Mobil 1 Synthetic grease is junk!

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Let me start by saying I still have tubes of grease from back in the 80's that are still fine, just old outdated technology. My tube of full synthetic mobil 1 grease from 2003 completely seperated into a paste. The bottom was nothing but pink liquid and the top was paste. So thick the grease gun could no longer pump it. It had to take the entire grease gun apart to clean it out. Now all the stuff I greased with it, I now feel I should purge this [censored] out.

It was at least 1/2 full if not more. Bummer.
 
Wow, I didn't know any grease separated. I bought some Mobil One to use on my wheel bearings thinking I'd have to grease them much less often. Was I mistaken?
 
After 7 years I wouldn't be surprised.

EDIT: Was it a sealed tube or had it been used in the past?
 
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I switched from M1 Red Grease to Amsoil HD Grease and couldn't be happier. The M1 grease seperated and dripped from the grease gun. Same gun, same exact conditions, the Amsoil grease doesn't drip out or seperate. The Amsoil grease seems to have more body as well. General observations, nothing more.
 
Exactly. Again for those above, 2003 to 2010 the mobil separated, it shouldn't have. I have greases from back in the 80's that have NOT separated. I just have not gotten around to using them, thats all. It it separated in the gun, that means they could separate in the vehicle part, in which 7 years is not an acceptable life span on some parts. Especially when I bought the top dollar parts.
 
In my line of work i use hundreds of tubes a year including pails for 5th wheels,pins,bush,bearings on and on i haven't seen a one not bleed and believe me i've use many brands.
 
I've used M1 grease since they came out with it in the early 90s and it has never failed me with wheel bearings, drive shafts, front end joints. We used it in the shop where I worked for industrial purposes in machinery around high heat applications with great sucess when other greases failed.
 
Originally Posted By: daman
In my line of work i use hundreds of tubes a year including pails for 5th wheels,pins,bush,bearings on and on i haven't seen a one not bleed and believe me i've use many brands.


Interesting, M1 grease always dripped from my grease guns. With that said I never had a problem with the grease, but under the same conditions the Amsoil grease doesn't drip a single drop.
 
My personal guns for my equipment that I'm responsible for get used in all sorts of environment temps/shock loads, from laying on hot floor pans to hanging on the out side of a pay loader or tractor working ground in the fall cold temps, they all seem to drip some more then others.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
What kind of work do you do daman?

Via my profile "Truck driver ,heavy equipment operator,Mechanic"


anyway we(boss)own/operate a gravil pit excavating aggregate(sand, gravel,crushed stone,etc,etc)thats sold to loacal establishments.

on top of that we cash crop farm 4,000+ acers,so lots of greasing goes on.
 
All the grease will basically do this.. i have 3 grease guns with various brands they all do it. Kendal 427, TSC , M1 and some industrial grease. It's not that shocking it lists this oil seperation spec on the Data sheets it's generally under 5% remember grease in use doesnt normal have this problem just in storage some greases even have exp. dates oil is normally 3-7 yrs i got some Lubriplate 1201-2? i think it was has a use by date..
 
I have seen the exact same problem as the original poster had - with BRAND NEW synthetic grease tubes in stores. Recently Wal-Mart Canada had Castrol synthetic grease on clearance. They are stored vertically - with the metal peel off tab on the bottom and the removable plastic cap on top. I took off the plastic cap for fun - the grease inside was all dried out and cracked. Looked like dry clay soil in the desert. It shrank down from the outsides of the tube too.

I have also seen that in another store with another brand of synthetic grease. Some of the tubes had dust on them and may have been in the store for a while, but really. I would think they are only one or two years old. The unsuspecting innocent person would be buying the separated and/or dried out synthetic grease. The grease isn't going to suddenly mix together and become good again.

Whenever I check any brand of regular non-synthetic grease in a store, it is never separated. It always looks nice. Like the original poster, I have some tubes of 20+ year old tubes of regular grease and they all look perfectly fine. Still creamy and nice.

Due to the brand new (but possibly sitting in the store for a while) synthetic grease I've seen dried out and cracked, I wouldn't even buy synthetic grease at all.
 
Originally Posted By: 51Plymouth
Due to the brand new (but possibly sitting in the store for a while) synthetic grease I've seen dried out and cracked, I wouldn't even buy synthetic grease at all.


You haven't been looking at the right synthetic greases.
 
Is synthetic grease different formulation tho? I noticed alot of FAQ on grease websites list 2 yrs as the expired date from date of manufacturing. Heres some of the info from timken
http://www.timken.com/en-us/products/lubrication/Pages/faq.aspx

What is the shelf life of your grease products?

The shelf life of most oils and greases manufactured by Timken is two years from the date of manufacture, provided that the oils and greases are properly stored in their original, unopened containers.

I’ve noticed oil separation in my grease. Is it still OK to use?

Some oil separation or puddle formation seen on top of grease in pails or drums should not be a problem. Remember, a grease lubricates a bearing by releasing oil to the bearing contact, so releasing oil is a necessary function of the grease. Typically, the amount of oil separation is insignificant when compared with the mass of grease in the container. Normally, the separated oil can be safely stirred back into the bulk of the grease in the container. Experience has shown that much of this time-related oil separation can be reduced if the surface of the grease is kept smooth during storage (i.e., do not leave "craters" in the grease).
 
Originally Posted By: nfs480
After 7 years I wouldn't be surprised.

EDIT: Was it a sealed tube or had it been used in the past?



My tube was brand new; and I've never noticed any problems with separation.

Most of the tube is left; which so far has only been used on the rear wheel bearings of my '91 Ford Festiva.

The grease still in the tube is red in color, which looks exceptionally stable with no evidence of any sort of separation. This stuff looks like centuries later there will still be no change: Mirroring I'm afraid, the general pace of my automotive repair scheduling most of the time, more or less.

Typically greasing bearings; I'll wash my hands well then holding a quantity of grease in the palm of one force the grease into the bearings with the other. I'm exceptionally primitive though usually also very effective. In a word: Poor.

I'm converting the brakes and much of the suspension and steering to that from a '97 Ford Aspire; for the easier to service front wheel bearings as well as improved braking.

I still have the front end part of the job ahead of me, where I installed the Aspire rear axle April of '97.
 
In other words, the canister of Mobile One bearing grease was purchased April of '97; which appears to be exactly in the same condition now as then.

Sorry to get so verbose...
 
I am pretty sure I got a bad tube of M1. Separation from brand new(gun is always wet). Grease ran out (stopped pumping) way before it should have. Have not opened the gun yet. My truck has a rubbing feeling when I make a sharp turn. When the M1 ran out I grabbed my gun w/regular grease in it and the rubbing feel was reduced by like 60%. This grease tube was purchased only last year and only used on one vehicle.
 
I stopped using M1 grease because it always dripped out of the back end of the gun. I switched over to Amsoil grease, and not a drop comes out of the gun. I just used the Series 2000 grease to pack wheel bearings, I've always used Mobil 1 grease in the past. The Amsoil grease seems to have more body and a better feel to it than the Mobil 1 grease, no sepreation at all. The grease in the tube was about 1 year old. IMO it is a much better grease than the Mobil 1 grease.
 
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