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Wet Bolt Knowledge

Flyer32RLS

Flyer32RLS

Well-known member
I'm in a quandary. I have one wet bolt that will not take grease. Here is what I have done:
1. Tried greasing - grease won't go in.
2. Took zerk fitting out. used small nail to come in from the back side thinking maybe its plugged up.
3. Grease cam thru zerk on attempting to see if it would flow. It did.
4. Replaced zerk fitting tried greasing, making sure the indications on the bolt head showing which way the weep hole was pointed was at 3 o'clock. nothing, probably 10-12 pumps, nothing out backside. All the others oozed grease a little.
5. Bought new zerk fitting. replaced. greased, nothing again.

I'm lost. I know its not a huge deal but don't want to put many miles without the bolt being greased. Its on the passenger side, last bolt for the leaf springs.
My rig is new. Just got it in September and have maybe 800 miles on it.
Oh, by the way, it would appear that the wet bolts did not have much grease in them. It took a pretty good amount of pumps in each one before I could see a little grease coming out around the bracket.

Is anyone knowledgeable about wet bolts?

How difficult is it to just take the weight off that back leaf spring to get the bolt out and replace/fix/beat the hell out of it?
I'm pretty mechanical and can do that little bit of work. Just don't want to mess up the leaf springs not knowing what i'm doing.
Thanks for your help!

Happy Glamping! :cool:
 
BryanValRox

BryanValRox

Elite Member
Flyer32RLS said:
I'm in a quandary. I have one wet bolt that will not take grease. Here is what I have done:
1. Tried greasing - grease won't go in.
2. Took zerk fitting out. used small nail to come in from the back side thinking maybe its plugged up.
3. Grease cam thru zerk on attempting to see if it would flow. It did.
4. Replaced zerk fitting tried greasing, making sure the indications on the bolt head showing which way the weep hole was pointed was at 3 o'clock. nothing, probably 10-12 pumps, nothing out backside. All the others oozed grease a little.
5. Bought new zerk fitting. replaced. greased, nothing again.

I'm lost. I know its not a huge deal but don't want to put many miles without the bolt being greased. Its on the passenger side, last bolt for the leaf springs.
My rig is new. Just got it in September and have maybe 800 miles on it.
Oh, by the way, it would appear that the wet bolts did not have much grease in them. It took a pretty good amount of pumps in each one before I could see a little grease coming out around the bracket.

Is anyone knowledgeable about wet bolts?

How difficult is it to just take the weight off that back leaf spring to get the bolt out and replace/fix/beat the hell out of it?
I'm pretty mechanical and can do that little bit of work. Just don't want to mess up the leaf springs not knowing what i'm doing.
Thanks for your help!

Happy Glamping! :cool:
Click to expand...
Flyer, lift and support the frame so there is no weight on the suspension.
Also support the axle in a neutral position.
Hold the head of the wet bolt secure and loosen the nut. If the pin is unloaded(neutral) tap the nut so that the serrations of the bolt exit the hanger. You will need to loosen the nut little by little to protect the threads from damage. As the bolt exits, insert a tapered pin punch to hold the alignment. Once you have the wet bolt out, you will need to clean all of the debris from the passages. Be sure to inspect the spring bushing and use a tool to clean and regrease the bushing ID. Then grease the outside of the pin and reinstall so the exit holes are 3-9 o clock.Torque the bolt to spec and grease with the suspension unloaded. I had to do this to one of mine as the exit hole was plugged.

Above all Work safely, ensure frame and suspension is supported in a neutral position and above all DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGERS INSIDE OF ANY OF THE HOLES.
 
R

RockDr896

Well-known member
To say it more succinctly...take the weight off the bolt...I use my lift jacks to achieve (Neutral). The first time I did it, I was ready to replace the engine, before I checked the fuse..LOL.....Chances are, the grease fitting will accept the grease...otherwise...follow the rest of Bryan's post!!
 
BryanValRox

BryanValRox

Elite Member
Flyer32RLS said:
Could you PLEASE explain!!!
:ROFLMAO: 😂

Thanks so much for the step by step. I'll try it soon as I can and report back! Awesome!!
Click to expand...
Just offering a word of caution to warn against the possibility of loosing a finger if something were to slip off a jack or stand that is supporting the suspension. Didn’t want anyone inserting their finger in the spring hanger bore or the spring eye bushing.
 
Flyer32RLS

Flyer32RLS

Well-known member
BryanValRox said:
Just offering a word of caution to warn against the possibility of loosing a finger if something were to slip off a jack or stand that is supporting the suspension. Didn’t want anyone inserting their finger in the spring hanger bore or the spring eye bushing.
Click to expand...
BryanValRox, understood. I was attempting to make a funny about fingers in any hole! As Peanut would say,,,VRoooom! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
Happy Glamping!:cool:
 
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