Joe, Gears should be greased - do you have a curved-tip syringe that will squirt grease? Oil is fine in the short run but will sling off in short order.
I haven't figured out all the hoop-la about Tri-Flow. I find plain, old sewing machine oil to be just as good and costs WAAAY less. I do use the Tri-Flow grease but only because the Singer grease is hard to find and I haven't taken the time to search out an economical alternative. In a pinch, I use petroleum jelly.
Ed