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By weedsy
#84120
In part, a continuation of my SuperMeteor gearbox saga - now I find that I have the correct box (and a dipstick - doh!) I am considering lubricants; has anyone experience with semi-fluid greases for this application? I used it with success in the 70's on various Burman gearboxes, mainly on my Comet, and it seems the ideal product, rather than relying on what might be left of the original grease topped up with oil . . . . (which soon finds its exit points) or heating and mixing "snot" as the Americans call it - green grease and engine oil.
Anyone got any pros or cons? It's a lithium-based grease (mine was Penrite, but it's widely available) which will "pool" so you can get a level with either a dipstick or a plug (!).
Cheers, Weedsy
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By Presto
#84126
Recommended grease for these gearboxes is a ‘00’ grade grease, Renolit is the Silkolene product. The Enfield owners and workshop manuals have always stated in BLOCK CAPS that on no account should ‘heavy yellow’ grease be used – that’s lithium grease.

It’s OK to use a multigrade engine oil [e.g. 20-40 or gear oil [e.g. 80/90 grade]. Grease is used to avoid oil leaks when unsealed bearings are fitted.
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By Chris Tindal
#84130
I've bought 00 grease from our hosts in the past and used it in my Albion bullet gearbox. The pro's are it doesn't leak, the cons are getting it in. Having said that it's quite easy, just draw it up in a syringe and squirt it in. I go in sideways through the oil level plug as there is less resistance than the top filler, which has a sharp bend in it which slows things down. I've since topped up with 20:50, but this does find its was out via the drive shaft.
By weedsy
#84131
Hi Presto - thanks for that - but this is exactly why I get confused; I cannot find anywhere in my 1958 Super Meteor Instruction Book a reference to "heavy yellow grease", block caps or not. I can only find recommended gearbox lubricants such as Castrol XXL, Esso 40/50, BP SAE 40, etc - no mention of "OO" grade grease, and certainly no mention of gear oil.
The Workshop Manual, however, does say to pack with "soft grease" (unspecified) and not "heavy yellow grease". I can't find a connection between heavy yellow grease and lithium, apart from cooking oil derived greases, which are far younger than my gearbox and I . . . .
I will investigate "OO" grade grease from our hosts as per Chris Tindal's post (thanks Chris) but I wouldn't put gear oil of any kind (especially one with hypoy additives) in this type of gearbox.
Meanwhile, I'll keep processing 20/50 through the 'box!
By weedsy
#84133
Just for info - Renolit EP OO is a lithium thickened semi-fluid grease, apparently with a similar spec to the Penrite I used, and many other semi-fluid greases . . . . so "OO" semi-fluid greases of this type must be OK for Albion gearboxes, as confirmed by the two posts so far.
I have the highest regard for Silkolene products, the only reason for historically using Penrite was a Squezy bottle type dispenser . . . but an oil gun is even better!
Thanks to all, Weedsy
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By Presto
#84157
These gearboxes are very lightly stressed and immensely robust and I very much doubt that any modern gear oil would have any adverse effects if used.

Whatever the technicalities of the composition of Renolit [or similar] I don’t think that in these cases there needs to be any hesitation about using either that type of grease or a 20/50 engine oil [or almost any other multigrade) or a regular 80/90 gear oil. In 50 years I’ve never heard of any untoward consequences. In fact I reckon you’d have no problems if you did use cooking oil! (Only joking!!)
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By Wheaters
#84172
I think the various warnings are in place because unless the grease is of the semi-fluid type that can readily flow, sooner or later it will cavitate and starve the moving internal parts of necessary cooling and lubrication.
By weedsy
#84182
Many thanks for the last two posts - I'm sure there's a great deal of truth in both of them!
When we filled our Burman 'boxes with grease in the 70's, the joke (part joke, part truth) was that the grease cavitated, the gears ran in the channels until the 'box overheated and started to seize, the grease then melted, and hey-ho, problem solved . . . . interesting theory. I think we've put this one to bed?

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