Re-pack your bearings!

millsy

4x4 Earth Contributer
Just a reminder from some id..t that forgot to re-grease his bearings this winter!

We had just about finished a great 6 day trek through the Victorian deserts when the bearings blew up. This was 130km south east of Loxton, about 60 or 70km into the Sunset country. Lots af horrible noises coming from the front left wheel. Lots of dollars being paid to the mechanic tomorrow night when I collect the car from Loxton. Plus $46 for the bus fare, and the three and a half our trip out there after work, and three and a half back again.

I must admit I had a lot of fun playing in the puddles at various stages of this trip, and the two previous somewhat muddy trips over the past month. But it looks like the rear dust seal had deteriorated, and so water and mud had found its way into the hubs.

Might think more carefully about thrashing through puddles and mud in the future! And will certainly need to re-pack the bearings regularly, especially after a few trips through the water and mud. It wouldn't take them long to go rusty if water had got in! Which is obviously what has what happened this time. Not to mention the damage done by the sand particles grinding around inside as well!

Also, I had never inspected the bearings since buying my first 4x4 about about 40,000km ago! Expensive oversight. Bearings seem to last 'for ever' in ordinary cars, and I just had not thought about it.

Now I can remember the times the bearings blew up on some of my boat trailers, and the 'bearing buddies' that I bought to keep the water out. I guess 4x4 vehicles out in the mud are a lot like trailers launching and retrieving the boats.

LOOK AFTER THOSE BEARINGS!!

Could have easily been avoided for the sake of a bit of grease and a couple of hours work!

Apparently water had also got into the steering knuckle hubs, and so the mechanic had to strip these down and re-grease the upper and lower bearing races, and clean all the old grease and water out of the hubs, and clean and repack the CV joints with grease!

So new bearings on both sides now, and all that work on the steering knuckles on both sides. I might have to give him the truck, if he will take it, to pay for the repairs!

Hope some one who reads this is saved from making the same mistake!

Cheers, Millsy.
 
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jackaroo31td

New Member
I also had similar prob, not with wheel bearings but front drive shaft, didnt grease after mud and water weekend, next time went to use 4wd and the unijoints had siezed. Bugger wont happen again. Got new ones with big grease nipples. Gunna fill those suckers before and after playing
 

robz

4x4 Earth Contributer
Some good advice there.
Had mine done before the O'Tooles meet.
Caught them just in time, water had got in but no damage.
Done the swivel hubs bearings and seals at the same time.
 

bmurray2250

4x4 Earth Contributer
Many people over pack the bearing with grease and on long drives over heat the bearing. The general rule is to pack the bearing full with grease and that is it not fill the air cavity up with grease. It uses the air to cool
 

benting88

New Member
And make sure to use the right grease as well! Not just ordinary chassis grease! A mechanic in rockhampton managed to pull that one on me in november.. not happy
 

millsy

4x4 Earth Contributer
And make sure to use the right grease as well! Not just ordinary chassis grease! A mechanic in rockhampton managed to pull that one on me in november.. not happy

What sort of grease would you recommend?

I have three different tubs of grease in the shed now. High Temp Bearing grease, the black molybdenum sulphide grease, and the latest I bought was a blue coloured High Pressure grease.

The blue stuff was recommended by the mechanic who did all the work for me up at Loxton. I think he said that it would be good for the CV joints and steering knuckle, and also the slow moving upper and lower swivel bearings. And I am guessing just stick with the High Temp Bearing stuff for the actual wheel bearings. Does that sound right?

I initially used to use HTB in the suspension, since that was all I had, and then I bought the black moly grease for the front suspension and the drive shaft slip joints and the uni-joints. But now I have changed to the high pressure grease in all the leaf spring front suspension and steering joints, and am staying with the moly in the drive shafts. What would you say about that?

Thanks, Millsy.
 
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croozza

Active Member
What sort of grease would you recommend?

I have three different tubs of grease in the shed now. High Temp Bearing grease, the black molybdenum sulphide grease, and the latest I bought was a blue coloured High Pressure grease.

The blue stuff was recommended by the mechanic who did all the work for me up at Loxton. I think he said that it would be good for the CV joints and steering knuckle, and also the slow moving upper and lower swivel bearings. And I am guessing just stick with the High Temp Bearing stuff for the actual wheel bearings. Does that sound right?

I initially used to use HTB in the suspension, since that was all I had, and then I bought the black moly grease for the front suspension and the drive shaft slip joints and the uni-joints. But now I have changed to the high pressure grease in all the leaf spring front suspension and steering joints, and am staying with the moly in the drive shafts. What would you say about that?

Thanks, Millsy.

Always use the grease as per what the manufacturer recommends, so only use high temp bearing grease for you wheel bearings. The black molybdenum for the CV's, and the high pressure grease for ball joints, universal joints ect.
 
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