, 2020

does anyone know how many , and the locations of great fittings on 2020 hd 2500/3500 trucks. thanks

newdude · March 2, 2020

Same as 2011-2019.

(2) outer tie rod ends
(2) upper ball joints
(2) lower ball joints
(1) top of pitman arm at the center link side of the arm
(1) top of idler arm pivot bracket
(1) top of idler arm at the center link side of the arm

BlancoSilverado · March 2, 2020

2 hours ago, newdude said:

Same as 2011-2019.

(2) outer tie rod ends

(2) upper ball joints

(2) lower ball joints

(1) top of pitman arm at the center link side of the arm

(1) top of idler arm pivot bracket

(1) top of idler arm at the center link side of the arm

~~Doesn't the 2017 have rack and pinion? so it wouldn't have a pitman arm,...ect?~~

Sorry i was wrong. for some reason i was thinking of the 1500s. thanks @newdude

Edited March 3, 2020 by BlancoSilverado

newdude · March 2, 2020

26 minutes ago, BlancoSilverado said:

Doesn't the 2017 have rack and pinion? so it wouldn't have a pitman arm,...ect?

A 2017 1/2 ton would have rack and pinion. HD is recirculating ball/linkage steering. OP was wondering on the 2020 HD trucks which are still recirculating ball/linkage steering, hence this post being in the HD section of the forum.

Edited March 2, 2020 by newdude

Bigbucks10 · March 3, 2020

So i called the dealer, they dont even know. Said they never greased one yet.

SkidooSteve12 · March 3, 2020

1 hour ago, Bigbucks10 said:

So i called the dealer, they dont even know. Said they never greased one yet.

LOL! I was just thinking to myself if the dealer greased all of those at my first and only free oil change / maintenance visit...? But seeing as they couldn't even do a proper tire rotation, I'm doubting they touched the grease zerks. I will grease them when I do the next oil change myself.

davester · March 3, 2020

I would suggest greasing them right away, as from what I've read other people report, they don't get greased at the factory, and at least some dealers don't grease them as part of PDI, so you probably are still on whatever minimal grease was in the joint by whoever made it. The sooner it gets some real grease in it, the sooner it stops wearing out as fast...

newdude · March 3, 2020

24 minutes ago, davester said:

I would suggest greasing them right away, as from what I've read other people report, they don't get greased at the factory, and at least some dealers don't grease them as part of PDI, so you probably are still on whatever minimal grease was in the joint by whoever made it. The sooner it gets some real grease in it, the sooner it stops wearing out as fast...

As of 2019 model year, the PDI consists of installing accessories, installing air dams/center caps/etc, PDI testing the battery, check for leaks under hood, oil level, Optikleen in the washer tank and thats about it. They no longer have the dealer do the test drive nor check fluids as fluids as the plants now verify fluid levels under the vehicle.

Bigbucks10 · March 3, 2020

i just did all nine fittings. you can get them all with a regular grease gun tool (not a 90degree one). you must remove front skid plate and turn wheel both left and right. Each fitting took min of 6 pumps grease. I imagine they were not filled from factory. Glad i got mine right away. I would recommend at long hose (36 inches) and battery operated really helps if working by yourself.

SkidooSteve12 · March 4, 2020

The owner's manual says to lubricate the 2500/3500 steering components at least every oil change.

This is the multi-point inspection check list from the dealer's website that did my 1st service maintenance visit. I didn't get a copy of this form so I just called and asked if they greased the steering components. The service rep said they don't print out those forms anymore, and haven't for several years now. And they don't usually write down if they greased the steering components, but they usually do grease them and I should be fine.

Well I guess I will double check.

davester · March 4, 2020

I would suggest crawling under the truck and checking. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if you look and find out the dealer hasn't been lubing anything as part of an oil change or vehicle inspection.

cdnSpinalTap · March 4, 2020

53 minutes ago, davester said:

I would suggest crawling under the truck and checking. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if you look and find out the dealer hasn't been lubing anything as part of an oil change or vehicle inspection.

So being a pretty handy guy, but not very knowledgeable about vehicle parts and components - are all of these areas that require grease easy to find? I'm getting a little lost in the jargon.

davester · March 4, 2020

You might try watching this video (not my video), he seems to show where the joints are. Don't do what he did and wait until the joints are creaking before greasing them...

cdnSpinalTap · March 4, 2020

44 minutes ago, davester said:

You might try watching this video (not my video), he seems to show where the joints are. Don't do what he did and wait until the joints are creaking before greasing them...

Thanks, I will take a look.

After hearing some of these stories, I am definitely going to start taking a more active approach in the maintenance of the vehicle. I take it in for all the scheduled checks, etc. but double checking never hurts.

davester · March 4, 2020

From what other's have said about dealer service departments (both for the dept as a whole, and individual mechanics), it's hit or miss whether you get everything done right or not. Some just swap the oil & filter (and sometimes even botch that), and some will also lube everything, check and top off if necessary all the other fluids, rotate tires, etc...

I believe the phrase you want to keep in mind for this would be "Trust, but verify"