My Nonsuch 33 has a grease cup in the rudder shaft log for greasing the space between the rudder shaft log and the rudder shaft. I have removed the cap, scraped out the old dried grease, placed new grease in the cap and attempted with pliers to force grease into the shaft/shaft log space. I think the only place the grease goes is out between the threads of the cap and the grease cup body.
It looks like the grease cup is threaded into the shaft log but does not move when trying to back the grease cup out of the shaft log.
Can anyone verify that the grease cup can be removed from the rudder shaft log by unscrewing? I’d like to install a zerk fitting.
Ward Woodruff
Nonsuch 33 #8 Margery
Niantic, CT
Since your message was connected to a thread about hot water installations I thought I would respond in a new thread.
I removed the grease cup on La Reina and replaced it with a Zerk grease fitting. I was lucky the old cup fitting came out easily. Simply had to turn it counter clock wise. I can’t say how they were installed on the 33’s but likely the same way. Put your favourite penetrating oil around the fitting and let it work for a few days then gently try working the cup back and forth to lessen it up. You will be better off drilling and tapping a new hole rather then breaking the old cup off.
For what it is worth grease cups do provide a somewhat more continuous feed of grease without attention rather than using a grease gun now and again also the tendency with a grease gun is to over grease
You might want to do a bit of extra effort for a lot of extra gain. I went to a local commercial hose supplier and had a hose made up with a threaded fitting on one end and a zerk fitting on the other. My grease cup came out easily by unscrewing counter clockwise and I simply screwed in the new hose and attached the end with the zerk fitting to a spot at the edge of the cockpit locker. I can now grease the rudder shaft by simply opening the cockpit locker lid and attaching a grease gun, and don’t have to contort my aging body into the locker space to reach the fitting.
Heat from a hair dryer will soften up the grease that may be encasing the cup. I too have changed it for a zerk. Given the application, the grease will last ages but eventually will dry out. I found warming the rudder post with the dryer helped to “push” the old grease out.