Yes, the grease will come out and you need to put some in once in awhile since they aren't really sealed. I do mine about once a month. More than likely your clunking is coming from the idler arm though. As the finish wears it needs to be tightened. I'm not sure what the torque should be, but I tightened mine once because it was noticeably loose. After a year and nearly 30K miles I have yet to experience a problem with my steering system.