Is lithium the only "sprayable" type of grease available in an aerosol spray-can format?

S

SumGuy

Joined
Nov 11, 2020
Messages
45
Location
Ontario, Canada
I'd like to apply (or at least try to apply) a lubricant to what I think is a sealed front alternator bearing that is on a vehicle and that even when the alternator is off the vehicle is not directly accessible. I can barely fit the small red straw that comes taped to a typical lubricant spray can into the gap between the housing and pulley. I can't take the pulley off. The alternator has developed a bird-like chirp at some RPM's.

I'm curious in general as to the type of products called "lubricants" available at retail that comes in an aerosol spray can, and whether most of them are actually just various forms of solvents that would not make good lubricants for high-rpm rotating parts like bearings (sleeve or roller or ball).

The sprayable white / lithium grease is about the only type of spray-can type of grease that anyone seems to sell. I don't, for example, ever see a spray-able wheel bearing grease. Why is that?

I am planning on replacing the alternator (it spins freely and noiselessly by hand, and electrically it works fine) and generous application of sprayable white lithium grease has not reduced the intensity of the chirping. Do I have any other options?
 
CDX825 said:
Doubt anything you spray is going to get into the sealed bearings. Only way to lube them would be to carefully pull the seals and add some grease.

Your noise could be the slips rings or even the belt on the pulley.
Click to expand...


What he said.
 
New serpentine belt, new serp belt tensioner (and this new tensioner was swapped for another as a test with no difference noted). The serp belt is about an inch wide and as we know these are not deep-groove belts and do not lend themselves to chirping.

I've sprayed lithium grease and silicone into the bearing gap and I can elicite a short-term change in the chirp by doing so.

My question remains - why is there a relatively small selection, or perhaps no selection of sprayable greases beyond white lithium?
 
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You stated "I am planning on replacing the alternator (it spins freely and noiselessly by hand, and electrically it works fine)" why are you planning on replacing the alternator? That doesn't make sense.

Most likely you have belt noise from the belt or pulleys being contaminated or the belt path is slightly out of alignment. Spraying lubricant likely found its way on the belt or belt path. No lubricant should ever be sprayed on or into the alternator.

Spraying lithium grease will not get into the bearing anyway nor do you want it to. Anything thinner which can enter a sealed bearing will shortly ruin it.
 
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Every kind of grease is available as an aerosol, have you been to a hardware store? It won't be the same as the normal stuff obviously but its all available. I was going to list a bunch but theres no point, its all of them. Name a type of grease, it's available in an aerosol.
 
jeffy876 said:
Every kind of grease is available as an aerosol, have you been to a hardware store? It won't be the same as the normal stuff obviously but its all available. I was going to list a bunch but theres no point, its all of them. Name a type of grease, it's available in an aerosol.
Click to expand...

bentonite clay copper grease? (y)
 
Lubener said:
You stated "I am planning on replacing the alternator (it spins freely and noiselessly by hand, and electrically it works fine)" why are you planning on replacing the alternator? That doesn't make sense.

Most likely you have belt noise from the belt or pulleys being contaminated or the belt path is slightly out of alignment. Spraying lubricant likely found its way on the belt or belt path. No lubricant should ever be sprayed on or into the alternator.

Spraying lithium grease will not get into the bearing anyway nor do you want it to. Anything thinner which can enter a sealed bearing will shortly ruin it.
Click to expand...

I'm going to replace it because one of it's bearings (probably only the front bearing but maybe both bearings) are chirping and I can't make it stop, I can't get direct visual or physical access to the bearing, I can't take the alternator apart. $90 (CAD) for a reman alternator from rock auto on the way.

It's not the belt. Chirp is high pitch, I can localize it with my ears to the alternator. I've dealt with furnace belts that chirp that get spray lube on them and that STOPS them chirping. New harmonic balancer also, serp belt path is straight as an arrow.

Using a light lubricant on the alternator (if it indeed even reached the bearing) was not my prefered choice, but it's all that seems to be available, hence my primary question why there are not sprayable greases (other than lithium that has the consistency of shaving cream when applied).
 
jeffy876 said:
Every kind of grease is available as an aerosol, have you been to a hardware store? It won't be the same as the normal stuff obviously but its all available. I was going to list a bunch but theres no point, its all of them. Name a type of grease, it's available in an aerosol.
Click to expand...

I'm in Kanada, our variety of retail products is at least half of what it is in the US. Can you can point me to on-line examples of sprayable greases? All I see are lithium. Is there, for example, a sprayable wheel bearing grease?
 
ragtoplvr said:
One of the stupid things many alternators have now is a clutch pulley. These often go bad. Google it
Click to expand...

2004 Chrysler 300m. No clutch pulley. I have 5 Chrysler 300m's of different years (2000 - 2004). They've been my daily drivers since November 1999. I've never had a serpentine belt squeel or chirp, never had to replace an alternator.
 
SumGuy said:
New serpentine belt, new serp belt tensioner (and this new tensioner was swapped for another as a test with no difference noted). The serp belt is about an inch wide and as we know these are not deep-groove belts and do not lend themselves to chirping.

I've sprayed lithium grease and silicone into the bearing gap and I can elicite a short-term change in the chirp by doing so.

My question remains - why is there a relatively small selection, or perhaps no selection of sprayable greases beyond white lithium?
Click to expand...
Lithium greases account for about 70-75% of grease sales. Grease sales in aerosol packs are relatively insignificant. From a marketing perspective, there's no money in packing other types of grease in an aero can.
 
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