what does "grease the fittings" mean in terms of changing oil?

Question

i heard all mechanics should grease the fittings and i have to make sure they do since most don't.

Answer 1

those are fittings on parts that can be greased like front end parts,and u-joints,it helps them to last a lot longer ,most to the newer cars though have very few of them,if you buy replacement parts they have grease fittings in them,the factory parts though usually don't,they last good though,but their for greasing any part you find one on,it extends the life of any part to keep it greased well,good luck with it.

Answer 2

I need to comment on something said by the second response. Flooding a grease fitting with new grease is a good way of destroying that grease fitting. If the fitting is so bad that dirt is getting into it, flooding it with new grease is only prolonging the inevitable, which is the need to replace that joint. New grease is to replace what may have leaked out because the best seal is still going to loose grease.
As has been said, "grease the fittings" means just that, grease fittings if any are present, need to be given a good injection of new grease, but not enough to break the joint seals.

Answer 3

Not to long ago, vehicles had steering components and other locations on the vehicles that had nibs that would take grease. Thus when a vehicle was brought in for service, the saying was, I'd like a LOF or lube (grease), oil and (oil) filter change. Most vehicles today have sealed gease locations with no nibs and even if you wanted to, will not take grease from a pressure gun.

Answer 4

An oil change has nothing to do with a grease fitting.
An oilchange/lube would include[should] a chassis lube job.
Small nipples that will accept a grease gun will allow one to flood all bad out of the fitting to fill it with new grease.
It is always worth it to do this,but an oil change is only a crankcake oil change with an oil filter.Never put grease in your engine.
A Toyota Echo,for example, though would have nothing to lube so an oil change/lube would not include what cannot occur.

Answer 5

Older cars have grease fittings in the inner and outer tie-rod ends, drag link, idler arm, ball joints and wheel bearings could be re-packed by hand . Moronic penny pinching manufactures and bow wow designers have eliminated grease fittings on most new cars. When the tie-rods have no more "sealed" lubrication they dry out your forced to buy new ones. Funny thing is you as a customer can still opt. for replacement TRW or Moog ball joints universal joints and tie-rod ends which still thank goodness have grease fittings.

Answer 6

Yep, I think somebody already said it. LOF Lube, oil, filter. Lube is topping off essentially anything under your car with a grease zerk and is routine preventative maintenance. As stated prior, mainly tie-rod ends and u-joints. Also again, some components were not designed to maintained in such a way and thus will not have a grease zerk.

Answer 7

some cars have grease points on the steering rods that need greasing