Rear Wheel Bearings

[jlwelding]

Ok, I cant be the only one that has screwed up doing this (I hope anyway). I did a rear brake job with new drums, brakes, wheel bearings, seals, and change rear end oil. When I took the hubs apart they had oil in them and running out everywhere. Put everything back together and 40 miles later the rear wheels lock up. WTH right. THE REAR HUBS ARE NOT SPLASH FED FROM THE REAREND. Just because you put oil in the rear end don't mean the bearings are getting any. I went and found me a big hill to park it sideways on so oil can get in the hubs, I let it set there for 15 min then swap sides let it set for 15 min that side. I plan on doing this once a month (call me crazy) but the hubs are not getting oil if you are driving flat down the HWY. That is the stupidest crap designed for a one ton truck I ever heard of. How the heck the bearings going to stay cool with a heavy load on asphalt in 108 degree heat in the summer? Singed PISSED OFF

[Ed ke6bnl]

I did the same thing on an 1980 Chevy dually and I believe they were oil fed from the rear end lube and seized up and destroyed the rear axle bearing a hub. not sure how they work on my dodge 98.5

[Ilikeoldfords]

Whenever I do rear end bearings, I always pack them with grease when going back together. That will keep them lubed up until the rear diff fluid gets to them. I have never had a problem with the grease mixing with the oil either.

 

Sorry you had this problem though. No fun at all!!

[AH64ID]

They aren't splashed but oil should travel down the axle shaft and lube the bearings, even on a flat highway. You should have had some oil on them by 40 miles.

Where they bone dry?

Is your diff properly serviced?

[jlwelding]

 

Oil is not going to get to the bearings unless you are on a incline or doing figure 8's in the parking lot. Then a cops going to ask you have you taken your meds today? Because he's not going to believe what you tell him. lol

[AH64ID]

That is not true. The axle shafts have a grove in them that slings oil to the wheel bearings.

[jlwelding]

My son races Southern Sport Mod. and we added a fill plug to the rear end so we can fill it 3/4 full due to the force of the car turning to the left all the oil runs down the axle tub. Believe it or not it does no blow out the breather tube. We also did away with the stock tube and just run a hose down the tubing frame. Any way you live and learn, I just seem to keep learning and learning. lol

[AH64ID]

My son races Southern Sport Mod. and we added a fill plug to the rear end so we can fill it 3/4 full due to the force of the car turning to the left all the oil runs down the axle tub. Believe it or not it does no blow out the breather tube. We also did away with the stock tube and just run a hose down the tubing frame. Any way you live and learn, I just seem to keep learning and learning. lol

 

 

Yeah but you are not going to run into that much lateral force on a HD pickup, not without different tires and driving style.

 

I would actually be shocked if it did blow out the breather tube, as they vent from the top of the axle housing.

 

If they axle was designed to lubricate the wheel bearings that way they would all fail.

[jlwelding]

All I can tell you is it locked up in 48 miles and these are short trips to town with a full rear end. That was the first thing I did was try to put more oil in the rear end, it held two pumps of oil with the small pump you get from amsoil. The hub was completey dry just like I left it, because I thought it would get oil right away.

[AH64ID]

Putting the bearing in dry was the issue, you should have put some oil on it to begin with.

 

Short trips push less oil to the bearings due to centrifugal force, heat, etc. The axle also don't need the added lube in those uses, unless the bearing is installed dry. To be honest I am surprised you got 48 miles out of it.

 

INSTALLATION
(1) Thoroughly clean both axle bearings and interior
of the hub with an appropriate cleaning solvent.
(2) Install the bearing cups. Use Installer 8153
and Handle C-4171 to install the bearing cups.
(3) Apply lubricant to surface area of the bearing
cup.
(4) Install the inner axle bearing in the hub.
(5) Install a new bearing grease seal. Use Installer
8152 and Handle C-4171 to install the grease seal.
(6) Inspect the bearing and seal contact surfaces
on the axle tube spindle for burrs and/or roughness.
Remove all the rough contact surfaces from the axle
spindle. Apply a coating of multi-purpose NLGI,
grade 2, EP-type lubricant to the axle.
CAUTION: Use care to prevent the bearing grease
seal from contacting the axle tube spindle threads
during installation. Otherwise, the seal could be
damaged.
(7) Carefully slide the hub onto the axle.
(8) Install the outer axle bearing.

(9) Install the hub bearing adjustment nut. Use
Socket DD-1241–JD to install the adjustment nut.
(10) Tighten the adjustment nut to 163-190 N·m
(120-140 ft. lbs.) while rotating the wheel.
(11) Loosen the adjustment nut 1/8 of-a-turn to
provide 0.001-inch to 0.010-inch wheel bearing end
play.
(12) Tap the locking wedge into the spindle keyway
and adjustment nut. Try to ensure that the locking
wedge is installed into a new position in the
adjustment nut.
(13) Install the axle shaft.
(14) Install the brake drum.
(15) Install the wheel and tire assembly.

[jlwelding]

I thought about putting oil on the bearing (like you say) but if splash fed like I thought (my fault) it should have had oil in it before I left the shop. BUT I should have done some reading up on the subject.
Thanks

[Mopar1973Man]

JL Welding called me while I was out this weekend. As for myself I always hand pack fresh bearings with grease. Then I've been known on fluid changes to fill to spilling out and the drive figure eights in a large area to push oil in the bearing. If I'm feeling lazy I'll jack the axle up on one side slightly and fill till full. This gives the tidbit of extra oil to flood the hubs again.

[AH64ID]

I am not sure I agree with hand packing rear axle bearings. Packing bearing and splash lubed bearings are two different styles of lube, thou both can work on either bearing based on the hub design. Rear axles are not designed to have the bearing packed. Having the bearings packed with WB grease will effect how well the gear lube gets into the bearing.

I still laugh at the figure 8 thing. The axle sits flat and just how many lateral G's do you think you can build up in a parking lot. You would be lucky to get cold gear lube 1/8th of the way down the axle tube from figure 8's.

If rear axle wheel bearings took that much effort to lube then axles wouldnt be on the road after 100 miles. Install them with lube according to the service manual and drive. Axles don't fail leaving the dealership lot and nobody does figure 8's when they buy a new car, it is really a very simple process they just need lube when installed.

[Mopar1973Man]

Warmed gear lube moves rather well. But of course winter cold is going to be like molasses. So warming up the axle with a few miles in summer warmth and doing a few figure eight will move oil into the ends. Hence why the other method I use is tipping the axle to flood the bearing ends. People tend to forget yes this Idaho be summer temperature here can easily exceed 100*F at my house last years record high was 105*F here.

[AH64ID]

The oil could be 300deg and it wouldnt matter. The lateral forces just do not exist driving in figure 8's to move the oil that far, it takes race car cornering and rar car tire lateral traction. Gravity still plays its role and axle tubes are no exception. Gear lube is slung along the axleshaft to the bearings and that is how it lubricates.

Dont forget I live in a hotter part of Idaho than you do, and it still is not hot enough to get gear lube to go to the bearings from figure 8's.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

when i replaced the seals on my axle, i cleaned the bearings in gas, let them dry then let them sit in a small bowl filled with diff lube and placed them back in wet. i didnt have any problems.

[Wild and Free]

Bearing installed dry was the cause, damage was done by the time he hit the end of the driveway most likely just took a few trips to lock up completely.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

ouch

[AH64ID]

Just be glad you caught it before the race spun in the axle and ruined the housing.

[jlwelding]

I am putting new bearings in now and just to give you a up date. I called Mike and let him know what was going on and while we were on the phone I had the frame on jack stands rear end just hanging from the springs. I jacked the left side up till it was 8 inches off the shop floor and the right side was 5 1/2" off the ground, no results. With Mike on the phone I increased the left side to 8 !/2" and right 5" At that time it just started to flow thru the inner bearings at the diff, this was 11:30 at 1;10 it made its first drip from the end of the axle tube.
I also went to only true good shop in town and told him what was going on and he laugh and said learning the hard way huh. I said pack the bearings, so the bearings are getting packed.
Also that is Amsoil 80-140  I am switching to Delvac 80-90 I'll let you know how that works.


 

Edited May 19, 2015 by jlwelding