ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90

ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90

Active Member
I want to fill me swivels with one shot grease. But how do i know theres not already some grease in? I opened the filler and couldnt really tell. But let's say if i undo the drain plug and nothing comes out... Does that mean the swivel has grease in it? Or nothing at all?

The one swivel seems to be leaking, and wanted to change to grease. But not sure if axel oil is leaking into the swivels if thats even possible? Or if its just swivel oil leaking. Thanks guys
 
You are lucky you have a drain plug. Landrover have omitted them from newer Defenders as they are supposed to be filled once for the life of the swivel housing. They won't long once all the grease are drained out.

If grease is leaking onto the axles then the diff will be overfull. Drain out all the grease there is from the swivel housing and re-fill. Topping up with EP90 and emptying after a few days wouldn't do any harm if you are worried about getting out all the grease and gunge. It's worth checking your swivel housings regularly if you have the level indicator plug.

I had to pump out the grease as mine only has a filler plug.
 
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ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90 said:
I want to fill me swivels with one shot grease. But how do i know theres not already some grease in? I opened the filler and couldnt really tell. But let's say if i undo the drain plug and nothing comes out... Does that mean the swivel has grease in it? Or nothing at all?

The one swivel seems to be leaking, and wanted to change to grease. But not sure if axel oil is leaking into the swivels if thats even possible? Or if its just swivel oil leaking. Thanks guys
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You know....I was wondering about this, drain no use as thick grease wont drain out and level no use either.

Might get mine hot on a run then see if anything comes out, mine were filled with one shot last year but would like to check that the level is ok:)
 
Well i think i have a drain plug, not certain now you question it. The diff oil seemed very thick and grey, so maybe the swivel grease is moving to the axles?

Sounds like i might be best leaving it! Just noticed the swivels were leaking onto the discs
 
The EP90 should thin it out and allow you to drain it I think as would getting the grease warm. If you overfill and run it for a long time it won't do the seals any good so be aware.

The diff oil may be old and sludgy. It needs changing at intervals anyway and as with all oils I would do this more rather than less. Change it with EP90 and refill your hubs with one shot. You can monitor the new diff oil for contamination with grease.

It's important you keep your swivel housings well lubricated as they are a poor design and troublesome, especially if dry. New chrome balls aren't cheap and they will corrode if not looked after. One shot is pretty cheap and as long as you can get the plugs out it is a doddle to keep them topped up.
 
Caberfeidh said:
The EP90 should thin it out and allow you to drain it I think as would getting the grease warm. If you overfill and run it for a long time it won't do the seals any good so be aware.

The diff oil may be old and sludgy. It needs changing at intervals anyway and as with all oils I would do this more rather than less. Change it with EP90 and refill your hubs with one shot. You can monitor the new diff oil for contamination with grease.

It's important you keep your swivel housings well lubricated as they are a poor design and troublesome, especially if dry. New chrome balls aren't cheap and they will corrode if not looked after. One shot is pretty cheap and as long as you can get the plugs out it is a doddle to keep them topped up.
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My memory is that the grease does run out pretty freely if there is a drain plug (90 does have one), a good run in warm weather it is pretty runny.
My 90 had the grease in it when I bought it, I drained it off and filled to level plug with oil. I feel I know where I am with the oil, level plug is foolproof.

I agree entirely about the diff oil, frequent changes are good! :) And about keeping the balls in good condition. I don't think the balls are actually chromed now, though.
 
Turboman said:
I agree entirely about the diff oil, frequent changes are good! :) And about keeping the balls in good condition. I don't think the balls are actually chromed now, though.
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It has been a while since I got intimate with a Landrover's chrome balls! Can remember the most horrendous refurbished balls in Simmonites. You could see where the grinder had taken off the previous chrome. Lots and lots of flat spots.
 
Caberfeidh said:
It has been a while since I got intimate with a Landrover's chrome balls! Can remember the most horrendous refurbished balls in Simmonites. You could see where the grinder had taken off the previous chrome. Lots and lots of flat spots.
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AFAIK balls were chrome on series, just seem to be steel now, could be wrong, but they don't seem to be shiny.

Bet they didn't undersell em either. :rolleyes: Those girls could always charge like a rhino in more ways than one :D
 
Turboman said:
AFAIK balls were chrome on series, just seem to be steel now, could be wrong, but they don't seem to be shiny.

Bet they didn't undersell em either. :rolleyes: Those girls could always charge like a rhino in more ways than one :D
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I refurbished a Discovery's hubs in the past but must have half asleep. Before that I had to fettle the Stage 1's I had. An odd hybrid of Series and Range Rover parts with some which fitted neither. Simmonites were convenient for the stuff I forgot to mail order and never first choice.
 
Caberfeidh said:
I refurbished a Discovery's hubs in the past but must have half asleep. Before that I had to fettle the Stage 1's I had. An odd hybrid of Series and Range Rover parts with some which fitted neither. Simmonites were convenient for the stuff I forgot to mail order and never first choice.
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I guess that would be a Disco one, as I just bought D2, and it doesn't appear to have swivel balls, it has a cv joint type of arrangement. Never had anything to do with discos at all before.

Always found the oil worked well in series and 90, though, I always assumed the one shot stuff was for people that were too lazy to change the seals.
 
Turboman said:
I guess that would be a Disco one, as I just bought D2, and it doesn't appear to have swivel balls, it has a cv joint type of arrangement. Never had anything to do with discos at all before.

Always found the oil worked well in series and 90, though, I always assumed the one shot stuff was for people that were too lazy to change the seals.
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Landrover changed the spec because grease is more forgiving of bad seals. Most LR owners probably wouldn't think to check anything but engine oil and the swivels are prone to leaks.
 
Balls were chrome right up to about 96/7 then they were teflon coated which is a grey finish
The one shot grease is the mutts nuts, as a long term land rover owner means looking underneath frequently you can see whats going on and more importantly whats leaking, so when I changed my front diff I stuck half a sachet of one shot into each joint.
Also works very well on the series range, been in mine for years
 
Cheers for the replies guys. If there is grease in there. Im going to do a cheat, and fit a new seal by cutting the seal and sliding it over the swivel housing. Been as the swivel is totally uncorroded

Thanks
 
Not sure you will be able to do that. Might be better to take an emery cloth to the ball after wiping it clean and giving it a slight rub with steering wheel on left and right lock in turn.

Keep it topped up with grease until you get the parts and the time to do the job properly over a weekend. However it would be worth looking at the seals, gaskets and bearings not forgetting the top pins etc. It's not a particularly hard job if you follow the workshop manual and have a look around Youtube. Your biggest issue may be getting the chrome ball off and the first time I did this job was on a late Series Landrover. I cheated by cutting the oil seal, keeping the cut at 12 o'clock to minimise oil lose (days before one shot). I did it properly on my Discovery subsequently and it went without a hitch.
 
ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90 said:
Cheers for the replies guys. If there is grease in there. Im going to do a cheat, and fit a new seal by cutting the seal and sliding it over the swivel housing. Been as the swivel is totally uncorroded

Thanks
Click to expand...


You can do that no problem at all, its a proper bodge, but remove the seal garter spring and unscrew it from itself and refit it after you have fitted the seal nearly into position and fit the cut bit of the seal at the top with a dab of silicone sealant.
Also use a junior hacksaw as its gives a finer cut
 
ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90 said:
Cheers for the replies guys. If there is grease in there. Im going to do a cheat, and fit a new seal by cutting the seal and sliding it over the swivel housing. Been as the swivel is totally uncorroded

Thanks
Click to expand...

Or you could just unbolt the whole hub from the axle, carefully slide out the half shaft, change the seal normally, and replace.
I don't think this is an approved technique, but I have done it a few times without issues.
 
Turboman said:
Or you could just unbolt the whole hub from the axle, carefully slide out the half shaft, change the seal normally, and replace.
I don't think this is an approved technique, but I have done it a few times without issues.
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Cheers for the reply. Ive heard many people doing it in situ with no issues. Aslong as the cut is at the top, there shouldn't be a problem. I'll try it. Got nothing to loose
 
Make sure you thoroughly clean the whole area before undoing the seal retaining plate as the seal will come away with it and the housing will then be open to ****e getting in. Cover the gap with plastic bags whilst you clean up the retaining plate with a scraper or similar. It will be fiddly but probably a lot quicker than any other option
 
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