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I'm intending to replace outer tie rods on a 2000 ford explorer, and they will need grease added with a grease gun. Are there other parts of the car that should be regularly greased that justify purchasing a grease gun?

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  • If I was caught without a grease gun as an agricultural contractor I would have been sacked.
    – Solar Mike
    Sep 14, 2021 at 13:51
  • The new one in this video didn’t have a grease nipple fitted. You can see the grease nipple on the one he removed however. youtube.com/watch?v=7g48ZYD935E
    – HandyHowie
    Sep 14, 2021 at 20:42

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I depends on the specific car. But in some cases there are multiple grease fittings that should be greased periodically. In addition to your tie rod ends there are upper and lower ball joints, wheel bearings, u-joints, driveshaft slip joint, to name a few.

In recent years auto manufacturers have started leaving out the grease fittings and calling the parts "lifetime lubricated" but that really means they are lubricated for the lifetime of the part. In some cases you can drill/tap a hole and insert a grease fitting yourself to prolong the life of some of these parts.

In my opinion a grease gun is an important tool in every DIY toolbox. In addition to autos my grease gun find use greasing trailer axles, riding lawn mower, and other things that I find need to be lubricated.

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  • Anything made after about 1990, or 1980 even, has sealed tie rod ends, sealed upper and lower ball joints etc So "recent" is a bit loose...
    – Solar Mike
    Sep 14, 2021 at 15:41
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You are a couple generations too late. Take it to a lube shop for initial grease. There was a time when cars required greasing about every 2000 miles , then you could use a grease gun, not with modern cars.

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    What is it that lube shops have that makes this possible?
    – jwh20
    Sep 14, 2021 at 16:17
  • Maybe I should clarify a bit, by grease gun I was referring to a cheaper hand held manual one. I never considered taking the parts to a shop, more it was a toss up between borrowing one from someone, or if it would be worth purchasing and storing one.
    – Keith
    Sep 14, 2021 at 16:33
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There is no need to find other greasable places on your car to justify the expense: If you have outer tie rods that needs greasing (its the first time I see them) then you need a grease gun. Otherwise not.

Alternatively you could search for non-serviceable (lifetime grease package) tie rods.

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