Originally Posted by
prathmann
And to add another manufacturer, Phil Wood's instructions for installing cranks on their bottom bracket spindles include:
"To install your crank set, consult your original crank set’s installation instructions. A thin layer of grease should be applied to the spindle’s tapered surface before the crank arms are bolted on."
This is confusing and possibly contradictory: What are you supposed to infer if the original crank set's installation instructions specify a clean dry taper?
Personally, I'd absolutely give precedence to the crank manufacturer's instructions, since the spindle is much less affected either way than the crankarms, if indeed at all.