Wheel bearing and water fording question

Hi all


Quick question this morning. I will leave my jeep all winter to my dad-in-law place. During the deer-hunting season, we will take the CJ to go to the hunting spot. However there is a shallow river to cross (15 inches of water, 15 feet wide).

Question is, is there a possibility that the water can go into the wheel bearing and wash the grease, or worse, freeze there ?

I will re-grease everything before I bring it there, but is there a problem for the winter ?

Thanks

 

Good wheel seals, and don't forget about the stub shaft seals!
If the water gets into the axle tubes, you may want to have some Axle housing seals installed. This is kind of involved, but if you have the front end apart anyway and the axles out, then it's a snap!

Start like this,
Where grease is, moisture can't be.

There is no such thing as 'Too Much Grease' in the front hubs and spindle.
Any 'Excess' will be expelled past the seals with any water that may have creeped in.

I actually installed grease zerks (the proper term for a grease nipple fitting) in the hub so I can apply grease directly inside the hubs with a grease gun.

I also drill a small hole in the spindle, and pump grease in there with a needle applicator before I put the hubs on...

BTW, this makes cleaning out any moisture & crud & repacking bearings as easy as pumping the grease gun!
...............

Axle is another story.
Grease is hard to dislodge, so not much water actually gets in the hubs, mostly gets into the stub shaft bearings where the grease application is always thin...
Like a said, a grease needle and small drill hole solve that problem!

The Axle is the big issue!
When the differential is hot, and you bounce it off in the water, the differential cover starts to resemble a spider in a hot skillet...
It draws up between the bolts, distorts and can let in water if you don't have a proper gasket torqued to proper specifications.

Most people don't realize the torque spec on gasket surfaces is just to properly compress the gasket.
If you over torque, you crush the gasket, making it useless, and you distort the cover, which will probably make getting a good gasket seal impossible even if you try a new gasket...

Flatten out the cover bolt holes where they have been over torqued,
Apply a proper, fresh gasket, and torque properly.
The gasket should move with the parts as they expand & contract... IF PROPERLY INSTALLED.

Remember, only an uneducated person smears 'Form-A-Gasket' all over everything and cranks down the bolts like crazy!

Form-A-Gasket takes a very steady hand to form the gasket correctly,
Time to let the gasket material cure properly,
And the knowledge to properly torque the parts together after the gasket has formed and installed...
if you see liquid gasket material oozing out of a joint, or smeared on the parts, it wasn't done right!
----------------

CHECK YOUR DIFFERENTIAL VENT!
Most of the time the hose is cracked or missing, letting water run directly into your differential!

Not only that, but when you splash a hot differential off in the stream, the air inside contracts quickly, actually SUCKING WATER IN!
This vent hose must go up high and be sealed to the differential properly!

I run into a lot of plugged differential vents.
Rubber hose rotted off long ago, packed with mud or whatever, and completely useless.
This makes for even more problems...
With that diff case vent sealed off, the air that expands and contracts inside has no place to go...
So it builds up, and blows past the axle seals, taking your expenive synthetic lube with it!
When the air contracts, it sucks moisture laden air back in past the seals, where the moisture condenses in the differential case.

If you are unlucky enough to have clogged/rusted shut differential vents and you splash a hot differential off in deep water,
The contraction of the air inside the differential case can draw liquid water in the tubes past the seals!
Now you have REAL problems!
---------------

SO!
While you are tearing down the wheel bearings for repack,
Take the time to install some grease Zerks in the hubs just inside the outer bearing.

Drill a small hole in the spindle and use a grease needle to fill the voids between the stub axle and the spindle.

Pull the spindle and put a NAPA p/n BK1 in the spindle.
That's new spacer, two seals, dirt/grit collar on the stub axle, and most important, a new spindle bearing. All for about $15 each side.

While you have the spindles off, pull the axles and inspect them and the U joints.

Take the cover off the differential and clean out the diff case.

Pull the ring gear/carrier, it's only in there with 4 bolts.
Don't get the side shims mixed up, they have to go back in on the sides where they came out.
Clean/Inspect your gears and carrier bearings.

Now they are exposed, Replace the 34 year old axle tube seals.
$12 for both at NAPA. They just drive in and out like any seals do.

Find your differential vent, remove that crappy little pressed in thing, or the 'O' ring version, and drill/tap the hole for a proper vent fitting.
Since the housing is pretty much empty, you can catch any crud or metal tailings that might get into the housing.

If the pinion seal is leaking, this is the PERFECT time to replace it!
Remember, before you tackle this pinion seal,
You will need a tool to hold the U joint yoke still while you take the pinion nut off (no small feat, its REALLY on there!),
And you will need a 250ft.lb. torque wrench to reinstall that nut...
(Rental places often have large torque wrenches, and any big truck garage may have one they will lend/rent you)

This should dike up all your leaks, drools, slobbers, ect. and it's not hard at all (except for getting that pinion yoke nut on and off!).
All the parts are readily available from a variety of suppliers, and most of us have had the wheel bearings in our hands before, or had the diff cover off, just never though of replacing the 'drooling' seals while we were there!

 

there is always the possibility of water gettting into components when you ford a stream or river.
If your wheel seals are good and your locking hubs are sealed correctly, probably a non-issue for a one time crossing.
I'd be worried more about the differentials and the vent hoses etc.
that's my opinion, I don't have much water out here to worry about.

 

of course, come spring,it's always easier to clean and repack the wheel and axle bearings at your convenience in your garage, then out on the trail somewhere...

 

Your Wheel bearings will survive, but you will want to re-grease them in the spring before you do much driving. JPFLAT is right, make sure you have vent hoses routed from your axles. River crossings get water in everything eventually. Check all your fluids in the spring. Also in the spring clean out your brake drums if you still have them. mud and water destroy brake shoes.

 

River crossings are illegal here.... but.... I Think the heat of the wheel bearings acts to suck the water in as it cools quickly and contracts when it hits the water. I have had water in my wheel bearings almost every time I take them apart. If I run mud I usually try to pull my bearings apart after each run. The water is minimal, but it is there ready to destroy something first chance.