Volvo D12, Operator'S Manual

Page: 166 / 214

162 Maintenance
Lubrication, VHD
Chassis Lubrication
Before working on or servicing a vehi-
cle, set the parking brakes, place the
transmission in neutral and block the
wheels. Failure to do so can result in un-
expected vehicle movement and can
cause serious personal injury or death.
General lubrication includes lubricating all
the grease fittings in the drivetrain, front
and rear suspensions, power steering, and
front axle, using a grease gun.
Grease the chassis every 15,000 miles
(24,000 km). However, if the vehicle is in a
demanding application or running in a dirty
or corrosive atmosphere, adjust the lubrica-
tion intervals to reflect heavy-duty use. For
example, if driven in heavy stop-and-go
traffic with a lot of maneuvering, the lubri-
cation intervals should be every
10,000 miles (16,000 km) or less.
All lubricating points are found on the
chassis lubrication chart on the next page.
Lubricating Grease
Use grease with a lithium base with EP ad-
ditives and a consistency of NLGI No. 2.
The No. 2 consistency is suitable for most
temperatures. Use NLGI No. 1 or No. 0 for
extremely low temperatures.
Care should be taken not to use any grease
other than one with EP additives for the
driveshaft. Do not use any solid lubricants,
such as graphite, copper or molybdenum
disulfide.
Lubrication Procedure
Make sure the grease fittings are cleaned
off before filling grease. Dirt on the fitting
that is not cleaned off is pushed into the
part together with the new grease. Always
fill grease to the point where old grease and
contaminants are forced out from the part
and only new grease comes out. If new
grease cannot be filled so old grease is
flushed out, the part needs to be checked
for problems. If a fitting does not accept
lubrication due to damage or internal stop-
page, replace it with a new fitting.
NOTE! Think of greasing the same way as
an oil change. All old grease needs to come
out and replaced with new grease.
Where rubber or plastic parts are involved,
do not heat part for better grease applica-
tion.
Remove excess grease from fittings, shack-
les and other surfaces.
NOTE! Always grease a Volvo front axle
with the wheels on the ground.