TheKeymeister Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I replaced both rear wheel bearings on my 110 Defender today (200tdi, but with 24 spline axles factory fitted). I had planned on converting to oil lubrication by removing the relevant seal but forgot to order the stub axle to axle tube gaskets, and the book said reusing them wasn't an option. Have put in the better RTC3511 seals behind the bearing as I knew about that part. As it was quite a game to remove the calipers etc, and severely interfered with a planned trip to the pub, I don't fancy a total disassembly again to remove a seal. I've read about 'damaging' this seal to allow oil in, is this possible without too much disassembly? Only the nearside needs to be done, the offside seal had already failed as the bearing was well covered in EP90, which was fortunate as it was totally knackered. From the diagram it looks like possibly turning the half shafts round would give the end of the shaft contact with the seal, but smashing it apart with a hammer seems a bit pikey even for me. Is there a better idea, the alternative is to leave it be and hope the seal allows oil in on its own, but the other side only decided to fail when the wheel bearing started to let go so I'm not hopeful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 oil will find it's own way into the bearings/hubs as the driveshaft rotates it'll drag oil along it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Unless your stub axle seal lands are in very good condition I wouldn't bother. Mine used to be set up for oil lube on the original rear axle and the hubs would spit all their oil out every few thousand miles as the seal lands had grooves worn in them and even the better double-lip oil seals couldn't stem the flow. After cleaning it all up each time it would be find until the oil found its way back into the hub again and then another leak. New stub axles is the answer, but I swapped the axle instead as I converted to discs at the same time. I just grease the wheel bearings every now and then - though I admit I haven't done it in a little while. If the seal lands are perfect you might be OK, but to be honest greased properly and looked after (i.e. checked after wading etc.) the bearings last very well with grease lubricating them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKeymeister Posted July 26, 2014 Author Share Posted July 26, 2014 I'm not overly fussed either way, it's just that I've got one side where the seal is letting oil migrate and the other side isn't. I'd have liked to have one or the other but hey ho if there's no easy way to do it it'll stay like that. It came standard with discs so can't even use that as an excuse! The side that was letting oil through didn't let much out into the outside world, so I'm not overly worried about that. That side definitely had a severely knackered bearing that would have been much worse should it not have been full of oil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 you are much better with oil lube for long life ( my 86 110 still original wheel bearings. ) If you get wear in the stub seal land , then answer is a "speedisleeve" they are a stainless steel sleeve ( very thin) that goes over the stub, and the seal runs on that . With grease you always have that time where it warms up especially in winter , and thats where the damage gets done . It is important as well to keep the bearings well in the recommended adj envelope . HTSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedsmart Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I was told to, get along screw driver or something similar, and when half shaft is out, gently knock the seal around so it's side on then get a long bit of wire coat hanger put a hook in the end and fish the seal out pulling it through the axle/ half shaft hole! Hope this helps ted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKeymeister Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I was told to, get along screw driver or something similar, and when half shaft is out, gently knock the seal around so it's side on then get a long bit of wire coat hanger put a hook in the end and fish the seal out pulling it through the axle/ half shaft hole! Hope this helps ted. That's exactly the sort of answer I was looking for! Many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 And oil doesn't just help the bearings - it also lubes the drive member splines and prevents fretting, a common fault with the "dry" later hub assemblies. If you're worried about oil spilling out of the hubcap you can fix it in place with instant gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB,notburnt Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 I know this a bit of an old thread, but have recently encountered very similar issues so thought I'd share. May help someone. I'm now running oil fed bearings but was having problems with new plastic end caps cracking and spitting oil out everywhere. I found when putting caps on they were really tight so i was tapping them on with a hide hammer, which I think over stressed them. Got a new set and sat them in some boiled water to soften them up for a few minutes. They then pop on easily and I've had none split since. Probably jinxed myself now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Don't use aftermarket caps, they're carp ! I've had no luck with any of them. Bite the bullet and buy new genuine caps, they'll fit more easily, won't fall off and providing you don't abuse them won't split. HTH Mo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 As Mo says, Genuine only. They're so much softer and better molded than the aftermarket ones. So they go on more easily and seal better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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