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

Originally Posted by 98-110

I'm now convinced that I should convert both the front and rear hubs to oil feed on a Defender, but still have a few questions.



Also from the diag, (7) refers to "inner and outer hub seals." Are both these seals replaced by a single RTC3511 oil seal? The RTC3511 oil seal is a double lipped and double garter sping seal - they are possibly referring to each of these as being the 'inner & outer' seals. The 'inner' lip retains the oil & the 'outer' lip excludes the mud & gunk from entering - they are both part of the one RTC3511 oil seal. Ensure that you coat the lips of the seal with grease during assembly.
There is no mention of replacing the seal on the spherical housing, so is it ok as is? The large seal on the sperical CV housing does not require replacing (if in good condition). It is not imperative that seal No. 8 be removed as oil from the CV housing will lubricate the wheel bearings. I have never removed the Cv housing in order to remove the No. 8 seal - I usually simply remove the axle and cut the seal away, taking care to remove all debris.


For the REAR hubs,

1. is there an "axle shaft seal" (similar to 8 on the diag) to be removed, No. However there is a seal the same as No.23 in the inner end of the stub axle which must be removed. Note that due to the one piece rear axle, there is no needle roller bearing adjacent to this seal in the rear stub axles. On the front stub axle, seal No. 23 can simply be cut away - this saves the need to remove & replace the needle roller bearings.
2. do I remove the "inner hub oil seal" (as per Defender Manual Sect51 p41), and
3. replace the "outer hub oil seal" with the RTC5311 oil seal? Seal (or 'grease wiper') No. 7 is the one you replace with RTC3511.

Thanks

G'day Nigel,

Sorry for not responding earlier but I've been tripping around the Victorian High Country with 20 members of the LROC and only returned home last night. The country & weather was absolutely magnificent with little evidence of the recent fires in the eastern sector.

I hope above answers (in blue) clarify any queries you may have had regarding this very worthwhile operation.
If you are still unsure, PM me and we could maybe make contact by phone.

Nigel,
Just missed one point -

{quote}
'Drill a 3mm hole on the underside of the stub axle between where the bearings locate - this allows/ensures that oil will reach both bearings easier than if it has to pass through the outer one in order to reach the iner one. drill stub axle vertically upwards from (6) on the diag?'

Correct, but I drill it while the stub axle is removed & therefore find it easier to remove any drilled metal or sharp edges prior to reassembly.

a BIG thank you to Utemad and Roger for all that clarification on the hub conversion.
Thanks

Thanks for the info - just finished converting mine - on my D1 - not difficult. Found one pair of rear bearings rusty under the grease - Hopefully the oil will stop that - just rescued the brake pads in time btw.

If I was to connect the wires in the new brake pads, is a series lamp all that is required? so the wearing pad earths the wire and lights the lamp ?

From the Maxi Drive leaflet

Conversion to oil lubrication

It is not imperative that this modification is done, however oil lube will prolong bearing life and prevent the spline flogging out like the original. No spline connection will last running dry. Land Rovers before these models had oil lube as the diff or CV oil could access the hub and they didn't suffer like the 1992 on vehicles.

Rear axles
Simply remove the spindle (stub axle) and remove the small seal fitted to the inside of the spindle.

Front axles
Remove the spindle but it will be necessary to first remove the needle roller bearing to get the seal out. It is possible to drive the bearing out with the seal using a long rod with a slight bend on the end, then replace the bearing. Alternatively you casn just cut away the seal lip insitu to render it useless. The needle roller must be retained and in good order.

On all applications it is now necessary to replace the inferior hub seal with a decent seal that is designed to retain oil and keep mud out. Our preference is the seal used (by Rover) in early model Land Rover County hubs. This seal Rover Pt No. RTC3511 has double lips with garter springs on both lips.


(I incorporated the 3mm drilling as per Xtremes suggestion)


Martyn

Originally Posted by Michele

Just a note;
as my hub seals are now leaking a bit,I'm about to get a couple and replace.

It was December 2006...


Erm...


...I replaced the seals last Saturday!!!!



Shame on me...

Yet to convert the rear axle...!!