I use the 90 degree fitting but take it to the grinder and grind it down a little and it works fine.I have done over a couple dozen and none contacted the u-joint.

 

My 90 failed after the first rotation.....snapped that sucker right off. I left it in; it's been two years. I dabbed some silicone over the hole. I know I have to get the broken zerk out!

 

Pull the silicon off and see if you can force some new grease in with some kind of adapter. We have one that isn't quite a needle, but fits nicely inside the hole that the ball in the zerk sits in. Something like that should work for ya. Then just silicon it back up.

 

I ordered a Lincoln. Thanks everyone. Jim

 

I don't understand how some of us install 90's w/o problems and others claim it hits.

Are they just not tightening them enough? (sit up too high?)
Are they buying larger size zerks?

Many of these instances are the same model/year truck.

 

I have the straight zerk and use the adaptor attached to an old dual head air chuck tube to reach up in there. I have raced with it in 4x4 and made sharp turn without any problems. The 90* seemed "too close for comfort" for me.

 

It probably has something to do with the ball joint brand. Maybe some of them have different shaped caps on the end the zerk screws into?

 

My NAPA 90 degree greasing adapter was a total disaster last night - just spewed grease and wouldn't work on any fitting (including easy-to-access ones). Do these wear out that fast - I have only used it a few times.

It snapped on tightly over the zerk when I got it, and now just slides on with a sloppy fit

. I tried prying underneath it with a screwdriver to apply sealing force, to no avail. Maybe I just buy a new one every few years?

 

I had the same issues when I installed my last set of ball joint a few years ago. I installed a 90 zerk fitting and when I turned the stub shaft ujoint by hand it did clear, but when I put the truck in 4x4 it took out the zerk fitting. So I went back in and installed a plug like most folks do.
Here's and Idea I recently came up with on this.
What I figured I would do on my next set of ball joint installations, is either on a drill press or even with a hand drill as well, make a V cut Chamfer/ counter sink into the 2 ball joints (Lt & Rt) sides where the zerk fitting hole is, before I install them. It only needs to be a very small amount that is being removed and the metal in this section of the Ball Joint is very thick. After this, run a Tap to clean the threads out. Now in order for this to work, I would also have to use a 45* Zerk fitting in order to have the proper clearance for the grease gun tip to still slide on to the Zerk fitting. Lastly. before installing the 45* Zerk fitting, some of the machined section on the Zerk fittings for the wrench placement area would also have to be removed in a V pattern, or just remove as much as you fell necessary so that the zerk fitting sits low enough, but remember to leave enough so that the grease gun tip will also still function and seal properly. This can also be done on a bench grinder. The Zerk fittings are cheap enough that if one gets a little over zealous and you take to much off, you can just grab another Zerk fitting and continue the process until it does fit and work properly. The Zerk fitting can be installed with a small wrench or even a set of pliers, because it only needs to be snug, as well as clear the U-joint. This can all be done with mere hand tools, it doesn't need to be taken to a machine shop as one might think. Easy Peasy....And hopefully with proper maintenance, you won't have to do it again for many many years.
I personally haven't tried this procedure, but I believe it will work, and it beats having to remove the plugs, install a Zerk Fitting grease it up, remove the Zerk fitting and re- install the plug, twice. For me and depending on usage of my truck, I try to grease my ball joints every other Oil change or 12K miles.
This part seems obvious to me, but I figured I'd better go ahead and include it just to be safe.
I figured I'd better include this part as well, because I know some one will come along and say, "Hey What about all the metal shavings inside the Ball Joint!"
So first off using your favorite parts cleaner, the Ball joints would have to be thoroughly cleaned out in order to remove all the grease from inside the Ball joint. Then proceed with the above procedure, and once completed, the Ball Joints will have to be thoroughly cleaned once more to remove any debris that have fallen inside the ball joint, and then re-greased as well.