1997 Suburban

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 11:01 am

Dad came through.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 11:49 am

Ahh that style fitting SUCKS! The indented style with the little ball in the center? It's like a real grease fitting built in reverse. I friggin hate those! Had a customer with those fittings one time. Was the first time I had ever seen it, about 4 years ago - I had no way to grease them! Was so aggravating. If I see that style fitting, I won't buy them. They're super compact, but regular fittings have worked for 100 years - why these engineers feel the need to change everything all the time just baffles me, especially stuff that WORKS!!

Same thing happens over here parts wise. Years ago I gave up buying locally. Just ended up wasting half the day and coming home so pissed off I couldn't even work. Rockauto is my go-to for hard parts like that, but you've got to inspect the part thoroughly - lots of times they'll throw a chinese knock-off inside a genuine box (SKF, Timken, Spicer, etc..). Can't win today! Part of the reason I quit doing this for a living.

I don't even use a vice for u-joints. I find it easier, especially with aluminum driveshafts, to just get on the floor with blocks of wood, the appropriate-sized socket and a hammer, and tap, tap, tap until they come out. Less chance of bending the ears in around here with all the damned rust.

Yeah, gotta love scattering needles! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done that more than once. Back in the days when I first got my press, I've also blown an unseen, tipped-over needle right out the back of the cap! Talk about being PISSED!

That one is in nice shape for a '97!! Even the aluminum corrodes around here ...

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 12:35 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 8:22 am
Yeah, if I want to buy another pair...which I don't. I mentioned it to my dad and he said he would check his toolbox for a grease fitting adaptor, made to get into tight spaces.

It will be interesting to see if the new ones solve the noise issue you have recently experienced.

Fingers crossed.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 12:45 pm

Smitty, I use the vice to install the new caps. I use your method for removing the old ones.

I have a u-joint press that makes it an easy job, but it is too big for these.

waytomany?s · Post by **waytomany?s** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:05 pm

nut wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 9:54 am
https://www.amazon.com/STEELMAN-06135-Right-Greas ... UXXES?th=1

Hey thanks, I didn't know there was such a thing. Has anyone ever tried.it on the tractor pto shafts?

waytomany?s · Post by **waytomany?s** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:07 pm

SMITTY wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 11:49 am
Ahh that style fitting SUCKS! The indented style with the little ball in the center? It's like a real grease fitting built in reverse. I friggin hate those! Had a customer with those fittings one time. Was the first time I had ever seen it, about 4 years ago - I had no way to grease them! Was so aggravating. If I see that style fitting, I won't buy them. They're super compact, but regular fittings have worked for 100 years - why these engineers feel the need to change everything all the time just baffles me, especially stuff that WORKS!!

Same thing happens over here parts wise. Years ago I gave up buying locally. Just ended up wasting half the day and coming home so pissed off I couldn't even work. Rockauto is my go-to for hard parts like that, but you've got to inspect the part thoroughly - lots of times they'll throw a chinese knock-off inside a genuine box (SKF, Timken, Spicer, etc..). Can't win today! Part of the reason I quit doing this for a living.

I don't even use a vice for u-joints. I find it easier, especially with aluminum driveshafts, to just get on the floor with blocks of wood, the appropriate-sized socket and a hammer, and tap, tap, tap until they come out. Less chance of bending the ears in around here with all the damned rust.

Yeah, gotta love scattering needles! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done that more than once. Back in the days when I first got my press, I've also blown an unseen, tipped-over needle right out the back of the cap! Talk about being PISSED!

That one is in nice shape for a '97!! Even the aluminum corrodes around here ...

Your saying it's actually a different fitting?

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:25 pm

The ones Smitty is referring to are a flush mount style. Mine has a regular zerk, but there is not enough space to get the coupler on my grease gun squarely in the fitting.

waytomany?s · Post by **waytomany?s** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:34 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:25 pm
The ones Smitty is referring to are a flush mount style. Mine has a regular zerk, but there is not enough space to get the coupler on my grease gun squarely in the fitting.

So will the style your dad has allow the grease to still bypass the ball?

nut · Post by **nut** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 5:53 pm

waytomany?s wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:05 pm
Hey thanks, I didn't know there was such a thing. Has anyone ever tried.it on the tractor pto shafts?

I had one like it once. It worked ok.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 9:06 pm

waytomany?s wrote: ↑
Sun. Jun. 04, 2023 1:34 pm
So will the style your dad has allow the grease to still bypass the ball?

AHH, I misunderstood what type of fitting he had - normally that style greaser is used for the flush mount style, but it'll work with a regular grease fitting, as long as you maintain pressure on it. Can be messy, but works.

Post by **Rob R.** » Thu. Nov. 09, 2023 2:27 pm

Just when things were starting to go smooth the alternator in the suburban started making a terrible screeching/howling noise. I'm sure it is from lack of use - the alternator is an AC Delco reman that doesn't have very many miles on it. I picked up a Denso brand reman alternator from Rockauto and am back to stealth mode.

I am not planning to drive it much during the winter, probably only on clear-road days to minimize salt exposure.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Fri. Nov. 10, 2023 12:31 am

Diode failed in the rectifier. If you hooked that to a scope, you'd see a ton of AC ripple. Sign of the times. Delco isn't what it used to be, and to make matters worse, brands like this have different lines of quality.

Motorcraft is famous for this - you have to know what you're looking for to make sure you get the GOOD grade of parts! There are THREE now. One of the myriad of reasons I couldn't GTFO of this business fast enough.

I, and many former colleagues had great luck with Denso alternators. The one in the Grand Marquis is 8 years old, along with the 7 year old Denso starter. The alternator prior to that I bought at Autozone - got 10 years, 135k out of it ... so I since I still had the receipt, I exchanged it for another. Well, that one had a failed diode as well, only it backfed current through the cluster with the key OFF! Made the "ALT" light shine, key off and out! Brought it back to AZ - they wouldn't cover it because it "tested good" - meaning, it charged.

F'ing MORONS. So I got on eBay and ended up finding a regulator from a Ford Tempo, and installed that. Lasted 5 years, then I bought the current Denso one. No more box store parts in the Marquis.

Oh, and when I installed that starter, the OE Motorcraft solenoid I bought from RockAuto welded itself closed as my wife was attempting to head to work! Luckily I was sitting on the shitter near the window, and heard the endless cranking - I sprinted out there barefoot past my very confused wife and ripped the battery cables off the battery. Stupid POS!! So pissed! So I put the AutoZone one back in from 2005 - that's what's in there right now! Still works great! What a world ...

Parts are *censored* today! Doesn't matter what label is on the box. It's a total crapshoot as to what you're getting at that particular time quality-wise.

1997 Suburban

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