Grease Leakage at the Ball Joint

[BLB27]

After driving my 1927 coupe 10 miles for the first time since restoration, I noticed grease leaking from the ball joint. This is shown in the attached three photos. How common is this?

The first two photos show the left side of the ball joint, and the last shows the right side.

[JTT3]

Looks like it’s working. As you know Ts like to mark their spots. Best John

[Moxie26]

Normal leakage....

[speedytinc]

I see blue stuff. Thats the wrong sealant unless its ultra blue. Ultra or right stuff has a body that is petroleum resistant.
Sealant on that flange is an act of futility. Grease is going to ooze out @ the ball & coat it all.
Cant tell if you used a gasket between the 4th main & D/S flange. Thats a big no no, adding a bunch of unwanted slop in a BALL joint.
That will greatly add to the grease thrown. You need to use a heavy grease. regular stay lube molly melts out easy. A loose fitting 4th main or a missing output shaft plug will thin & wash out the grease sooner.
All the above will minimize the grease dropping.

All that said, its pretty normal.

P.S. IF you DO NOT have a gasket under the D/S flange & your ball joint is still loose from wear, the parts vendors sell a "D/S ball shim" to take up the wear. That will also limit grease drainage.

[Rich Eagle]

Here are some thoughts on that.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1293767961
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1277737095

[Norman Kling]

Looks fine to me. If you don't like it, just wipe it off. Be sure to use very thick grease without any graphite or Molly in it. Those two ingredients will cause magneto problems. Do not overfill the engine oil. Just between the upper and lower petcocks. If oil comes out the upper petcock when it is open, drain it out till it stops dripping. If you get no oil from the lower petcock, run a bit of wire in to be sure it is not plugged. If still no oil comes out, add one quart.
Only if oil comes out the U joint or if it runs down the driveshaft into the rear axle housing do you have a problem.
Norm

[Craig Leach]

Hi Bruce,
That is the amount of grease leakage that I like to see when stop putting gease in. Is there a gasket behind the fourth main or just silicone?
a gasket will usually make the ball too loose.
Craig.

[BLB27]

No gasket behind the fourth main.

[TXGOAT2]

S'post to do that.

[RajoRacer]

There better be a gasket between the ball cap and hogshead ! You don't want a gasket between the rear of the ball cap and the bolt-on collar !!!

Get someone to watch, if you can't see it for yourself (floor boards removed) but jerk the hand brake to neutral & back forward quick several times & see if the driveshaft ball is going to & fro.

[Oldav8tor]

I pump grease into mine every few hundred miles....lots of grease. A T will normally shed grease from that location. Remember, you're trying to lube the universal so don't use a grease so thick that it can't penetrated the moving parts.

Definitely never use oil or grease with graphite in it. You don't want to take a chance of it getting near the mag.

[jiminbartow]

I have always had a ball joint shim T-2581-SH, on mine that works well to stem the flow of grease from my drive shaft ball joint. I’m surprised this has not been mentioned until now. I got mine from Snyder’s. Jim Patrick

IMG_8123.jpeg (42.13 KiB) Viewed 1873 times

[speedytinc]

I have always had a ball joint shim T-2581-SH, on mine that works well to stem the flow of grease from my drive shaft ball joint. I’m surprised this has not been mentioned until now. I got mine from Snyder’s. Jim Patrick


IMG_8123.jpeg

Read the posts completely.

[jiminbartow]

Thank you John. I found your post where you suggested it first. Sorry. I’m bad about not reading the entire post. I guess I get in too much of a hurry. Jim Patrick

[John kuehn]

That’s the leak that keeps on leaking! Just like a Timax watch that keeps on ticking!
Some leak more than others. Just the way it is.
If you really drive a T fairly regularly you need to get under it and take a rag wipe off the drip or slow leak places. They eventually show up

[BLB27]

There is only one gasket, and it is between the ball cap and the hogshead.

[BLB27]

Thanks everyone for helping me understand that this grease leakage is not uncommon!

[CudaMan]

Now you know why the grease cup for the U-joint ball is larger than most or all of the others.