Greasing a thrust bearing?

[Rogerpugs]

I read an article recently on the merits of fitting a grease nipple to the lubrication tube for the clutch release thrust bearing to make it easier to lubricate and also help to avoid excess oil in the bellhousing contaminating the clutch lining. Just wondered if anyone has tried this and if so what was the result?
Thanks 
Roger P

[Chris KC]

Firstly Roger, I very rarely oil the clutch thrust bearing; and then only very little, and with a heavy-ish oil. Then whatever might drip out quickly escapes through the girt big drain hole at the bottom of the bell housing. Result - no oil on clutch. (n.b. oil escaping from the rear main bearing is surely a much bigger issue here!)

I've never tried it, but as grease is more inclined to hang around, I should have thought it would increase the risk of contamination rather than reduce it.

[Howard Wright]

Hi Roger

I’m no bearing engineer but would the bearing and housing be designed to take grease?  As Chris has said just a few drops every 500 miles is all I do and mine is 3 speed (with the bearing running all the time).

Cheers

Howard

PS Good to see you over the weekend and to meet your brother!

[David Stepney]

Admittedly my car has a four speed box, but I give my thrust bearing one squirt of 10/40 oil from the oilcan every 1250 miles when I do a lubrication service and have had no trouble in some 20k miles of sevenning.

[Dave Mann]

Having got fed up with scrabbling about under the dash to oil the clutch thrust bearing and trying not to get the oil in the clutch I gave it some thought, at work we had loads of grease lubricated motors which hadn't seen a grease gun in ages. Also the only oil lubricated ball and roller bearings I knew of were in our Sevens and turbochargers nearly as big as our Sevens. The next time I had an engine out I cleaned and dried the clutch thrust bearing and replaced the oil pipe with a grease nipple and pumped the bearing about a quarter full after which the grease nipple was removed and the oil pipe refitted. The other cars were treated the same when the engines were out, that was 20 years and 70,000 miles go since when I haven't heard a murmur from the bearings.
Oil in the clutch comes mainly from overfilled gearboxes or gearboxes with worn first motion shaft seals or from over oiling the thrust bearing.

[john williams]

Roger, I had been using a long grease nipple from a propshaft for lubricating the release bearing for over 40 years on my RL. Last year tootling along the M4 near Port Talbot, there was an almighty bang from underneath the car, that I thought was something terminal. Fortunately I was very near to the Port Talbot Exit, and managed to free wheel down to the roundabout. The car engine was still idling nicely, and a quick inspection under the bonnet and the underside of the car showed no obvious damage.
I drove the six miles home very  "gingerly" on byways and put the car in the garage. 
A later proper inspection revealed the the grease nipple had come out, caught in the clutch cover starter teeth, smashed the starter housing into three pieces and cracked the bellhousing!
The rebuilt engine and clutch assembly, now has an original oiler secured with loctite.
John