Webster Art

I took the studs off today on our 2010 RAV4 V6. We’ve got 120K on the Rav4 so far. It’s been a flawless Toyota. I try to do my own maintenance on our cars as much as possible, this includes brake jobs, air cleaners, oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters, starters, radiators and rotating tires.

Some extra work I try to do when I swap out winter tires is greasing the suspension. This  involves a grease gun with a needle attachment.  On the RAV4, there are 6 rubber boots on the suspension of each of the rear wheels. Each rubber boot covers the “knees and elbows” of the moving joints that allow the wheel to flex up and down in four wheel drive mode.

Back when I was running printing presses for 28 years we were trained to lubricate any moving parts regularly with either oil or grease via a zerk fitting. Cars have many moving parts but they don’t use zerk fittings.

Long ago I asked a mechanic how to add grease to a rubber boot that covers a ball joint on the steering control arm. He showed me his grease gun with the needle attachment. You stick the needle through the back or top side of the rubber boot and inject grease until it overflows. This packs grease into the joint.

I asked him how this could be safe. You are adding holes to the rubber boot, compromising it’s integrity. He replied that water gets in there anyway…the boots aren’t completely watertight…but by injecting new grease in every six months to a year, you are extending the life of the joint. Plus, the needle hole is so small (one mm) it self seals. In point of fact, I’ve never had one suspension fail since buying my first car in 1975.

We’ve started running the stairs at a local high school. The gate is clearly marked for no trespassing, but there is a steady stream of people climbing over the gate…I mean like literally 2 people every 1o minutes.  Coming out on Friday Sue was making the big moves over the steel fence  when a government SUV with tinted windows pulled up 20 feet from the gate. Sue was like “We are so busted!” I told her to stay calm and not fall. She managed the move…maybe 3rd  class at most and hopped down. I followed and we walked away, right past the school police vehicle.

I think they put the signs up for liability sake. There were 50 people in the stadium. The entire football team was down there running drills, plus all the people running the stairs and the track and soccer drills on the astro turf. It’s lovely down there.