To work grease into an open bearing by hand or with a packer tool until every space between rollers, cage and races is full. It is standard for wheel bearings and new installs: mechanics push grease into the wide side of a tapered roller bearing until it oozes out the narrow side. The housing around the bearing is filled only partly, commonly a third to a half, so the grease can channel instead of churning.
Pack those wheel bearings in your palm till grease squeezes out the top, then a light coat on the races.
Also heard as
- hand pack
- packing
Related terms
Overgreasing
Pumping more grease into a bearing than it needs, causing churning, heat and blown seals.
Grease
Semi-solid lubricant made of oil held in a thickener sponge, usually with additives.
Zerk
Everyday name for the small ball-check grease fitting that a grease gun coupler snaps onto.
Channeling
Grease pushed aside by rolling elements so it sits in shoulders beside the track instead of churning.