Rear axle seal

Hi clem, the inner grease retainer can be changed only when the axis is removed and dismantelt. The larger outer grease retainer sits in the brake drum. Which can be easily changed. Hopefully can help the image.

Greetings Barney
 

Attachments

  • 13-11-2012_06-39-17.jpg
    13-11-2012_06-39-17.jpg
    95.4 KB · Views: 180
Hi Clem

You asked this before and some "Pro`s" answered to this....
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67913

I for for sure try to put any words of Kurt and Tom (and the others)
into my brain as i will never reach their level of knowledge.

 Even so, let me do another try :D

Direct answers to your questions:
- No oil should run into the brake as there is a drilled hole to lead waste-oil towards the rim.
- The leaking seals are the “inner-ones” . You would have to take axle apart to change them.

Complete story:
Dont you worry too much.

Please check first, if rear axle oil-level is “normal”

If you screw out oil-filler-plug out of the rear axle, no oil should drip out.
(Even so, i bet, that oil will drip out of your axle-filler-hole).

If oil drips out, reduce oil level in the rear axle to a “low-normal” level .
Its sufficient to reach oil with a finger to be put into the filler hole.
(same for gearbox!)
Then check again (drive again) and there should no more oil leak out of the axle.
In common (and not being overfilled) the axle doesn’t leak even the axle seals are gone.
Take you time as waste-oil still to be in the outer-axle and will drip out for some more time…

Overfilling of rear axle happens as your Gearbox might leak towards the rear-axle !!!
Don’t overfill gearbox (nor axle)

I had same issue (left rear) but it stopped once I reduced axle-oil-level to “normal”

My car worked for years just by filling oil into the gearbox and
taking oil out of the rear axle frequently.


Once I rebuilt the rear axle (lot of work!!!) I had to redo the gearbox as well.
Gearbox is supposed to leak a little, as U-joint needs some oil-lubrication
additional to the grease you put there (as just grease might be to stiff)
 
Thanks a lot. I'll check actual rear end fluid level and drive. No plan to pull rear end in my future.

Thought I might of asked before, couldn't remember and couldn't find it...I can't remember breakfast....keeps me skinny.

Thanks, Clem
 
Breakfast..... hm ..... heard that before.

Actually i always forget that i had some breakfast and take some
more , which keeps my body fully grown :cool:

How to find own threads :
scroll on Fordbarn-HP to the top-row.
Find Sign "Welcome, Clem Smith "
Click onto your underlined name (to go to your profile)
Click onto "Statistics"
Choose.....

have fun
Christoph

Edit:
I click onto "friends" in my own "profile" and find new friends each day :D
 
Last edited:
The "lip" of the seal faces the differential on the axles, the universal joint on the driveshaft --- on page 361, and page 266 of the service bulletins has pictures.

the modern seals the lip side is the one with the spring holding the rubber tight to the shaft ---on the original leather ones it is the side with the sharp cut edge(also has spring under the leather)

The hub seal keeps it off the backing plate, to change it take the hub off, there used to be an aftermarket seal to put in the end of the housing to take over for a damaged inner seal ---I don't know if it is still availble---I don't see it in the Snyders cat, look on the V8 side, it has been talked about there
my car has bad inner seals, the hub seals have kept the oil off the backing plates even with the trans overfilling the diff.
 
Last edited:
There was a seal made some years ago that looked like a precision pressed steel tophat with the seal in the top end if that made sense, and you could remove the hub and drum assembly and press it into the axle stub. the brim and cylindrical part are slender enough not to interfere with axle or wheel bearings, and the seal lips would ride very close to the stock seal. This would however require that the stock leather seal or later rubber seal is real gone and actually leaking providing lubrication for the new seal.
I sure wish someone could make those again. The market would be huge.
 
If you do end up replacing the seals, look at the area on the axle where the seal rides, often there is a grove there from 80 + years of wear. One of our technical advisors in our car club recommends putting a washer in the axle housing to space the seal towards the center of the car. This puts the seal in a position that the seal is resting on a non-grooved area of the axle. The washer has to be sized to seat in the axle housing and large enough ID for the axle to go through the center.
 
Real Axle Question...During regular 500 mile maintenance, how many lube squirts normally go into the wheel bearing fitting on the backing plate? No indication it is full like a tie-rod.
 
TudooR31 said:
Real Axle Question...During regular 500 mile maintenance, how many lube squirts normally go into the wheel bearing fitting on the backing plate? No indication it is full like a tie-rod.
Click to expand...

Normally I start the car ownership by removing the drums to check the brakes. While the drums are off I clean and repack the rear wheel bearings just as I would do to the front. I use Mystik JT-6 High Temp grease and figure this will last until I need to pull the drums again.

If you pump grease in the zerk, I'd stop at about 4 pumps, but then I also don't know for sure where those 4 pumps of grease went.
 
Thanks Kurt, I thought it went that way.I borrowed a tool for sliding the seal in place and I thought it would damage the seal if I installed it the other way 160B, I placed the seal on the axle at the groove and it is a tight fit, so I don't think there will be a problem. Thanks again, Ed Saniewski
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
Normally I start the car ownership by removing the drums to check the brakes. While the drums are off I clean and repack the rear wheel bearings just as I would do to the front. I use Mystik JT-6 High Temp grease and figure this will last until I need to pull the drums again.

If you pump grease in the zerk, I'd stop at about 4 pumps, but then I also don't know for sure where those 4 pumps of grease went.
Click to expand...
Remember, Tom,
Some time ago a poster tore down a rear end & both axle housings were FULL of grease clear down to the carrier area!!!:eek: It'd take 10 minutes per side to do that, even at a NANO-SECOND LUBE PLACE!:D Bill W.
 
I clean & repack the rear hubs every 10,000 miles & dont bother to use the grease fittings.Ford stopped installing fittings for the rear hubs in the 40,s and advised to remove & grease the hubs every 10,000 miles.
 
OHV Deluxe,
You spoke about a seal that went around the axle at the housing stub. I knew an ooold mechanic that used a snug fitting "O" ring, greased it well with wheel bearing grease, and pushed it back inside the housing about 1/4." I don't know how effective it was, but I don't think it could harm anything. Bill W.
 
I have been thinking about a solution like that many times, last time was with a very original 39 DeLuxe that leaked oil from a otherwise good rear end. I have rebuilt my share of rear ends but sometimes you wish to leave the axle alone. Here is a picture of an old one.
 

Attachments

  • seal.jpg
    seal.jpg
    33.9 KB · Views: 95
I can't find the thread right now but thyis was discussed on the EV8 board the other day. Someone was making a seal to be installed on the axle from the outside for this very "problem".
Paul in CT
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top