Greasing bearings in wheel hubs
- Thread starter Curly
- Start date
Patrick L.
Well-known member
I'm sure you're talking about the rears. Well, thats what the zerk is for, but, one doesn't know whether it'll work properly or exactly how grease is to be used or the condition of the components.
Its best to jerk the hubs and hand grease the bearings about every 10-15K.
Its best to jerk the hubs and hand grease the bearings about every 10-15K.
Tom Endy
Well-known member
There is a good chance the inner seals are shot and the passageway for the grease where the fitting is installed is plugged off. When the inner seals are shot the grease pumped in will travel down the drive shaft toward the differential instead of being forced outboard toward the wheel bearing. It the passageway is plugged the grease will go nowhere. This design was not one of Henry's better ideas. It was later discarded.
A good many of the rear axle assemblies I rebuild I find the inner seals shot and\or the passage plugged with crud. I can tell when an owner diligently pumped grease into the fitting. The grease will centrifuge around the axle an inch thick and will be deep toward the differential depending on how long he was at it.
Best to pack the wheel bearings by hand. It should be good until you are due for the next brake inspection of have the drums off for some reason.
Tom Endy
A good many of the rear axle assemblies I rebuild I find the inner seals shot and\or the passage plugged with crud. I can tell when an owner diligently pumped grease into the fitting. The grease will centrifuge around the axle an inch thick and will be deep toward the differential depending on how long he was at it.
Best to pack the wheel bearings by hand. It should be good until you are due for the next brake inspection of have the drums off for some reason.
Tom Endy
Agreed , as Tom said seals can fail and it takes an incredible amount of pumps to hope it gets there, and not one fords better ideas . No substitute for hand packing
I like the green stay lube heavy fiber if you can find it or one if the heavier drum brake greases
Larry Shepard
I like the green stay lube heavy fiber if you can find it or one if the heavier drum brake greases
Larry Shepard
Agreed , as Tom said seals can fail and it takes an incredible amount of pumps to hope it gets there, and not one fords better ideas . No substitute for hand packing
I like the green stay lube heavy fiber if you can find it or one if the heavier drum brake greases
Larry Shepard
I like the green stay lube heavy fiber if you can find it or one if the heavier drum brake greases
Larry Shepard
Jason in TX
Well-known member
This original post was interesting to me. I recently pulled some front brake drums off a Model A chassis that had Kelsey Hayes manufactured hubs that had grease fittings built into the hubs. I thought they were interesting and hung on to them.
Anyone else ever seen these? I hadn't. Didn't seem like they would be that common.
Anyone else ever seen these? I hadn't. Didn't seem like they would be that common.
Patrick L.
Well-known member
These hubs with the fittings were original ?
I've added fittings between the cups on many hubs of various vehicles [ mostly trailers] and haven't pulled the bearings on some of these hubs for 40 years.
Jason in TX
Well-known member
Yeah. I'll try to dig them out and post a picture.
DJ S
Well-known member
My hubs are Kelsey Hayes but they don't have a greese fitting.
Jason in TX
Well-known member
emf
Well-known member
I'm not a fan of using the grease fittings to lube the rear hubs. I have an AA truck with fittings in the rear and the previous owner must have pumped until the cartridge ran out of grease. The grease blew by the seal and contaminated the brake shoes. Not a pretty sight. I must have pulled over two cups of grease from the axle bearing that did not need to be there.... Repack by hand...
Frank
Frank