Grease Nipple in Rear Axle Housing

[rstarkweather]

I have a grease nipple tapped into the top of my axle housing (the axle housing itself, not the pumpkin). What could this be for? I removed the diff cover to drain and refill the rear axle, and found this little surprise.

[Steve Simmons]

Maybe someone thought it would be easier to fill with an oil gun from underneath?

[rstarkweather]

Steve:

That was my initial thought. Though it seems a lot harder than just getting one of those quart size gear oil pumps. But I also wanted to make sure I was not missing something.

Rick

[Duncan M]

Unless it is actually a small vent /breather that has been added to the top side...

[AbingdonNerd]

I would think that someone added that as an extra vent - in case the small vent hole found on the fill plug became clogged.

If you examine the zerk fitting, it may be that the ball and spring have been removed - to allow easy venting.