VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 unsticking sticking kingpin?

Ihave one king pin sticking causeing tight turning. Ibelive this is due to to the old grease turning to crud and pluged zerks.Ive removed and unpluged the zerks but am unable to get fresh grease in.Iam thinking of heating the area with a torch to loosen the old crud up to enable fresh grease in to drive the old out and would like some input as to weather or not this is a good idea.Thanks, Ron.

I have done it this way before you have to be careful not to damage the bushing using to much heat.The best way i have found is to leave the grease fitting in and have someone trying to put new grease in while you use the heat.Caution don't leave the heat in one area to long.Good Luck

Slowrider, I like your Cushman, that is one of the later models isn't it?
I have had good luck of pulling the Zerk, cleaning as far as I can with a piece of stranded copper wire, then spraying PB Blaster in and letting it soak for a few minutes spraying it again, then put a new Zerk in and hitting it with the grease gun (Lithium based grease)after a couple of pumps it seems to take grease pretty good, I hope you can get the kingpin fixed.
I have seen those hammer piston grease gun jobs advertised to free up old stopped up Zerks, but would not think they are not too good for any seals that may be present.

Thanks for the responce guys,ill try the p.b. blaster before i try the flame wrench.Would have tryed that last night but couldnt find the can untill i was done and let the vehicle down.It was on the front seat right where i left it :cry:Macky; my cushman is a 1959 highlander with an 8hp engine.Cushmans were made from the early 40s till the mid 60s.Its a step through model.59was the firs year for the fiberglass tail cover.Thanks again,Ron.

My two younger brothers had one older model 6 or 8 HP Cushman it was the step through model,it was used when they got it around 1952 and they rode it several years, sometimes towing a friend's bike with a rope around the bike's goose neck. It would always start with a couple of kicks.

This used to be rather common years ago.The owners would not have their chassis lubricated all winter and by Spring the king pins would be froze up.Warming up with a torch and pumping grease thru was the normal "fix".....The grease fittings are not plugged-the path the grease must follow is obstructed.Also use a lever type grease gun, not a pistol type.Nice thin grease or transmission gear oil will pump thru easier, especially in cold Wisconsin weather.

I only have a lever type and it takes all ive got to try and get grease through.Im getting grease in the upper but not sure on the lower.I put the straight tip on the torch and applyd heat while haveing some one work the wheel.While it was hot i tryed pumping grease in and also used a good amount of pb.blaster. While there was a 98% improvement theres still a slight amount of sticking.Genes advice on useing gear lube sounds like the right aproach to free and flush the area.Can i comonly find it in a tube? Gene ,i would also like your opinion on the use of a grease and gear lube mix to fill the steering box.Thanks,Ron.

The grease/gear lube mixture is in my opinion the correct lube for steering gears.Ay one time GM sold a steering gear grease.It came in a large tube.Was "runny" enough to flow into bearings and bushings.It was discontinued several years ago.
Prior to 1933 gear oil (#160) was used to lubricate the chassis.
There is a tool called Ramozerk.(spelling?)Its a little two piece piston that is filled with oil, placed over the fitting, and hit with a hammer.It forces oil thru the "part" and clears the way for the grease.I used to sell them off my tool truck.

It is important to grease the kig pins (and chassis)every year on cars that get limited use or every 1000 miles to prevent this from happening.When I grese my cars I raise the wheels off the ground to take the load off the suspension parts.

In the late '60's Chevrolet used nylon bushings for the king pins on the Chevy Vans.They "froze up" faster than the brass bushings and would melt if heat was applied.

Gene,

Do you have a "mix" that you'd recommend? I'm assuming you mean regular chassis lube mixed with some grade/weight gear oil in a certain percentage. When I rebuilt the box on my '52 Fleetline, I looked all over for steering gear lube, but the best I could come up with was 160W gear lube. 90W lube just worked it's way right past the seal as I drove the car; the 160W eventually does the same thing, but it takes considerably longer to do it!

I would pre-mix about half 90 and half chassis grease.

Gene's formula works.

This is comon trouble for us we clean out as possible oil hole then pump gun till tight then work steering either side to break up crust as it is forced out by new grease.

Thanks; I'll give it shot! Any suggestions on how to get this goo into the box? My wife's cake-icing bag might just turn up "missing"...

If the gear is rebuilt and old grease is cleaned out I would pre-mix.....If I would be just topping off the present level of the "grease" I would just add the gear oil and drive it a bit.This will cause it to mix with the old hard grease in the gear.-when you turn the steering wheel.If it tends to leak after a time (if it does you know that it reached the bushings) thetop it off again with chassis grease to "thicken" it up.
I topped of my 1950 with gear oil and it has never leaked a drop....if your seal is worn you may not be so lucky.