Triumph Repair: Front trunnion lubrication, grease gun, haynes manual

Question
My car is a 1979 1500.  What is the best lubricant for the front trunnions?  I am replacing them and I want to start off right.
My Haynes manual seems to suguest 90 weight gear oil placed in a grease gun.  I would think a light weight grease would be longer lasting.


B C

Answer
BC,

There's been a lot of debate over the years about what's really best for the trunnions.

The consensus seems to be that the factory originally spec'd 90 weight oil as the greases of the day tended to dry out after a while and they's cease to lubricate properly.  Whereas the gear oil gets pumped up and down in the trunnion as you turn the wheels to the left and the right.

My personal opinion is that using oil lets any dust/dirt settle to the bottom of the trunnion.  The grease will hold any dirt "in suspension" and may accelerate the wear.

Realistically, a decent synthetic chassis grease renewed on a periodic basis would probably be just fine.


Cheers,

Jim