Series 3 Front hub oil seal leaking

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Webley1991 said:
Something I forgot to ask the first time is what size socket will I need for the lock nuts?

Also, is it possible that the oil could have leaked through from inside the swivel hub? If so, what is the solution to that?
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52mm, the bearings are oil fed so it supposed to the hub seal is an oil seal with a garter spring unlike later defenders and discos
 
If the bearings are sopposed to be oiled via oil from the swivel hub as well, what happens if the hub oil is replaced with the one shot grease?

Edit: Another question, what size split pin does the hub lock nut use? I would like to order some before I actually start the job.
 
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I removed the front passenger side hub yesterday and found that the seal land is pitted.

Although the manual says that it must be drilled and split, is it possible to remove it by carefully heating it in place with a flame to expand it enough to slide off? I am wondering if it could be done in place without needing to unbolt the stub axle.

I deal with some bearings at work where the inner races are heated to 110c by induction for assembly. This expands them enough to slide freely onto the shafts.
 
Generally if you hit the side with a cold chisel a couple of good hits and it will distort and come off never had to drill one.
 
I always put some grease on bearings as it takes some time for oil to find it's way from the swivel.Some early drive flanges had a screw you could remove to get some in. I just hit the lands with a cold chisel to remove,often they come free before they split all the way through.
 
Thanks for the replies.

The Land Rover Repair Operations Manual shows the stub axle removed and placed in a vice to remove the collar. I had a good look and I can definitely see the joint so it is the early type with a removable collar.

How much force do the new ones usually take to re-fit? Heating them doesn't seem to be an option as the manual suggests putting a coating of sealant on the faces that contact the axle shaft.

I will look for a suitably sized piece of tube to tap the new one on with. Thinking about it, maybe using one of the bearing lock nuts and a suitable length of tube would be the simplest way of pushing it on with the stub axle in place.
 
It presses on when you do the nut up as its held on by the bearing race. Do the nut up hard and tap it a few times to seat it otherwise it will be hard to set the bearing end float.
 
Pretty sure the large box key for the hub nuts is the right size on opposite end to knock the seal land in place.
 
When refilling the hubs with grease is it simply a case of taking it out of the tub with clean hands and wiping it onto the bearing?

I am always concerned about particles of grit getting into the grease as it is put in. I wil be working inside a garage with sealed floors and not outside.

The old seal that I removed was the leather type. I assume these are more prone to leakage if left standing for too long? The replacements I bought are the modern plastic type.
 
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Its a dilemma, if you think no dirt got in you can grease it and put it back, if you think it did then you have to soak it in petrol or diesel and wash it all out and put new grease in. I usually end up doing the latter, either becuse I'm not sure, or I drop the damn thing!
 
Thanks for the reply.

I have a solvent parts washer at work so will completely clean everything out to replace with fresh grease.
 
I had a look again yesterday with everything disassembled and found a drip of brake fluid on one end of the wheel cylinder.

I now suspect that the problem may have been caused by brake fluid and possibly not oil from the hub at all.

The thick sticky coating that was all over the inside of the drum and pads did seem much more like gear oil. I also had not seen the brake fluid level drop at all. This is easily checked whenever I open the bonnet before starting as it is a plastic Girling type reservoir.

Perhaps the brake fluid caused the corrosion to the seal land. This may also have caused the hub to leak some oil.
 
rob1miles said:
Brake fluid, ep 90 and engine oil all taste really different, obviously don't go drinking it but a tiny amount is enough to tell.
Click to expand...

I thought perhaps I was the only one who occasionally tasted drips to establish the source of leaks. Worst tasting is coolant mixture, secondly hydraulic fluid. Have to say, oil is my favourite of the three.
 
I have now mostly reassembled the hub, although I had a problem with the lock washer.

Part of the edge split as tried to bend it over with an 8mm pin punch, so I had to remove the front nut again to replace it. I had run out of time by that point so I taped a plastic bag over the exposed end and left it.

I also noticed that bending the edge over produced a few loose metal shavings. That is not ideal inside the hub. I removed what I could see with the point of a screwdriver.

What is the trick to bending the washers neatly?

Also, I packed the bearing roller cages full of grease, but it seems that most of it worked its way out again when turning the hub to check the rotation.
 
Did you 1/2 fill the void between the bearings with grease? I normally use a punch to bend the washer over never noticed any particles off them.
 
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