No problem with Dave not being in agreement, but in my experience of driving these cars since 1965, the evidence is in-there is no problem in using grease. With travelling 300,000 miles in my coupe, the idler has been lubricated with grease, and it still the original. The same with my previous convertible, travelling 475,000 miles from 1980 to 2001, when I sold it that year, it still hade the original idler as well. If oil is to be used, make sure the seal is OK, for if it is defective, it will soon be empty again. You mentioned that you had replaced the king pins etc, but only checked the idler, and it needed fluid. If the seal is OK, where did the original oil go?
This brings me to a point on steering boxe lubrication. These days, I use Penrite “Lube”, which is an excellant lubrication for applications where there are mating gears, as it really klings to the componants. Also, where there are seals that may tend to weep, unlike oil, it is does not tend to pass through a seal that would otherwise allow oil to exit the housing. Some time ago, it was suggested to me that this could be used in the idler, though it would need an air operated gun, which I don’t have.
Happy Austineering.
All the best-Peter.
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