Old timer told me to grease my guide rails lightly and I learned the hard way

Guy named Hank who's been doing this since the 80s told me not to slather grease on the guide rails but just a thin coat. I thought he was being lazy so I went heavy on a job at the Grand Plaza building in Chicago last month. Well the car started binding and jerking after three days and I had to strip it all down and redo it. Has anyone else gotten burned by ignoring simple advice from the veterans?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan9d ago

And that thing about a light coat isn't just some old wives' tale either, the grease needs room to spread out and do its job without piling up. When you cake it on heavy like that, it can't go anywhere so it just builds up and traps dirt and dust until everything locks up tight. I've seen guys wreck brand new rails in a week doing exactly what you did, thinking more grease equals better, when really you're just making a mess for yourself.

webb.hannah8d ago

I mean, I did that on my old truck's door hinges once and couldn't open the door for a week.