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Cleaning out back axle


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Just getting my 90 back on the road after a long period (years) of storage...

Amazingly, almost got through the MOT but failed on rear wheel bearings - noisy.

The axle is filled with a rusty sludge of oil and water, hence bearings very rusty.

What the best way - short of total dis-assembly preferably to clean this out. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

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Rear axle would be easy to disassemble in cleanable chunks IMHO

Wheels off, hubs off (need them off to do bearings anyway as kits), stubs off (new gasket required), then diff off ( new gasket required ) loads of engine cleaner and a jet wash plus huge dose of wd40 on everything before it dries and flash rusts ready for rag / paper towel drying and reassembly. Probably a good Saturdays work with an air tool to speed up the nut and bolt removal

That's the way I would do it (although others will defiantly frown at the water jet wash but it will remove the muck faster than soaking on paraffin plus you can get it right into the axle tube to remove any grit and silt trapped on ledges and nooks and crannies)

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Disassemble it for cleaning, or it could disassemble itself catastrophically at speed. You can't take short cuts on a thing like this, and it's a result of previous failure to replace the oil after wading. You can't fix one lack of maintenance with another!

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Thanks all for the advice.

Robertspark: in your method were you suggesting the axle stay on the vehicle? Sounds a messy job so I fear I will have to take the axle off to get it off the drive and somewhere messy.

Snagger: I was intrigued by your comment on wading. Did I lead a charmed life? I used be in water that depth quite regularly - and check axle oil regularly with no issues. Why this has happened while the vehicle was laid up is a puzzle. And only on the back I should add.

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My experience of getting the axle tube off is it can be a PIA getting the bolts out of the bushes. Plus shocks off without damaging threaded ends plus the a frame ball joint with a view to reuse (but that may be my competency!). Not saying its impossible given it should all be assembled with copper slip anyway but the first time can be a PIA from my experience. If you want to do bushes etc that's another thing then all well and good.

I'd suggest obviously draining the sludge then disassemble everything as listed above leaving the axle tube on the vehicle using old newspapers blankets curtains whatever you can find to lay on the ground (I use loads of kitchen roll these days as it's cheap from a pound shop). Keep the mess to a minimum and then dispose of the waste at the local recycling centre

Couple of driveway cleaner bottles plus the jet wash and a garden brush at the end and you'll never know the work was done on the drive

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Oh yeah should you feel the desire to regrease the prop shaft spine given it will slide off no problems make sure you put some alignment marks on it (recommended anyway) so that it goes back exactly in the same splines (it's balanced plus the uj's need to be in alignment) Nuts on the prop shaft flange are imperial from my experience. Wash and clean the prop including the splines. Thin coating of grease and then assemble compressed before greasing with a grease gun (can be a common mistake to over grease it whilst partially extended so that should it ever compress if will go solid as the grease has nowhere to go)

Sorry don't want to sound condicending or anything but someone may try this in the future as their first quick fix job. To regrease the prop splines whilst changing all fluids

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Been thinking about taking the axle off and coming to the same conclusion. Will be easier to get some protection on the driveway rather than taking the axle off. Might even put the wheels back on and move it - currently up on blocks waiting for the bearings to arrive...

Which reminds me: my axle is the two seals on each side version - the manual mentions a special tool to press the oils seals in to the right depth, and doesn't mention a specific depth. I don't have this tool and it doesn't seem readily available - so I am assuming that if I will have to press them in to the depth they were - does this sound accurate enough?

PS to robertspark: good tip on the splines, have come across this before. Nuts on the prop shaft flange imperial on my vehicle and always tricky to get at.

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Sorry cannot advise on the seals (not done it myself)

Normal advice is to press them in with a large socket slowly to a similar depth. I personally try to measure the depths of seals with a vernier or thin bladed ruler (not for precision just space / clearance off a shoulder and write it in my manual next to the section)

The bit I struggle with is extracting the seals without making a meal of it

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Thought I should add a footnote for anyone reading in the future - and say thanks for all the suggestions...

When I found all the rusty gunge and knackered bearings whilst taking off one hub, I did assume that the axle would be full of the same. As it turns out, draining the axle today proved that the oil was in good condition. The hub at the other side was in reasonable condition - though bearings a bit rusty & noisy. Quite why one end was so bad I am not sure: the hub and the outer end of the drive shaft were covered in a nasty and very rust oil/water mixture - but that did not seem to extend to the differential or the other side.

Anyway, hopefully after a good clean plus new bearings and oil seals both sides my 90 will collect am MOT...

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