Help needed - replacing Defender wheel bearings

**67hardtop** · 30th August 2017, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by roverrescue

Rod, thats a little bit different eh
OP was asking whether to pre-grease bearings that are oil lubricated.
Yours look as if they never saw anything that resembles lubrication apart from water!

I have always drilled 5mm hole in the stub-axle underside between the bearing seats to ensure quick and complete inner bearing oiling even if it is largely unnecessary
BUT then I still little pre-grease the bearings before install.

Steve

Theyre not mine, the pic was taken from another thread on here. Oil lubed bearings the op put on his defender that he didnt grease coz they were oil lubed so he didnt think they needed to be. He now knows better. Was a costly mistake.

Cheers Rod
Rear Wheel bearing failure

This is the thread i think. I hope it works its the first time ive done this

Cheers Rod

**BadCo.** · 30th August 2017, 07:26 PM

Looks like he forgot the oil too

**timax** · 30th August 2017, 10:01 PM

I dont believe there was oil in that hub. Did he only fill it from the diff and expected the oil to then flow that freely into the hubs?
If that is what people are doing then i think your crazy to think there is enough oil getting in.
I have fillers on both hubs as well as drains there also. Fill the hubs and diff slowly until they are overflowing then fill via the diff breather hole until the axle tube has about 5mm or so of oil in it. If a bearing is then sitting immersed in oil it cant possibly be dry.

**roverrescue** · 31st August 2017, 05:19 AM

My apologies Rod
Exactly the point uh!!!!

I Guess pre-grease is needed
And or that little hole between bearings?

Steve

**BadCo.** · 31st August 2017, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by timax

I dont believe there was oil in that hub. Did he only fill it from the diff and expected the oil to then flow that freely into the hubs?
If that is what people are doing then i think your crazy to think there is enough oil getting in.
I have fillers on both hubs as well as drains there also. Fill the hubs and diff slowly until they are overflowing then fill via the diff breather hole until the axle tube has about 5mm or so of oil in it. If a bearing is then sitting immersed in oil it cant possibly be dry.

If you read the thread he said he put 3 litres in each hub, and only one hub failed

**trout1105** · 31st August 2017, 08:31 AM

I think that the idea behind using grease in the bearings is to provide better lubrication as the new bearings "Bed" themselves in as the grease would take some time to "Wash off" in the oil.
New bearings usually create some heat before they settle down and grease seems to cope with this better than oil.

**dromader driver** · 31st August 2017, 02:06 PM

I did mine recently and used the blue castrol grease that used to be known as boat grease now called premium heavy duty. There are a couple of figures around for the preload so you will need to decide what to use. Bearings and seals off the shelf at repco. Timken bearings too Haven't fallen off yet.

**timax** · 31st August 2017, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by BadCo.

If you read the thread he said he put 3 litres in each hub, and only one hub failed

No he actually says he put 3 liters in the diff. Dosnt say he put any in the hubs but expected the oil to flow evenly to both sides. It was a rear hub also.I have never done a rear on my landrover so not sure what id do.
Certainly some differences of opinion and interesting discussion.
There is naturally no harm in greasing bearings that will eventually run in oil so that would be the safer bet.
I "personally" wont bother as i think of the wheel bearings in the same way as a gearbox. I have built several gearboxes in club race cars and have never greased the bearings in those. Always just used a good oil. Same with diffs. Although i have use assembly lube if i wasnt going to fill with oil imediatley.

**Vern** · 31st August 2017, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by timax

No he actually says he put 3 liters in the diff. Dosnt say he put any in the hubs but expected the oil to flow. It was a rear hub also.I have never done a rear on my landrover so not sure what id do.
Certainly some differences of opinion and interesting discussion.
There is naturally no harm in greasing bearings that will eventually run in oil so that would be the safer bet.
I "personally" wont bother as i think of the wheel bearings in the same way as a gearbox. I have built several gearboxes in club race cars and have never greased the bearings in those. Always just used a good oil. Same with diffs. Although i have use assembly lube if i wasnt going to fill with oil imediatley.

Thats how you do the rear diff, just over fill it and the oil migrates to each hub.

**simmo** · 3rd September 2017, 09:46 AM

Hi,

overfilling the back diff will work if the seal has been remove from the drive shaft, thats how i do mine. ( I'm not game to try and drill & tap the maxidrive flanges they are so hard)

the front is more complicated because of the swivel housing has seals on both sides of it.

I just drilled and tapped a 1/8" gas thread in the front drive flanges and filled through there.

Its worked for 10 years and 100,000 kms. You need to change your rubber hubcaps every 5 years though they do crack and leak after a while.

no need to put grease on them if they have oil bath.

I fill the hub with a 30 ml syringe , 60ml in each wheel bearing. the syringes cost a dollar or 2 at the pharmacy.

I carry a complete set of bearings & seals etc for one hub as a good luck charm, never used them in 10+ years, some grease on them for preservation, wrap them in alfoil and then put in a zipper sandwich bag.

I have a couple of drive flanges drilled spare, ex rear axle before the maxidrive was fitted. when you come back to brissy, you can have a look at them, it would be easy to do yours, I did mine at home.

oil is easy to change , just remove the plug and rotate the wheel down. Good idea to do every 50,000 kms, or when you adjust the bearings.

good luck with the rest of your trip

cheers simmo

Thread: Help needed - replacing Defender wheel bearings

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front wheel bearing change.

oil filled hubs front and rear are different.

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