Rear Wheel Bearings

[Wild and Free]

You have to realize the way the diff and axles are set up too. That oil has to work its way through not only the carrier bearings and or past the axle splines and side gear in the carrier then down the length of axle tube into the hub and then seep through the rollers of the outer bearing fill the small cavity between the outer wheel bearing and into the inner bearing. As you can imagine oil takes a while to seep through the rollers on a non moving bearing.

I personally would not "Pack" the bearings. Best to coat them liberally with gear oil and or a coating of grease but do not pack them.

[AH64ID]

Amsoil also has a 75w-110 if you want a little more protection.

 

The Amsoil 80w and Delvac 80w should flow similar but I bet the Amsoil has better cold flow due it being synthetic.

[jlwelding]

All the rust and crud is coming from what we thought was the good side (driver side). I'll be back in a little while, got to finish putting it together.

[AH64ID]

That is a lot of crud!!

 

That red grease could inhibit the gear lube flow. I really don't think I would want any of that in there. Just install it like they do at the factory.

 

I am assuming you are nervous about what just happened. I have been there with wheel bearing issues and it SUCKS!!! But the people that designed the system know what they are doing, for the most part.

 

If your old ones didn't fail from lack of lube then the new ones shouldn't either, assuming they get a good coat of lube to start with.

[Wild and Free]

What he said^^^^^^^^^^by packing the bearings like that they will never get gear lube through them now. Premature failure coming again at some point guaranteed. A light coating is one thing would be better with gear lube but packed like that is asking for more trouble.

[jlwelding]

Fail as it may by the amount that's in there its done anyway. I used a lite amount of Mystic tube grease then put Mystic 80-90 in the diff. The right side is the clean side and it took it 1 1/2 hours for it to get over there and drip from the axle. I put the Mystic in thinking they are at least compatible, the make up is the same. But like I said I think it done anyway so why put 45.00 worth of Amsoil in it if its done. She has 300k on diff. You know what gets me is the right side has no rust at all, its some what brown but no flakes like the right. What you saw was one swipe with the rags attached, I swabbed it several more times after that then just called it quit's.  Here's the real pisser to all this, I spent 450.00 the first time around and 210.00 today, I hate to think for another 750.00 I could get a rebuild. Which is what I will be looking for when this one bites the dust.

[AH64ID]

Which side is the breather on? I am guessing the left side.

Keep your AAA up as I don't think those bearings will like the first heavy highway trip with the grease like that. It would be a far better use of your time to pull them apart and clean them now. You said it has 300K miles on it... The factory method of luring the bearings works.

[Mopar1973Man]

I seriously doubt that any failure will occur. Like anything you never assemble a bearing dry into anything always pre-lube them with assembly grease. The gear lube will wash out the grease in due time. I've done it that way for years and never had a bearing failure yet.

[AH64ID]

How will cool gear lube wash out high temp grease? I don't see that happening, what I see instead is grease blocking the flow of gear lube especially if it is as thick as it is in the photos. The only way that grease will leave is by getting too hot and turning to liquid, which is more likely than not. At that point it is too late and failure is imminent.

I still cannot believe you guys do this. I have never heard of it and it makes no logical sense and the more I think about it then worse the idea becomes.

If I found out someone used wheel bearing grease in my rear wheel bearings I would park the truck until it was fixed.

[jlwelding]

Stay tuned, I will pull wheels hang axle again and see if it runs over to both sides.

[Mopar1973Man]

You better listen to AH64ID.. I'm backing out. I'll keep my suggestions to myself.

[jlwelding]

Ok guys here it is. I don't have a smart phone to prove what I saw so You can take my word for it or not but I am not going to do it again to prove to the non believers. My house is 1/2 mile from my shop, I drove straight home after putting it all together all I did was over fill it and it set in the garage. I went straight to the shop because I thought what if there right about the grease blocking the bearings. I did lean it in a ditch before I came to the shop about 5 min. At the shop I drove on to a 4x6 block so it is leaning to the right I left the bottom bolt in the axle to be ready for it and sure enough the oil came flowing out ran all over the rim. I believe over filling it and lean it in a ditch is the way to do it. I think really the over fill is the real cause just my thought. I also believe 80-140 is to thick I will be draining my 05 and putting 80-90 in it. I also believe the grease will be diluted in a short time. Anything with a chemical base that is thinner than another it will thin it out. Just my two cents.

[AH64ID]

The 05 certainly doesn't need the 140wt as AAM specs 90wt for all GCWR's for that axle, unless you operate above GCWR in death valley most the time.

 

I thought Dana liked a heavier lube for guys who tow/haul heavy? Both being a 80w or 75w means they will flow the same when cold/cool and just stay thicker when hot.

 

I am not sure that the oil flow while leaning is the same as the oil flow while driving. Gravity flow is much different than what is going on 65 mph on an interstate.

 

Put a drop of grease in a mason jar and top it off with gear lube. Shake it a few times a day and see how long it takes to dissolve/dilute the grease.

 

I know that even chemical grease solvents have a hard time with wheel bearing grease.

[oldbeek]

Come on guys. Do you pack your front 2wd bearings with grease? YES. Do they go out from no lube? NO.. As a hd truck mechanic for years axle bearings were grease packed. We always grease pack drive axles, even though diff oil will get into the bearings eventually. Those rigs would immediately go back to work with a 9,000 lb load on each axle. No time for break in. The newer trailer axles would not get packed because the hub cap has a fill plug to pump in the 90 wt oil. THe oil will eventually get into the greased hubs. Our bearing inspection interval was 200,000 miles.

[AH64ID]

Front and rear wheel bearings are compleatly different in terms of lubrication method and as a hd truck mechanic you should know that.... There is a HUGE different in the design of the axle/hub for bearings that are lubed by being packed with grease and those that are lubed with gearlube, again something you should know as a hd truck mechanic.

No one has said that packed wheel bearings don't last, the point is that packing wheel bearings in a rear axle designed to lube with gear lube is going to block the flow of gear lube. Wheel bearing grease doesn't get hot and run away, it stays there unless it is overheated.

[rburks]

i had this happen to me when i let a shop put my new diff in...if you'll notice the fill plug on the inspection cover is level or just below the axle tubes. you have to get up to highway speed for a good whole before the oil makes its way into the wheel bearings... 

[rburks]

i installed a MAG-HYTEC DIFF COVER,, that eliminated that issue, no gasket, Magnet drain plug, and has a dipstick   

 

file:///Users/richardburks/Desktop/Dana44-2.jpg

[rburks]

sorry,,tried to load a picture, didn't work

[AGPTurbo]

I'm pretty sure that the way the bearings get lubed is from the viscous coupling effect the turning hypoid gear has on the oil in the diff. The oil is thick and forms a rooster tail in the cover that pulls the oil up and into the tubes as a result. On the effects of packing them, time will tell, but I'd think he'd be ok. A forum member on a boat site I was a member of used to say, "any grease is better than no grease at all".

Edited May 21, 2015 by AGPTurbo

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

Notice he has a bad leak dripping...  but this gives an idea of whats going on in a diff...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwYW1lzKWcE

Edited May 21, 2015 by CUMMINSDIESELPWR