Guys, not a technical post this one so no pics. It has been done to death in other places, but would value any opinions. They say that there are no stupid questions - odd how many inquisitive idiots there are are there, though.
So, drained diff. Raised each side and tipped axle to get full drain. Oil looked fair. No sludge at all, oil still translucent as it ran out.
Wheel off, caliper off, loosened hub bolts just in case I was going to strip hub fully, removed dust cap loosened cone nuts - ahh. One missing. Replaced with flanged nut of unknown origin and spanner size. Clearly a professional job.
One tap, cap off. Easy.
The two 54 mm nuts looked as though that had survived an attack from medieval weaponry. Lord know what fate had befallen them.
Question - it had one nut, then the tab washer and then the other nut. The tab washer was b****** and had some tabs bent back and one forward. What's the right configuration for these and the tab washer please?
Circlip off
Outer bearing fell out and looked really tidy. No issues that I can see. Not much grease in there and it looked more like moly than bearing grease.
Hub off, the inner oil seal stayed on the shaft! No matter how I tried to put it back into the hub it just didn't seem like it was the right one. WTF?
Inner bearing too looks good.
No evidence of any new gaskets. Everything looked jiggered and in places not even complete. Stubby came of fine with evidence of more 16 year old gasket.
Now the CV looked very clean and new. Well certainly not covered in grease anyway. I don't think that the grease has escaped - I don't think there was any. This looks like a real amateur night to me. Axle oil seal tired, but when slipped onto the shaft it wasn't a really bad fit.
OK, big bath of Jizer and a stipple brush, under the hub and it's bathtime. Got the hub down to the original black paint. All nuts, bolts and fitting looking very sharp. No rust anywhere. Will slacken trunnion bolts one at a time and locktite them tomorrow.
I have had the swivel every which way I can and cannot detect any movement or play at all. It all feels solid, smooth and nicely adjusted so I am not going to pranny with it. The rear wiper seals do seem to be doing a good job of wiping. Now I know that oil was pouring out of them, but they aren't oil seals are they? They need to keep grease in and dirt out. To my eye they looked good all round.
Now get this. The end of the drive shaft - where it goes into the diff had PTFE wound around it! Yes PT EFFING EEE. This bloke should have STUCK to plumbing.
Moving on. No, dammit not moving on PTFE? What in the name of all that is Holy ....
OK calm.
The CV, to me, looks fine. It was devoid of real lubrication but when cleaned up and rotated it felt smooth and tight. Not stiff - but sort of well, right. It would stay at any angle that I set it at. No flopsy in it. Please don't tell me that's the first sign of it being boogered.
The ABS sensor has met with extreme violence at some point. The bracket looks like a crumpled toffee wrapper and the sensor has had the top chopped off like your breakfast egg. The securing bolt had been sheared off in the top of the hub. OK brace yourself I'm going in.
Then, a miracle happened. The heavens opened and a shaft of light came down and shone all around. I centre-punched the stud and started to drill very slowly. THE STUD TURNED. I kept drilling until the stump dropped out into the swivel. Tomorrow I shall visit the temple and give praise. (The Temple is our local kebab shop, but you get the idea - yes?)
I had to recover all of the threads in the swivel housing. I think that the bolts had been jammed up, not crossed but dirty and forced. There were bits of swarf in them and they needed a full rethreading with my kit. The bolts will get some love tomorrow. Got a backing plate seeing as how the original had gone walkies. I suspect that they forgot it and though sod it, not taking all that lot off again.
It's all cleaned up, Jizered, wire brushed, brake 'cleaner-ed' and dried off. Reassembly tomorrow.
A huge thanks goes out to Mr Rubie who helped me out with the best hub First Aid kit a boy could want. What a star. He's a God.
So my English chums, if anyone has any observations, stick em on now. Cos at about 7 tomorrow, I shall be knocking and banging.
I have checked the diff breather and it seems clear on the front, but it seems to go through some sort of box affair. What's that bit all about?
Chris
So, drained diff. Raised each side and tipped axle to get full drain. Oil looked fair. No sludge at all, oil still translucent as it ran out.
Wheel off, caliper off, loosened hub bolts just in case I was going to strip hub fully, removed dust cap loosened cone nuts - ahh. One missing. Replaced with flanged nut of unknown origin and spanner size. Clearly a professional job.
One tap, cap off. Easy.
The two 54 mm nuts looked as though that had survived an attack from medieval weaponry. Lord know what fate had befallen them.
Question - it had one nut, then the tab washer and then the other nut. The tab washer was b****** and had some tabs bent back and one forward. What's the right configuration for these and the tab washer please?
Circlip off
Outer bearing fell out and looked really tidy. No issues that I can see. Not much grease in there and it looked more like moly than bearing grease.
Hub off, the inner oil seal stayed on the shaft! No matter how I tried to put it back into the hub it just didn't seem like it was the right one. WTF?
Inner bearing too looks good.
No evidence of any new gaskets. Everything looked jiggered and in places not even complete. Stubby came of fine with evidence of more 16 year old gasket.
Now the CV looked very clean and new. Well certainly not covered in grease anyway. I don't think that the grease has escaped - I don't think there was any. This looks like a real amateur night to me. Axle oil seal tired, but when slipped onto the shaft it wasn't a really bad fit.
OK, big bath of Jizer and a stipple brush, under the hub and it's bathtime. Got the hub down to the original black paint. All nuts, bolts and fitting looking very sharp. No rust anywhere. Will slacken trunnion bolts one at a time and locktite them tomorrow.
I have had the swivel every which way I can and cannot detect any movement or play at all. It all feels solid, smooth and nicely adjusted so I am not going to pranny with it. The rear wiper seals do seem to be doing a good job of wiping. Now I know that oil was pouring out of them, but they aren't oil seals are they? They need to keep grease in and dirt out. To my eye they looked good all round.
Now get this. The end of the drive shaft - where it goes into the diff had PTFE wound around it! Yes PT EFFING EEE. This bloke should have STUCK to plumbing.
Moving on. No, dammit not moving on PTFE? What in the name of all that is Holy ....
OK calm.
The CV, to me, looks fine. It was devoid of real lubrication but when cleaned up and rotated it felt smooth and tight. Not stiff - but sort of well, right. It would stay at any angle that I set it at. No flopsy in it. Please don't tell me that's the first sign of it being boogered.
The ABS sensor has met with extreme violence at some point. The bracket looks like a crumpled toffee wrapper and the sensor has had the top chopped off like your breakfast egg. The securing bolt had been sheared off in the top of the hub. OK brace yourself I'm going in.
Then, a miracle happened. The heavens opened and a shaft of light came down and shone all around. I centre-punched the stud and started to drill very slowly. THE STUD TURNED. I kept drilling until the stump dropped out into the swivel. Tomorrow I shall visit the temple and give praise. (The Temple is our local kebab shop, but you get the idea - yes?)
I had to recover all of the threads in the swivel housing. I think that the bolts had been jammed up, not crossed but dirty and forced. There were bits of swarf in them and they needed a full rethreading with my kit. The bolts will get some love tomorrow. Got a backing plate seeing as how the original had gone walkies. I suspect that they forgot it and though sod it, not taking all that lot off again.
It's all cleaned up, Jizered, wire brushed, brake 'cleaner-ed' and dried off. Reassembly tomorrow.
A huge thanks goes out to Mr Rubie who helped me out with the best hub First Aid kit a boy could want. What a star. He's a God.
So my English chums, if anyone has any observations, stick em on now. Cos at about 7 tomorrow, I shall be knocking and banging.
I have checked the diff breather and it seems clear on the front, but it seems to go through some sort of box affair. What's that bit all about?
Chris