002

OIL&GREASE
with rick freeman
RICK THE OIL GUY
It’s been a crazy busy time
for me since writing my first oil
article for Loaded 4X4 issue 001.
I’ve resigned from my old job,
moved interstate and started
a new job. Since arriving in my
new locale, I’ve been working
long hours on the tools which
incidentally has included taking
oil samples and making repairs
due to lube failures, one of
which was caused by an overabundance
of oil!
So, it’s a new start for me, and
an opportunity to go right back
to oil basics 101 in this issue
and look at why lubrication is
even necessary. You’re probably
thinking the answer to that really
basic question is self-evident, but
let’s take a look at how lubricants
like oil and grease do what we
need them to do.
According to Wikipedia “A
lubricant is a substance, usually
organic, introduced to reduce
friction between surfaces in
mutual contact, which ultimately
reduces the heat generated
when the surfaces move.” Yep,
the goop is there to stop various
bits and pieces wearing, galling
and seizing. When we think of
the uses for oils and lubes, the
first vehicular items that come
to mind are the engine, gearbox,
diff, wheel bearings, perhaps a CV
- when you blow one – and, well,
that’s about it. And while they
are the lubed-up big ticket items,
there are plenty of other parts
that move in relation to each
other. A cable inside a housing,
a brake calliper slider on a pin, a
door hinge, a sliding spline as a
driveshaft plunges, even a brake
piston inside a calliper, to name
but a handful. All of these parts
need a lubricant of some type to
ease use and prevent premature
wear and failure, even if they use
whatever fluid they contain as
their lubricant.
With engine, gearbox and diff
lubrication we are concerned with
one of either two regimes, the