Dexter EZ-Flex zerks not accepting grease

[Boudicca908]

On 1/31/2022 at 8:02 PM, John E Davies said:

Each bolt has a single hole in it, drilled at 90 degrees to the center hole, to allow the grease to flow outwards. Sometimes the weight of the trailer bearing down blocks one or three…. The first thing to try is to raise the hull to relax the suspension. Often that does the trick, if not, you could have a blocked zerk fitting, which can be replaced, or worst case, Dexter forgot to drill the holes properly. In that case, you need a new bolt and nut. The nuts are in theory one time use and should be changed.

I am revisiting 3 of my zerks today, that resisted accepting grease. I had towed to a new location, and 2 of them accepted the grease, but the 3rd one did not. I don’t own a jack (yet) and may succumb to the pressure to buy one, but I do own a trailer aid tandem tire ramp, like THIS https://a.co/d/3WPOXCa

Would that work for this task? 
 

Second question:

If I remove that bolt, will the leaf spring (proper name?) come falling out? I don’t have a great amount of upper body strength. (It takes two hands for me to squeeze the grease gun.) I want to be prepared before I venture down this road. 

Edited August 5 by Boudicca908
Added question

[mossemi]

6 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

but the 3rd one did not

If you are just trying to lift the tire that is associated with the zerk that is not accepting grease, the trailer aid will probably work.  I wouldn’t take the wet bolt out, but I would remove the zerk fitting for cleaning or replacement.  If the bolt has to come out, I suggest going to a trailer shop and letting the professionals handle it.  And if you are going to continue doing your own grease jobs, invest in a battery powered grease gun.

Mossey

[Boudicca908]

13 hours ago, mossemi said:

I wouldn’t take the wet bolt out, but I would remove the zerk fitting for cleaning or replacement.

Thank you -- I will try looking for youtube or other videos about this -- because seeing the images of what I would call a 'bolt' and looking at the nut and head of the element that passes through, I don't see how to remove the zerk without removing the bolt. I'm heading to dry camp in the mountains this morning, so I will have to do this next step later. Will be night before I'm back online, assuming my starlink will work there. 

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I don't see how to remove the zerk without removing the bolt.

The Zerk is threaded into the bolt. Likely a 8 or10mm wrench to remove it. Or you can take a center punch and just see if you can push the little ball valve.

[mossemi]

On 8/5/2024 at 10:17 PM, mossemi said:

If you are just trying to lift the tire that is associated with the zerk that is not accepting grease, the trailer aid will probably work.

Or you could just lift the side of the Ollie that has the troublesome zerk with the rear jack.  The idea of lifting the trailer is to remove the downward pressure on the suspension system.  And do either of these procedures while the Ollie is connected to your truck.  If you are going to be under the trailer and you don’t have any jack stands to support the trailer while working on the suspension, be sure to place wood blocks or what ever you use under your jacks when setting up, under the frame as a safety measure.  Stay safe!

Mossey

[Boudicca908]

On 8/7/2024 at 6:42 AM, mossemi said:

Or you could just lift the side of the Ollie that has the troublesome zerk with the rear jack.  The idea of lifting the trailer is to remove the downward pressure on the suspension system.  And do either of these procedures while the Ollie is connected to your truck

This worked! I first used a paper clip to work on the little ball in the zerk, and felt it loosen up, but the grease didn’t flow until I drove the other (rear) tire up onto the trailer aide tandem tire ramp. 

That accomplished, I wanted to remove the zerk and go down the mountain to the hardware, to try to

QUESTION (1) ascertain the right size zerk (and buy some extras). 

I can’t get the zerk off. I have an assortment of adjustable wrenches, but none of them work. And I can’t tell 

QUESTION (2) which way to turn the zerk to remove it. 
 

QUESTION (3) recommended tool to use for the zerks?
 

Can anyone answer these 3 questions? 

Edited August 13 by Boudicca908
Added question

[Ronbrink]

17 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

This worked! I first used a paper clip to work on the little ball in the zerk, and felt it loosen up, but the grease didn’t flow until I drove the other (rear) tire up onto the trailer aide tandem tire ramp. 

That accomplished, I wanted to remove the zerk and go down the mountain to the hardware, to try to

QUESTION (1) ascertain the right size zerk (and buy some extras). 

I can’t get the zerk off. I have an assortment of adjustable wrenches, but none of them work. And I can’t tell 

QUESTION (2) which way to turn the zerk to remove it. 
 

QUESTION (3) recommended tool to use for the zerks?
 

Can anyone answer these 3 questions? 

Q1 - A word of caution, my 2020 OLEll had two different thread size zerks; specifically 1/4-28 and M6x1mm. Other than a couple of 90° at EZ-Flex top, I choose to replace the stock straight ones with 45° angle zerks to ease servicing. I ordered mine from Grainger’s. 
Q2 - Turn counter clockwise (left) to loosen, clockwise (right) to tighten. 
Q3 - An adjustable wrench will have too much play and you will end up rounding the bolt head. Use the appropriate box end  wrench, based on the thread type as to whether a Standard or Metric wrench is needed. Likewise a proper socket may suffice, but I like being able to see the zerk when removing. 

[mossemi]

19 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I can’t get the zerk off. I have an assortment of adjustable wrenches, but none of them work. And I can’t tell 

As a general rule, any tool that does multiple things or sizes doesn’t do any of them well and adjustable wrench’s have a place, but it’s not for zerk fittings.  And that also applies to me, I can break any thing.

So my advice and using @Ronbrink information is to go to an auto parts store and see what they have as far as zerk fittings go.  I seem to remember that the NAPA store I frequent, has variety packs that have different styles like straight, 45° and 90° and  maybe different sizes.  Pickup several types and sizes and also check for box end wrenches that fit while you have the zerks in hand.  And check their return policy so you can return the wrong ones.

Also try some penetrating oil on the zerk threads.

Mossey

 

Edited August 14 by mossemi

[Ronbrink]

1 hour ago, Ronbrink said:

I ordered mine from Grainger’s. 

@Boudicca908 Alternatively, one can take their zerks to most any hardware store and use a convenient thread gauge (SAE/Metric) to determine thread size, then order online or purchase at a retail store exactly what is needed. Grainger’s offers stainless steel zerks and protective caps; no worry of rust and corrosions, or road grime with the two. As a side note, once the thread size is determined also get a matching nut to ‘thread test’ the other zerks as removed; if the nut doesn’t easily thread on then a different thread size zerk will be needed in that instance. 

[jd1923]

7 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

specifically 1/4-28 and M6x1mm

That's nuts that Dexter would mix SAE and metric sizes on the same suspension, but Ron knows his stuff and has given you all the info you need.

It could be that there was one size for the outers and another for the E-Z Flex on the inners which was an add-on component. I just took a look at mine and inner to outer Zerks appear somewhat different. Both took either a 5/16" (.3125") or 8mm (.3150") wrench, since they are close. All you need is an 8mm open-end/box-end combo wrench. Because of the bolt/wrench size you can't tell if the threads are metric or SAE without removing them. To buy extras, remove one at the end and one at the E-Z flex.

I use brake line (aka flare nut) wrenches for these, because I have them. They are the safest for soft bleed nipples used in hydraulic brake systems and work well for Zerks too. Unnecessary, but this is a nice tool to have for $9 for the two most common sizes today: Utoolmart Flare Nut Wrench, 8mm x 10mm Metric Double Open End, 1Pcs - Amazon.com

[Boudicca908]

11 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Q1 - A word of caution, my 2020 OLEll had two different thread size zerks; specifically 1/4-28 and M6x1mm. Other than a couple of 90° at EZ-Flex top, I choose to replace the stock straight ones with 45° angle zerks to ease servicing. I ordered mine from Grainger’s. 
Q2 - Turn counter clockwise (left) to loosen, clockwise (right) to tighten. 
Q3 - An adjustable wrench will have too much play and you will end up rounding the bolt head. Use the appropriate box end  wrench, based on the thread type as to whether a Standard or Metric wrench is needed. Likewise a proper socket may suffice, but I like being able to see the zerk when removing.

Q1 -- Oh boy! Maybe that's why the service department couldn't answer that question. This is good to know; I might need to buy 2 different tools as well as 2 different size replacement zerks. Grainger's will be on my to-do list. 

Q2 -- Thanks. I thought I should ask, since I've encountered a case where one threaded thing screwed into another threaded thing can be opposite hand. 

9 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Alternatively, one can take their zerks to most any hardware store and use a convenient thread gauge (SAE/Metric) to determine thread size, then order online or purchase at a retail store exactly what is needed. Grainger’s offers stainless steel zerks and protective caps; no worry of rust and corrosions, or road grime with the two. As a side note, once the thread size is determined also get a matching nut to ‘thread test’ the other zerks as removed; if the nut doesn’t easily thread on then a different thread size zerk will be needed in that instance. 

Since I don't have the tool to get them off, I used my caliper to measure the one front zerk, and took the caliper to the local hardware store. It was my lucky day! The hardware guy turns out to be a machinist. He thinks it's 8mm but suggested that I come by with the Oliver tomorrow morning, on my way south, and he will help me determine the size and thread, and find the right tool. Or tools. I do have caps I purchased, and they make a huge difference. 

Thanks for the photo too; I like the look of those 45 degree angled zerk fittings. I can imagine it's a LOT easier to get the grease gun fitting on there with those. 

10 hours ago, mossemi said:

Also try some penetrating oil on the zerk threads.

Oh good -- thanks! I'm learning! 

Many thanks to all for the help. I'll be at the hardware tomorrow, but likely not in a place where I can work on the zerks until a few days later. I'll follow up from there. 

Edited August 15 by Boudicca908
added photo

[jd1923]

9 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Ron, how in the world do you keep this so clean? Just beautiful!

Ours is 4 years older than yours, E-Z Flex OTT installed in 2018, picture from last summer when I work an overall suspension maintenance. I pressure washed everything and steel-brushed the E-Z Flex and wet bolts.

My jack and jackstands also don't look pretty either, just old tools about as old as me! Love the old tools, still work great. Good enough, but yours is pretty, even the brick drive!

[Boudicca908]

I added a photo (on my last post). This is the front streetside zerk that finally took some grease. But notice that the grease only comes through at the outside, and doesn't seem to completely penetrate to the far side? 

[Ronbrink]

13 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Ron, how in the world do you keep this so clean? Just beautiful!

Thanks. This picture says it all, a few cans of Parts Cleaner are introduced to my suspension friends! 

[Boudicca908]

On 8/14/2024 at 9:07 PM, Boudicca908 said:

I'll be at the hardware tomorrow

UPDATE:

So, the hardware person I initially spoke to was a machinist; but he was out sick the next day. The person that helped me struggled to figure out what size tool was the correct one (and we tested several zerk fittings, since it was mentioned that there might be more than one size). I purchased $80 in tools and zerks that day. In the process, the problem  zerk was totally mangled and man helping me couldn't get it out -- he advised that I go to an auto repair to have them pull the wet bolt, in order to remove the zerk. None of the five local shops could see me until the following week! So I moved on south to my next destination, stopping along the way to make an appt with an auto repair. Yesterday I met up with Seth at Ol' Reliable in Walsenburg CO -- hats off to this great auto repair shop. In 10 minutes he had that zerk out, my new zerk installed and grease applied. I watched him -- he gently tapped the socket squarely onto the head before he attached the driver. "The guy was using the wrong size tool," he said.  $20. 

[mossemi]

On 8/20/2024 at 10:43 AM, Boudicca908 said:

"The guy was using the wrong size tool," he said.  $20.

Sooooo, did you buy the right sized tool for future zerk removal?  And what size was the right sized tool or tools?

Mossey

[Boudicca908]

On 8/21/2024 at 7:49 PM, mossemi said:

Sooooo, did you buy the right sized tool for future zerk removal?  And what size was the right sized tool or tools?

 

Yes -- I now have both 1/4" and 5/16" wrenches. Plus I purchased a socket and a short-handled driver in order to access the zerks that are hidden 'around the corner' (not accessible with a regular wrench). I have two different sizes, because the existing zerks need 5/16" -- but the replacements need 1/4" (the head -- or would you call that a nut -- is different). These tools fit -- we tested them.  The threads are all "28".

[Boudicca908]

On 8/5/2024 at 10:17 PM, mossemi said:

invest in a battery powered grease gun

@mossemi I just registered this suggestion in my brain.  Might be a very good addition for my tool box. Will look at these. 

[mossemi]

@Boudicca908 I invested in a Milwaukee a M12 drill/driver about 6 years ago and I have added about 6 additional tools from the M12 family.  I usually just buy the bare tools because I don’t need any more chargers.  I buy from who ever has the best price which is typically Home Depot around Black Friday when they usually have the best prices on tools and batteries.

I will admit that when I see the battery powered grease gun sitting on the shelf, I think that it was a waste of money!  When I get on a creeper and scoot under the Ollie and grease the zerks, I think that it maybe the best tool I ever invested in.

Mossey

[jd1923]

Hmmm…

M12 good. I went with Dewalt years ago for 20V and 60V batteries and now have a good 10+ bare tools, 6 batteries and 3 chargers. One charger is permanently in the rear of the Oliver attic!

We always have 2 Dewalt flashlights on camp, a 1/4” impact and leaf blower w 60V. Don’t know if I can rationalize the cost of this, but hmmm… (maybe for Christmas!)

https://a.co/d/fzMbNbC

[mossemi]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

now have a good 10+ bare tools, 6 batteries and 3 chargers

You win!

Mossey

[ScubaRx]

4 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Hmmm…

M12 good. I went with Dewalt years ago for 20V and 60V batteries and now have a good 10+ bare tools, 6 batteries and 3 chargers. One charger is permanently in the rear of the Oliver attic!

We always have 2 Dewalt flashlights on camp, a 1/4” impact and leaf blower w 60V. Don’t know if I can rationalize the cost of this, but hmmm… (maybe for Christmas!)

https://a.co/d/fzMbNbC

Bite the bullet, and buy the one with the charger, battery and case. Especially if you plan to carry it with you on trips. Exchange the coupler for a LockNLube and you are better than good to go. All neat and tidy in a case that won't allow the grease that will inevitably ooze out, collect dirt to get onto everything else you will be carrying. This would not be an issue if all your trips are short and you're always back home before it's time to grease up again. Our average trip is >5K miles, so our GG usually makes the trip with us.

Edited August 23 by ScubaRx

[jd1923]

59 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:

Bite the bullet, and buy the one with the charger, battery and case. Especially if you plan to carry it with you on trips.

Love you, Steve! No wonder your 3500HD and Oliver are upgraded to carry 18,000+ combined GVWR! 🤣

[Boudicca908]

On 8/23/2024 at 2:35 AM, ScubaRx said:

All neat and tidy in a case that won't allow the grease that will inevitably ooze out, collect dirt to get onto everything else you will be carrying.

My grease gun, assorted accessories, extra tubes of grease, paper towels and disposable gloves are neatly stowed in a kitchen garbage bag (flat) in a plastic crate in the bed of the truck, because I could imagine the mess. My trips are long distance (partly because I live so far south) so I will always carry my grease gun along. I will look at these when I get home (another 2 months!) and I appreciate the suggestions from everyone here. 

Edited August 26 by Boudicca908

[jd1923]

On 8/22/2024 at 11:35 PM, ScubaRx said:

dThis would not be an issue if all your trips are short and you're always back home before it's time to grease up again.

Our longest time away is 4 weeks. With all the Oliver work I do at home (upgrades all summer!), I'll leave the big tools in my garage and enjoy the short time we get away.

We're leaving to the Texas Rally 2 weeks early to spend time in the White Mountains of AZ and then Lincoln NF of NM. A week plus in The Hill Country, Inks Lake and South Llano River SP. Another week to 10 days on our return, to Marfa TX and Davis Mountains SP. Lastly Silver City NM on our return home. We'll go from home to Central TX and back without any travel on Interstates. I'll have some basic tools, though do not plan on using them. I'll deal with Zerks, and other maintenance, before and after! 🤣