Grease fittings allow lubricants to be applied to bearings and joints. Modern fittings consist of a metal housing with a spring-loaded ball that traps grease and contaminants. They are commonly found in automobiles and can be filled quickly with a grease gun.
A grease fitting is a small component designed to allow the application of lubricants to bearings, joints and other moving parts. Ported orifices located in each grease fitting can allow pressurized lubricants to pass into a bearing but not to escape. This design can also prevent unwanted contaminants from entering a bearing or joint, which is a minor but important function. Before the invention of the modern grease gun, lubricants were typically pressed into place by hand or poured in, which can be more time-consuming, less efficient, and more messy than applying with a grease gun.
The first grease fittings, developed around the year 1916, used screw connectors. These first fittings were developed to enable the rapid application of lubricating grease to all types of bearings and other components. To do this, a device known as a greaser was also developed. The grease gun can be screwed onto a fitting and then used to very quickly fill a bearing with a lubricating substance. Later models of grease fittings performed the same function, but were much smaller and did not require a screw connection.
Modern grease fittings are very similar to the original designs and typically consist of a small metal housing with a cylindrical channel in it. The channel contains a spring-loaded ball that can trap grease and contaminants under normal circumstances. When an operator presses a grease gun on a fitting and activates it, the pressure of the grease can overcome the spring tension and fill the bearing. This method of application is generally more effective than older manual bearing packing techniques, as the pressure tends to force the grease into hard-to-reach spaces.
There are many different types of bearings and other components that may contain grease fittings, although automobiles are a common location for these parts to be found. Some automobiles use sealed bearings that require no lubrication, while others have a grease fitting in each bearing and bushing in the suspension and steering systems. It is also common to find grease fittings in universal joints, drive shafts, and sometimes even speedometer housings or cables. In some cases a vehicle will ship from the factory with plugs instead of accessories. Before you can perform the first lube service on one of these vehicles, you need to install a new grease fitting in place of each cap.
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