Old-timer told me to always grease the rails on a new install, I skipped it.

My partner said it was a waste of time on a 6-stop job in Phoenix last summer, so I just let it ride. A month later the car was jerky and we had to pull the whole guide shoe assembly. So who's right here, is rail grease actually necessary or does it depend on the building?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke_murray9d ago

Old timer wasn't wrong. Greasing the rails is one of those things you can skip and get away with until you can't. Phoenix heat and dust will cake up the guides fast if they're bone dry. You were already seeing it at a month. That's not bad luck, that's physics. A thin layer of rail grease keeps the shoes from grabbing and sticking. It's not about the number of stops, it's about the environment and how hard the car works. I'd rather spend 10 minutes greasing on install than pulling a whole assembly later. Lesson learned the hard way man.

martinez.paul9d agoMost Upvoted

Stay on top of it or pay for it later. Simple as that.

rowan_ross9d ago

@brooke_murray I get the logic but a month is way too soon unless you're running those cars nonstop in the dirt.