Instead of replenishing bearing grease... pump oil into it: Fact or fiction?

We all want to save time and money when it comes to replenishing bearing grease: Have you ever tried, instead of replenishing bearing grease, to pump oil into the bearing, with the hope of “rejuvenating” the grease? This is a rather uncommon practice, but it does happen.

The short answer is that pumping oil into the bearing is in no way a substitute for replenishing bearing grease. As you probably know, grease is a product of dispersion of a thickening agent in a liquid lubricant. Over time while in service,

How many times have you used the wrong oil for an oil change?

How can anyone use the wrong oil for an oil change, you might ask? Well just think back to any unexplained equipment failure you’ve had: Has the question “I wonder if this is the right oil” ever been asked? If so you know exactly what we’re talking about.

The most effective way to determine if wrong oil has been used for an oil change.

Without a doubt you’d be better off doing an oil analysis. By looking at either a change in viscosity and/or a change in additive concentration, during the analysis would

Extreme pressure oil additives can destroy worm-gears!

Extreme pressure oil additives are vital for the effective performance of any Gear oil, but have you ever thought of the negative effects these have; or even what damage they cause to certain parts? Extreme pressure oil additives offer a wide range of benefits, but in some circumstances they harm the equipment they are supposed to protect.

A good example of extreme pressure oil additives causing damage to a gearbox:

A very common industrial transmission is the worm gearbox. Commonly,

Universal compressor oil may not be that universal!

If you’ve got an automotive aircon repair shop, the cost of carrying all the specialised grades of compressor oils is probably killing you? I’m sure you’ve thought about using a universal compressor oil; but could you use this in all applications?

With mineral oil, ester oil, and three common viscosities of PAG synthetic air compressor oils in use, one type of oil that will work in everything definitely seems like a logical approach.

However, is there really