Lubrication of the Front Suspension
Mid America Motorworks 1950-1965 King Pin Front Axle Beam 319300
Article used with Permission: www.vw-resource.com
On all models 1964 and earlier without ball joints: You have six places to grease on each side, two for the king pins, two for the torsion arm link pins and two places for the torsion tubes. If there are grease fittings on your tie rod ends, grease them too. Check the tie rod ends for play and the whole front end while you’re at it. (Some early models have grease fittings on the tie-rod ends.)
On all models 1965 and later with ball joints: There are four grease fittings on the front axle beam (two on each of the two torsion arms, near the outer ends) that need to be greased (except Super Beetles with MacPherson strut front suspension).
On 1970 through 1972 models, the front axle should be greased every 6000 miles;
On 1973 and 1974 models, the front axle should be greased every 18,000 miles;
On 1975 and later cars, grease the axle every 15,000 miles.
Lubrication Procedure
Carefully raise the vehicle and support it securely on jack stands. The grease won’t go in unless the weight is off the suspension.
Note: On the end of the flex hose attached to the grease gun there’s a female fitting. The grease fittings in the front suspension (often referred to as “zerks”, or, outside the USA, as "grease nipples") are all male, screwed into all the places on the front end that need grease.
Force a little grease out of the gun nozzle to remove any dirt, then wipe it clean with a rag.
Wipe the grease fitting (“zerk”) with a clean cloth until the ball is shiny before pumping grease into it.
Push the nozzle on the hose from the grease gun firmly over the grease fitting.
Note: It helps to push the fitting on the grease gun nozzle over the male fitting on the car at an angle, then pull the gun nozzle up straight; that makes the connection.
Grab the barrel of the gun with one hand and the handle with the other and pump a little. If grease starts to come out of the connection, stop right away and make the connection to the fitting over again.
Squeeze the lever on the grease gun to force grease into the fitting until fresh grease appears in the joint between the torsion arm and axle beam or the tie-rod end dust boots.
Note: You want to CHANGE the grease, not just top it off -- just like changing the oil. Keep pumping until you see NEW grease coming out of the joint.
Wipe all surplus grease from the fittings and the suspension parts.
Note: If the connection between fitting and hose refuses to seal, the fitting has been damaged and will have to be replaced -- they just screw in.
If you cannot force grease through any of your fittings, some people recommend that you take the car to the service station and get the power grease gun on it.
What if the fitting is filled with dirt? What if the spring has failed and the ball is rusted in place? (Hint: You'll pump parts of the spring into the joint you're trying to lubricate.) And finally, what if even the powered grease gun can't force grease through the nipple?
If you have a bad zerk fitting, replace it. You can buy zerk fittings from Mid America Motorworks. You should keep a couple of spare zerks of each type (they come in both straight and angled flavors) in your tool kit, just as you keep a few spare fuses and a few spare tire-valve cores. It's not anything special, it's what mechanics DO. Make sure you buy zerks with the correct metric thread!
Carefully lower the vehicle to the ground.
Clean the grease gun and put it away -- that’s all you’ll use it for.