scheduled maintenance

[scottac]

Finding/New grease zerks

 

In my owners manual in the scheduled maintenance section it says to lubricate chassis components at 45,000 miles. is the above link what the manual is referring to.

 

thanks in advance

[RyanbabZ71]

should be but where does it say every 45K miles? Mine says like every 6K (every other oil change)

[JayMan]

The frequency of greasing also depends on where you live. Here in Canada, the "Smart Guide Maintenance Schedule" supplement recommends greasing every 5000km / 3000mi!

 

That's due to the extreme temperature swings (-42 F winter, +95 F summer) and the heavy road salting in winter.

 

It's a LOT easier if you jack up the front end, very safely support the front end, and remove that plastic air dam/shield. With the front wheels off, the ball joints are very easy to lube up.

 

Tom Fraley THANK YOU! One of those "why the heck didn't I think of that??" applies here. The zerks on the pitman arm / idler arm come from the factory as straight zerks.

 

The only way I've been able to grease them was to turn the steering wheel all the way to left lock to grease the pitman arm, then crank the steering wheel all the way to right lock to try to grease the idler arm. I bet 99% of GM trucks on the road have NEVER had their idler arm / pitman arm zerks greased due to this.

 

Thanks to the A/C compressor and the transmission cooler lines, it's almost imposssible to get the grease gun on the idler arm zerk. Of course, GM probably saved 20 cents by NOT using 90 degree zerks here!

 

I only wish my driveshaft had zerks on the U-joints. I've never gotten more than 80,000 miles out of those "lubed for life" U-joints

[scottac]

yeah I just got the truck and I am at about 44k that is why I was looking at that part of the schedule. but is this what the manual is referring to when it says "lubricate chassis components".

 

I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing. thanks.

 

Oh yeah. I have a grease gun but was wondering if there is a specific grease that I should use. the grease I have is for a riding lawn mower. Thanks.

[JayMan]

Yep, that's what they refer to. You'll notice that at 44K the truck is safely out of warranty. I don't think you can grease them TOO much, can you? Especially if you drive on heavily salted roads in winter, or if you drive on rough / washboardy roads.

 

The grease you need must state that it meets "NLGI 2." This is the most common automotive grease used, so hopefully you already have it on hand.

 

I've always used Esso Unitol, just so I only have to stock one brand of grease. It's good for everything automotive, on the farm, on the skidder, etc.