mash Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Hi All. Daft question time Should the rear axle tubes be free from oil ? I've got diff oil leaking out of the end of my hub caps and cannot locate where it is actually coming from. The vehicle has an "early" salisbury axle with no seal behind the stub axle. Many thanks Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 The axle tubes will contain diff oil. As you have the early axle the same oil can get into the wheel bearings, not a bad thing IMO. From there it can creep along the splines in the drive flange and leak out of the rubber hub cap, or if there is no sealant or gasket between the flange and hub it'll seep out there too. To fix these leaks, ensure drive flange is sealed by one means or another. Then when you refit the rubber cap make sure everything is clean and lube the inside diameter with a thin smear of grease, it should push on easily enough, but be snug. If the cap looks split or perished, replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 As Michael says I too think it's good to have the oil down the tubes. I use the thicker of the two available paper gaskets on the hub to flange face. I hold the paper gasket in place with a smear of grease, nothing else. With the cap, I make sure that the flange end is clean and the plastic cap clean. I also add sone EP90 into the cap. The copy caps are better than the Genuine Land Rover ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mash Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 Many thanks for the replies.. So it looks like the hub cap is u/s allowing the seap of oil... Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 All LR axles have fully open casings, so the diff oil is able to get all the way to the end of the axle case. Pre-300Tdi axles have wet stub axles and drive flanges - there are no seals to prevent the oil reaching the inside of the drive flange, lubricating the flange/shaft splines and wheel bearings. 300Tdi and later axles have seal lands on the half shafts and seals inside the root of the stub axle to keep the axle oil confined to the space between the ends of the axle's main casing, so the wheel bearings and flange/shaft splines are reliant entirely on the grease applied during assembly for lubrication, which is a large part of why they suffer premature spline wear and shaft failure. Many people remove the seals on the later axles and bond the (smaller" plastic hub cone on with RTV sealant in order to return to wet hubs. Your leak has to be from one of four things: a leaking plastic hub cone, which can be fixed with silicone sealant or a straight replacement if the cone is damaged; a leaking paper gasket between the drive flange and hub, which can be replaced easily by removing the flange, cleaning up the parts and reassembling with a new gasket; oil leaking through the drive flange bolts, which can be sorted by removing the bolts, cleaning them with solvent and cleaning their bolt holes with cloth wrapped around a screw driver, refitting the bolts with a smear of thread lock or RTV sealant on their threads, or; a failed hub seal if the oil leak is on the inboard side of the wheel, in which case the hub has to be removed from the stub axle to replace the seal (inspect the wheel bearings and stub axle while you are at it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I would shoot anybody that uses any form of sealant to seal the hub ends from leaking. It's not and never needed.... Another thing that happens is the splines on the halfshaft wear and allow the halfshaft to push through the drive flange pushing the plastic cap off in the process. Yep that's why I have tank tape instead of a plastic cap on mine. Hopefully I can get the halfshaft sorted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I would shoot anybody that uses any form of sealant to seal the hub ends from leaking. It's not and never needed.... It can be if you mod the later axles to have wet hubs - their plastic caps aren't as tightly fitted as earlier types because they're just designed to work as dust caps, not to retain oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 It can be if you mod the later axles to have wet hubs - their plastic caps aren't as tightly fitted as earlier types because they're just designed to work as dust caps, not to retain oil. I have 1 wet hubs now that I've modified the inner oil seal 2 I part fill the plastic caps with EP90 after I've had the hubs off 3 I don't appreciate taking half an hour to clen the hub/ hub face from all the glue when a paper gasket correctly fitted just neads a wipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I have 1 wet hubs now that I've modified the inner oil seal 2 I part fill the plastic caps with EP90 after I've had the hubs off 3 I don't appreciate taking half an hour to clen the hub/ hub face from all the glue when a paper gasket correctly fitted just neads a wipe Ah, we're talking at cross purposes here, Mike - I don't like selant on gaskets or in place of proper gaskets either; I'm entirely with you on that one. I'm only talking just about the black plastic cone that covers the end of the half shaft - they are much more prone to leaking if the hubs are wet than the earlier, bigger cones as used on the early 110s until the end of the 200Tdi Defenders. A small smear of RTV sealant helps them stay on (I've seen them blown off completely a couple of times) and stops leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Nick Read my early post again please. I've lost quite a few but the halfshaft has always knocked them off. I've never put sealant on mine...I, as I said half fill them with EP90..... Yougoing to Driffield ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Nick Read my early post again please. I've lost quite a few but the halfshaft has always knocked them off. I've never put sealant on mine...I, as I said half fill them with EP90..... Yougoing to Driffield ? Can't make it - I'm working this weekend (someone has to pay the NI contributions! ). I plan to go to the Peterborough and Billing shows, so hopefully we'll catch up there. How's Mrs G? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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