I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, which is obvious since I love working with tools.
But, that doesn’t mean I’m fine with unneeded messes either. A really weird thing that happened to me once was my impact wrench leaking grease.
Frankly speaking, I find that gross and it leads to dirtiness that’s annoying to clean up.
If it’s happening to you too, here’s what you should know.
Read: Common Impact Wrench Problems Troubleshooting
Impact Wrench Leaking Grease
- Damaged Seals and Loosen Cover
I think the reason why this happens most of the time is because a lot of people don’t properly seal the covers after greasing it on the inside.
It’s a good thing if you grease or lubricate the inside of your impact wrench, but remember to seal it properly afterwards too.
If you ever take the housing off of your device, you should put them back exactly how they were.
Not only do loose covers lead to dirt, debris, water, and moisture getting inside the device which can cause damage, but they also lead to grease leaking out.
Look at how perfectly tight my cover is in the photo below.
Make sure that the cover is properly attached, and that all the screws are as tight as they can be.
You don’t want any room for something to go in, or in this case, something to get out.
- Over-Lubrication
Another understandably common mistake I think some people make is to excessively lubricate their impact wrench.
It’s good that you’re greasing it, but don’t overdo it. When it comes to tools, or anything in life, I want you to remember that too much of anything is bad.
Don’t put too much grease inside the device. If there’s too much, it’ll have no place to stay and start leaking out or it might even cause impact wrench jamming issue.
- Incorrect Lubricant Type
Don’t just use any type of lubricant you find. It needs to be something suitable with impact wrenches.
One thing I can’t stress enough is that you shouldn’t cover the interior of the device with oil.
Oil is good for some components of the impact wrench, but not all of them.
It can cause leakage and serious damage if it gets into the wrong parts. Find some appropriate grease and use that in moderation.
- Too Much Vibration
I try not to use my impact wrench for removing and tighten lug nuts while after greasing it up.
The reason for this is because all the lubrication inside needs time to settle in.
These devices move around frantically when you turn them on, and that can cause the grease to move around too.
All the force that your impact wrench moves with could even make the grease leak out of it.
Wait a day after lubricating it, and that should stop leaks from happening.
- Cracked Housing
Earlier, I mentioned how important it is for the covers of your device to be properly shut. I also mentioned what happens if they aren’t.
So, I don’t have to tell you that it’s even worse if the housing gets damaged.
Any cracks on the covers or other external regions of your impact wrench will make it very easy for things to come in, or come out.
The purpose of me saying these things is that it your device could potentially be leaking because of cracks or damage to the housing.
You can see below that my impact wrench is in tip-top shape. There’s no cracks, chipping, or other forms of damage on the covers.
Yours should look like this too, as it can lead to big problems otherwise.
Conclusion
I know that nobody likes messes, and I hope that my tips above can help you prevent your impact wrench from making one.
Just make sure to keep these things in mind and I’m sure you won’t have to worry about grease leaks.
Author
I have 2 impact wrenches, one is newly bought and another is an old one.
The new one is leaking grease and I checked my old impact wrench to see if there is any similar issue. I just noticed that there is no grease at all in the old impact wrench! Should I add grease to the old one or should I remove the grease from the new one?
It is abnormal if there is absolutely no grease in the old impact wrench. You can add some grease to it, but please avoid overlubrication. Just inject sufficient amount of grease and I believe it would help to reduce the friction and make the impact wrench to run smoothly. For the leaking one, since it is new, you may try to use it for few times. If the problem still persists, check if the seal around the anvil cover is broken. Get a replacement if this is the case. Another thing you can do is to open up the anvil cover and install it back tightly. This works for me sometimes.
Mine was a DeWalt impact driver instead of impact wrench. I opened the cover before and it was so hard to remove it. Now, I notice that there are some grease leaking from the edge and I am suspecting if the seal is broken. Should note that the screws are all in great condition and I have installed the cover back tightly but the grease is still leaking. What can I do in this case please.