 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Running rear axle without oil seals |
 
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| mikeh501 Member Since: 07 Jan 2013 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1142  
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i just take the caps of the ashcroft drive members and grease them occassionaly. i reckon it propogates down the shaft anyhow.
i cant quite picture it, but dont you think the oil would just get out via the drive member cap? even the ashcroft ones dont fully seal in my mind. I know at the front they put the oil seals there because people were fed up with oil leaks from the swivels. this is why its now EP90 grease aka one shot. |
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16th Jul 2016 8:58am |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4289 
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I've never seen one but I assumed the cap on the Ashcroft ones had an O ring or something. I prefer the idea of pulling them apart once a year, cleaning and regreasing, I don't know if it would be effective is stopping wear though.
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16th Jul 2016 9:19am |
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| mikeh501 Member Since: 07 Jan 2013 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1142
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ive got the ashcroft ones on the rear and a pair of terrafirma ones on the front. they are almost identical.
Both of them have an o ring on the threaded cap. I definatey wouldnt expect it to keep oil out. its more of a dust seal just to keep the crap out. I remove them. fill the cap with grease and refit. seems to work. |
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16th Jul 2016 9:23am |
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| jst Member Since: 14 Jan 2008 Location: Taunton Posts: 8320  
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i run a 90 with no front or rear oil seals in the axles tubes and Ashcroft DMs. no leaks. they seal fine. Cheers
James 110 2010 XS Utility 130 2011 M57 bespoke Camper 90 2010 Hardtop 90 M57 1988 Hardtop |
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18th Jul 2016 7:22am |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4289
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Thanks jst.
Can you tell me, for the rear, does this mean the wheel bearings become oil lubricated from the axle, or they still in their own grease. I've not had the axle apart yet so not familiar with the layout of parts. |
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18th Jul 2016 9:13am |
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| mikeh501 Member Since: 07 Jan 2013 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1142
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id still grease them personally, but interested to know how jst gets on.
the oil seal in question is on the half shaft at the end of the axle casing. it follows by removing it, you get migration of oil down the shaft (inside the stub axle) onto the splines of the half shaft where it meets the drive member. The wheel bearings run on the outside of the stub axle, so it would be harder, possibly not impossible for oil to get to them. It would have to get to the end of the shaft, around the end of the stub, past the 2 locking nuts and then onto both bearings. quite a journey  |
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18th Jul 2016 9:25am |
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| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2360 
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It's how they used to be. Benefits of running without the seal are improved wheel bearing and shaft/flange spline lubrication. The downside is increased chance of leakage and you'll need to change your hub seals to the double lipped type.
Mo The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
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18th Jul 2016 12:11pm |
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| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2360
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... and you should always pack your wheel bearings with grease on assembly whichever system you use.
Mo The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
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18th Jul 2016 12:14pm |
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| Mountain_man Member Since: 09 Dec 2011 Location: Right side of Offas Dyke Posts: 756 
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Interesting, I run Ashcroft shafts with oil seals but they do leak into the hub and I am finding it impossible to stop the oil coming out via one of the drive member bolts! I have stuck an O ring on the bolt. Still leaked. I have filled it with threadlock- still leaks. Bunged loads of silicon in the bolt hole before fitting and it still bloody leaks. Always the same bolt.
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18th Jul 2016 12:52pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17852 
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Which is curious because there should be no possibility of oil getting to the drive member bolt, since the hole is isolated from the oil areas. I would suspect either a defective hub casting (porous) or a cracked hub in this case, or possibly damage to the hub or flange mating faces.
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18th Jul 2016 6:00pm |
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| jst Member Since: 14 Jan 2008 Location: Taunton Posts: 8320
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as Mo says, it lubricates the DM splines, bearings still packed with grease, none washed out to date from the oil (5 vehicles running same setup)
Pikey - fit the right size bolt.... Cheers James 110 2010 XS Utility 130 2011 M57 bespoke Camper 90 2010 Hardtop 90 M57 1988 Hardtop |
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22nd Jul 2016 2:30pm |
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