Thread: Convert RR+Disco Wheel Bearings to Oil Lubed?

I personally prefer the grease to the oil method. One of the axle oil seals on the rear of mine had failed and washed all the grease out, i find it messy. If you continually check your bearings and regularly re-grease them then it shouldnt be a problem. The issue i found is that regardless of what you do the system isnt designed to hold oil in, so it will inevidably leak. Just my thoughts. Matt

Matt, the bloody seal we all use (RTC3511) is an oil seal. The whole system was designed back in the 1940's to use oil as a lubricant.
Grease was only used in the mid nineties on. The only changes made to achieve this was an axle tube seal to keep the oil in the diff, and an el cheapo seal used in the hub. Going to greased hubs was a dumbing down of design (read cheap), just like going to the narrow based bearing hubs/spindles on the Defender at around the same time.

In four years of use I've never had a hub oil leak, (unlike when using the stock seal and grease) and if people as knowledgeable as Mal Story and Bill Larman advocate it, that's good enough for me.

It's a well known fact in the trucking industry that large trucks that use oil instead of grease lubrication in the hubs run much cooler, and their bearing life is infinitely extended compared to greased bearing hubs.
I
f you do any creek crossings, I know which seal I trust to keep the water out and the hub contents in rather than using a dust seal.

FWIW, I've never drilled a stub axle, and I'd never heard of anyone doing it until Xtreme posted that he did a while back.

Naturally I reiterate what rick130 says regarding oil lubed wheel bearings.

I have owned 25 Landies over a period of 44 years (and have had contact with many more through friends) and hadn't experienced a wheel bearing failure until they introduced the greased bearings in the mid 90's.

With oil fed wheel bearings I have experienced the occassional oil leak through the seal but would prefer this 'early warning' sign rather than have a grease wiper (dust seal) fail, allowing water and 'gunk' to enter the hub and destroy the bearings, with the first sign of trouble being a wobbley wheel. It doesn't take much pressure - like you get when you're in a mud bog or a deep water crossing - for contaminants to force their way past a grease wiper. Just look at the lousey design compared to the double lipped, double garter spring on the RTC 3511 oil seal.

Also, it's a much easier and cleaner job to service an oiled hub/bearing assembly than a greased one.

Everyone to their own but for me, oils the go.
At least, if you wish to run greased bearings, give yourself a bit more protection by using the RTC 3511 oil seal in lieu of the OE grease wiper.

Roger

Originally Posted by Xtreme

I have owned 25 Landies over a period of 44 years (and have had contact with many more through friends) and hadn't experienced a wheel bearing failure until they introduced the greased bearings in the mid 90's.

I want to inspect my front wheel bearings on my 1994 Discovery so I thought I might as well go the oil lubed route. Considering this quote about mid nineties being the change over to greased bearings, does a 1994 Disco already have oil lubed wheel bearings? I have oil lubed swivels.

If they are greased is it just the grease seal (part 14 in the RAVE exploded view) that I have to toss out?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by rick130

Grease was only used in the mid nineties on. The only changes made to achieve this was an axle tube seal to keep the oil in the diff, and an el cheapo seal used in the hub. Going to greased hubs was a dumbing down of design (read cheap), just like going to the narrow based bearing hubs/spindles on the Defender at around the same time.


FWIW, I've never drilled a stub axle, and I'd never heard of anyone doing it until Xtreme posted that he did a while back.

Rick, AFAIK greased bearings were used much earlier than the mid 90's? But it wasn't until then that they started putting grease in the swivels too.

I have also never drilled a stub axle, and I would be vary wary of doing so in case it introduces a weak point.

I have NEVER had a double lipped hub seal let water in, only ever a weeping swivel seal let water in. When I helped a mate (Michele) in Italy convert his front end to longfields and oil lubrication, we found that the CV splines and the inside of the drive flange was rusty because no oil or grease was getting to it, and a small amount of moisture must have been let in.

I've been reading up on this a bit more tonight and it would appear that you can remove a whole bunch of seals to flood the entire front end with diff oil. However since I have an older Disco that has the oil in the swivels is it possible to just remove the one seal I mentioned above and have the diff oil and the swivel/bearing oil seperate?
This would mean that you have three compartments so any water ingress will will stay in the compartment that it entered. It would also mean less effort as less seals to remove. Plus I have done wheel bearings on my old Rodeo before so am confident with that but not to sure on the rest of the job. Unless I could get a break down diagram or photos with instructions.
Anyone got pictures or diagrams of what is necessary?

Originally Posted by Utemad

I've been reading up on this a bit more tonight and it would appear that you can remove a whole bunch of seals to flood the entire front end with diff oil. However since I have an older Disco that has the oil in the swivels is it possible to just remove the one seal I mentioned above and have the diff oil and the swivel/bearing oil seperate?
This would mean that you have three compartments so any water ingress will will stay in the compartment that it entered. It would also mean less effort as less seals to remove. Plus I have done wheel bearings on my old Rodeo before so am confident with that but not to sure on the rest of the job. Unless I could get a break down diagram or photos with instructions.
Anyone got pictures or diagrams of what is necessary?

That's exactly what I was thinking/asking in the other current thread on this topic.......this thread was started by me a few months ago, and I asked another related Q the other day.

G'day you all,
I made this as promemoria while getting ready to do the front end conversion with Ben (ta again mate).

I made several sketches to check everything out but it should be right...