Type of grease for ball joints

Here's a chart about grease compatibility:

Most automotive greases are lithium-based, including synthetics, but for maximum compatibility you may want to use a lithium-complex grease.

Moly is an additive put in grease. I don't know how much it helps with ball joints, but CV joint grease contains much more moly than normal, so it must be important.

Molybdenum is a high pressure addative. Ball joints don't have a need for it like a CV joint.

You might want to avoid mixing grease unless you're sure about each of their chemistry. Some people prefer carb cleaners or soak method on the joints. My preference (on my owned vehicle) is to disassemble each marble and let the cat toy with them. The outboard uses a heavier duty grease while the inboard uses a lighter version. From speculation, mixing greases also tend to reduce boot life considerably.

Thanks for the info. I ended up just using the grease that I had laying around, which turned out to be a lithium-complex grease.

I noticed that the old grease was black. Can I infer anything about the original grease (unless it was really dirty)?

- Dave

Bitter Dave wrote:

I do know you NEVER want to use CV joint grease in roller or ball bearings. Seen people do that and they don't last very long.