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How to replace a grease nipple

Updated: 23 October 2026

The grease gun is stuck, or the hex has rounded, and you want the old part out. How to replace a grease nipple is a short job when the thread matches and the coupler comes off by rocking. Release the coupler, turn the hex, and stop if the stub shears or the port holds pressure. Prices for a replacement you can name are on the [grease nipple comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/grease-nipple). If a new nipple still will not pass grease, use [grease nipple not taking grease](/hub/diy-supplies/grease-nipple/sub/grease-nipple-wont-take-grease). Peter F. used UK fitting notes, HSE bulletins and amazon.co.uk listings from 21 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The grease gun is stuck, or the hex has rounded, and you want the old part out. How to replace a grease nipple is a short job when the thread matches and the coupler comes off by rocking.

Our top picks

Swpeet Swpeet 246-piece metric and inch kit

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Swpeet Swpeet 246-piece metric and inch kit
7.0/10about £16.99
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TRILINK TRILINK 160-piece metric kit with wrench

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TRILINK TRILINK 160-piece metric kit with wrench
6.0/10about £18.99
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REJOECE REJOECE 153-piece kit with spanners

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REJOECE REJOECE 153-piece kit with spanners
5.1/10about £9.49
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On this page
  1. 1.Get the grease gun off before you unscrew anything
  2. 2.Match the thread, then remove the old nipple
  3. 3.Fit the new nipple and pump to the joint you actually have
  4. 4.When to stop

Get the grease gun off before you unscrew anything

A stuck coupler is the usual reason a head snaps. The jaws have bitten the cone, and a straight pull twists the hex in the housing. Rock the coupler, crack its release, and take the tension off the nipple. If it still will not let go, separate the gun at the hose union instead of using the nipple as a handle. That pull is also how soft heads fail in this capture. A Nadinsta review says the body tore when the gun was pulled sideways. Wipe the head, and press the ball only to see that it moves. If the nipple is on a track tensioner or a ram, leave the gun off.

Match the thread, then remove the old nipple

On ordinary pins, the grease nipple is a right-hand thread, so it unscrews anticlockwise. If the housing is unfamiliar and it will not start, stop. M10 x 1 and 1/8 BSP both sit near 10 mm and do not interchange. That split is on the metric or BSP grease nipple page. A box that only says M6, M8 and M10 has not chosen for you. Soak the base with penetrating oil, then use a slim spanner on the hex. If the hex rounds, stop. Chalky deposits, in Skill Shack's account, mean a new nipple will not restore the joint.
Swpeet Swpeet 246-piece metric and inch kit

Testsieger

Swpeet Swpeet 246-piece metric and inch kit
7.0/10about £16.99
View offer

Fit the new nipple and pump to the joint you actually have

Start the new nipple by hand. If it goes tight after about one turn, it is the wrong thread or it is cross-threading. Back it out. Kingfisher prefers a tapered metric nipple because it can seal in a parallel hole of the same thread without sealant. Nip the hex until it seats, and stop when it is firm. On an open pin, pump until fresh grease shows at the edge. On a sealed boot, a few pumps are the limit, and you stop before the boot balloons. A 90° nipple is the right spare only if the thread matches the one you removed. Angle does not convert metric to BSP.

When to stop

Stop when the stub has sheared in a steering joint, a hub or a universal joint. Stop as well when the housing thread is stripped, or when the joint has play or a torn boot. A new nipple will not tighten a worn pin. Do not experiment on a digger track adjuster or any ram that stores pressure. The Health and Safety Executive records a fatal injection when a nipple detached during track tensioning. Injury may occur from about 7 bar. Hand guns have been tested at over 600 bar. Those figures are about injury and about guns, not a working pressure for any listing here. Match the original fitting, do not reuse a part that has blown out, and get urgent medical help after any injection, including a pinhole that looks minor.

Common questions

Which way does a grease nipple unscrew?
Anticlockwise on the usual right-hand thread in ordinary pins and linkages. Crack it with a spanner on the hex after penetrating oil has had time to work. If the housing is unfamiliar and the nipple will not move, do not reverse direction and lean on it. Confirm the thread before the flats round off.
What if the hex rounds or the head snaps?
Stop once the flats are gone. Owners on The Mini Forum describe awkward access on a ball joint and warn that a brittle extractor can break in the hole. A sheared stub in a steering joint, hub or universal joint is a workshop job with the part off the vehicle. Penetrating oil and a correct fitting spanner are the home tools. A snapped head is where those tools have finished.
How do I get a stuck grease gun off without breaking the nipple?
Rock the coupler and release it at the gun, as the LocostBuilders propshaft notes describe, instead of pulling the hose off the chassis. Wipe grit off the cone so the jaws can move. Sideways pulling tore a soft head in a Nadinsta review and pulled a nipple apart in an ANVINKU review. If the coupler still will not release, separate it at the hose union.
Do I use thread tape?
Not to make the wrong thread fit. If the nipple tightens after a single turn, remove it and check the pitch. Kingfisher prefers a tapered metric nipple that can seal in a parallel hole of the same thread without sealant. Where the manual already calls for a particular sealant or a dry thread, follow that.
How much grease is enough?
On an open pin, pump until clean grease shows at the edge. On a sealed boot, a few pumps are Skill Shack's limit, and you stop before the boot balloons. The grade comes from the manual, often an LM2 lithium grease, and sometimes the housing wants oil instead.
Can I do this on a digger track adjuster?
No. HSE's track-tensioning bulletin follows a fatal injury when a nipple detached under pressure, and it says not to reuse a part that has come out of a pressurised port. Match the original fitting and leave tensioning to someone who works that system. A blocked pin on a bucket linkage is a different job.

Related pages

Grease nipple buying guide

Grease nipple

Best grease nipple kit for a thread you already know

M10 grease nipple or 1/8 BSP: tell the threads apart

Grease nipple not taking grease: ball, gun or joint

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 21 October 2026. Updated October 2026.

  1. Kingfisher metric hydraulic grease fittings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Kingfisher BSP hydraulic grease nipples (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Kingfisher 1/4-28 hydraulic grease fittings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE: hydraulic injection injury (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. HSE: track tensioning (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Pressol: DIN standards for lubrication (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Skill Shack: how to grease nipples (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. UK Planet Tools: Sealey AB009GN assortment (retrieved 21 October 2026)