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Swivels Oil or Grease?


white90

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So far I have not seen a black ball with corrosion problems, whereas the problem with the chrome balls is that the plating goes after a few years, giving a rough surface which tears up the seal and causes major leaks - put a new seal in and it can be leaking in about a week (guess how I know that... "economy" repair a couple of years ago on the old 90 which then had to be done again :angry: )

In routine servicing, people here generally reckon that the grease in swivels is what is responsible for contamination of the front axle oil, on greased vehicles the front diff oil very often comes out looking really gungy and it is almost certainly migration of the grease into the oil. Put EP 90 in both and it isn't a problem of course :)

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there was very little in the swivel the grease had move/mixed with th EP90 in the Diff

High viscosity grease migrating past the seal to mix with low viscosity oil? That's a bit odd, isn't it? Shouldn't it be the other way round?

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A few thought I had on this:

It may be because the swivel housing has no breather, whereas the axle does. The oil seal in the end of the axle tube is designed to stop axle oil moving from the axle into the swivel, and won't work as well in stopping swivel lubricant moving into the axle case.

Perhaps if the swivels get a little warm from hot brakes, or fast spinning cv joint, any pressure takes the least line of resistance and pushes a little of the swivel lube into the axle as opposed to out of the swivel seal which is designed to keep the lubricant in.

Perhaps when the hot axle is dunked in cold water, the air in it contracts and sucks some of the swivel grease past the axle tube seal as opposed to air from the breather if blocked/restricted.

Don't forget, that the swivel grease is thixotropic and does get a lot thinner when mashed about/warmed up.

Perhaps a combination of the above?

Regards, Diff

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I once thought of drilling the (only) existing bolt and pop a breather in ...

John (Red90) did it a long time ago IIRC...

Chrome swivels,grease,and no clue of how I could add a draining hole in my late "blind" type...

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Surely one could drill/tap holes in a later swivel housing, add plugs and enjoy the benefits of oil rather than grease? Have many people modified the Td5 wheel bearing arrangement to do away with the preload shim and replace it with the same system of nuts/locknuts as LR used for 50 years before? I know Chelsea Tractor did - after several failiours.

Chris

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Chrome allows a better seal with the seal.... (?...christ I'm going to get a "Coinfused again" reply on this....) than you get with a teflon swivel and seal, marginal I would say but chrome is better.

However its only better when the chrome is in 100% condition, no chips flakes rust etc which destroy the seal, the general thinking in the comp safari worlds is that chrome in the harsh environment is slightly longer lasting and stronger against damage than the teflon, and the teflon therefore is used less...

Teflon can be used oil conversion just make sure the mods are done, at this rate I will have to see if I can find the old post "On the Dark side" re how to exctly do this conversion, and repost here maybe....

Nige

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Have many people modified the Td5 wheel bearing arrangement to do away with the preload shim and replace it with the same system of nuts/locknuts as LR used for 50 years before? I know Chelsea Tractor did - after several failiours.

Chris

So that is what Scrap Iron sell - see their adverts

Jim

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Have many people modified the Td5 wheel bearing arrangement to do away with the preload shim and replace it with the same system of nuts/locknuts as LR used for 50 years before? I know Chelsea Tractor did - after several failiours.

One of mine is! rear right wheel, the others have still got shims

I have an ongoing problem with squeaky brakes on one rear wheel. I still think it is something to do with the wheel bearings as it sometimes appears when cornering indicating a small amount of play in the bearing. As part of the "fiddling process" (before I gave up) this wheel was converted back to double nuts/lockwashers as found on older vehicles, as I couldn't be bothered to be @r5ing around with stupid selectable shims, with the old arrangement you know when it's tight because you can feel it! Didn't cure the squeak though :angry: but it is an easy mod to make, just pull the shim out and throw it and the stake nut away, then fit the washers and nuts as used on older vehicles, stub axle thread is the same.

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