Rear Axle bearings-heads up.....

This isn't my first jeep "project" more like 20th er so during the 40 years I've been addicted to jeeps.
This one is a '74 CJ5 all stock drive line, fiber glass body
But, saying that, I can say "THIS IS MY LAST"
(But I've said that before too)!chainsawguy
Driving home from work Monday afternoon I started to hear a noise in the back...........
Sounds like a I have SOMETHING in my rear brake drum.
("Sh** did I break a brake spring in there)?
Pull over check the wheel, drive shaft, looka underneath. "Well nothing I can do on the side of the road".
Get in away I go and it stops????????????/
Leaving the gym, back it comes. Pull into the house and it stops again????
What the ????????
Pull all 4 wheels, notta, Good (I think).
take it for a ride, about a mile in I hear it
SOMETHING is B.A.D. Really B.A.D.!
Get home lift the wheel and spin it.
Rear axle bearing. )(^&%$%@%@!@%^(*)_)!!!
I've NEVER heard one THAT loud before!
By now it's dark, tomorrow is a MASSIVE rain storm rollin' in to N.E. Pa.. No way to get room in the garage, (my bikes are all apart in there, as well as my son's truck).
"I'll over fill the gear oil to keep the oil in the bearing, limp to work and do it there". Tilt the jeep and add 1/2 quart.
Well, I limped in. The grinding was terrible. Wow! I thought I'd wake the dead with it and pop a axle any moment!!
Pulled the axle............. The bearing was bad, a lot of metal in the bearings rollers, no grease, but not blued? the race was still in good shape-What cause that horrific noise?? I expected "Reeses Pieces" when I yanked it!
Now this is a stock '74, built date is 11/'73 and the axle bearing is the same as my old Willys, greased, not lubed off the gear oil.
(The P.O. used the jeep as a farm truck from day 1. I've know the jeep since I was a kid, no axle swap ever done to it).:?
????????????????????????:?:?:?:?
Run to a parts store get the seals, bearing, have them press it all on.
The P.O. must have had replaced this bearing and seal before I bought it, and didn't grease it. (I have like 2000 miles on it since I bought it last May)
Re greased the other side, (that was good grease in there, looks OEM) (always nice to get paid to work on MY jeep, nice to be the boss -sometimes!)!!R)
I thought in 1971 they switched from greased bearings to oil lubed??????
So, this all being said, if your doing a project, maybe pull your axle, takes like 5 minutes to zip off the 6 bolts at the brake plate and pull the axle and lookie see what you've got.
May save yousome $$.
Joe
Just an old guys thoughts. Anything I say or advice I give should be taken with 2 beers

 

Does the axle have one-piece axles?

A '74 does indeed use grease to lube the rear wheel bearings. There is an inner seal that keeps oil out of the bearing. There is also an outer seal that keeps the grease off of the brake parts. You need to pack the wheel bearing when you install a new one.

Rear wheel bearing failure is not uncommon on an old axle... especially on a vehicle with a history of farm service, construction service, etc. which has probably been overloaded a lot. Extra heavy loads will clobber the wheel bearings.

Grease seal failure will also clobber the wheel bearings. You'll lose all the grease, either out through the backing plate or washed away by the gear oil. I'd guess these bearings are meant to be greased, and will have a shorter life if unintentionally lubed by oil.

 

Timgr - If you remove the inner seal, is it still necessary to grease the bearing or will the diff oil be sufficient? I just replaced my bearings and read in the Dana 44 info, that grease wasn't required if no inner seals.

 

I don't know.

I would think not, since the bearing is designed to be greased. But I don't know enough about types of bearings to be sure.

 

they both (greased earlier lubed later) are the same part number...only diff is the inner seal....

 

Always grease them before installing the axle!!!!

It takes a while for the gear oil to work it's way out to the bearing. If you don't pack them they will run dry before the gear oil can get to them causing damage....

 

good advise i usually tip the rig hard to both sides and let some run both ways before leaving the shop myself...a little over full wont hurt either....

 

I wonder why Jeep (or Dana) would bother with grease in these earlier models.

I'm sure the oil is fine when there is no load on the bearing. But bearing failure from overloading occurs because the oil/grease film is squeezed out of the bearing by the excess load. Metal on metal causes failure. The use of grease would suggest that grease has a higher load capacity than oil. Maybe modern oils have an equal or greater load capacity compared to period greases? That suggests that modern greases are even better...

The whole question may be moot if you never overload your Jeep. And the advantage of oil is that you can replenish it without pulling the axles. But grease and grease seals will protect your wheel bearings from water in the oil, or accidental loss of gear oil.

 

One quick question if the inner seal is good and pack with grease,how often should it be serviced.

 

AFAIK only when the bearing fails ... or when the outer seal fails. Infinite service interval.