Hub Driving Member - Rover Diff

[JohnboyLandy]

Hi All,

My 109 has Rover diffs front and back.

On the weekend I was re-assembling the first of the rear hubs after brake replacement, bearing replacement, new seal, and packing the bearings etc. When I went to put the Driving member back on, I noticed a hex drive screw which seemed to be an oil filler, so I thought, "what do I do with that ?"

I consulted the green bible, and in section 8.4, in the section for Rover diffs, it implies that the hubs can be oil filled "oil lubricated" which surprised me, but alternative, it says the hubs can be "grease lubricated" and if so, it says "ensure the space in the end of the hub and drive member is packed with grease".

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I hadn't read that before I disassembled the hubs, but there seemed to be grease not oil in the hubs originally.

So, is there really two options here, grease or oil ? and are the hubs any different for each lubricant ?

And if a hub is grease lubricated, then do I really pack the end of the hub/drive member around the locking nuts with grease, or is packing both bearings enough ???

Any guidance appreciated.

Thanks
John

[123rover50]

Use oil.
I have been using oil only for 50 years.
In my newer ones I pull the axle seals and let the diff oil flow right through from end to end. Only used grease for the initial pack then oil from then on.

[JDNSW]

Series Landrover wheel bearings (except semifloating Series 1) are all oil lubricated, with no seal between the hub and the oil in axle housing at the back or the swivel at the front.

Early (up to early Series 2a) specified filling the hub with oil via the plug in the drive flange, after assembly. Later specified procedure was to grease pack the bearings for initial lubrication, simplifying the procedure for both production and service, and removing the need for the plug. This procedure can be followed for older vehicles.

[JohnboyLandy]

Thanks for the replies guys !!

John, since mine is a late 2A (1971), and I packed the bearings, no need for oil - true ? but should I ..."ensure that the space in the end of the hub and driving member is packed with grease" as per green bible ?

It's funny how none of the Youtube videos on hub rebuilds mention filling with oil.

Cheers,
John

[JDNSW]

If you pack the bearings with grease, this will provide adequate lubrication until the hub gets oil from the diff/swivel, the only thing is the grease should be spread around to ensure that the hub seal and splines are not dry to start with. Good idea to check levels in diff/swivels after a few kilometres, as the levels will have dropped a little.

The procedure does not vary according to the vintage of the Landrover, just that some time in the mid sixties they decided that the filling of the hubs with oil could be simply dispensed with, as long as the bearings were grease packed, so that they could scrap the filler plug. It was a bit of a pain to fill them, as the hole is pretty small, and you had to add a measured amount of oil, rather than filling to a level.

[JohnboyLandy]

Thanks John, I certainly greased the seal already, so I'll do the same for the spline too.

Cheers
John