Bearing Grease

[Powell]

Hey What brand/type of wheel bearing grease should i be using? i got some of the palm grease thats said to work with wheel bearings and has a temp of 385 degrees or something to that sort... K thing is, I really think it's the wrong grease. Everytime i drive the car it's like the grease melts and seeps out of the cap and everytime i park the car and come back a few hours and drive it again i hear the bearing getting a little worse everytime..... SOOOOooo I'm not driving it to work tomorrow until i figure this out. Already had to replace the spindle cause my last bearing did a similar thing but i thought it was due to an overtightened bearing which may still have caused but i know it's not overtight this time and it's doing the same thing all over..... Also last time it happened the inner bearing seemed fine it was the outer thats giving the problems.

[dirtyglhturbo]

chassis/ wheel bearing grease. all parts suppliers stock it

[charger R/T]

as far as grease I use grease in a tube EP-2 spec or as the rednecks here call it red grease. When I started in this field in the early 80's they were selling a thick grease called wheel bearing grease. we used tons of that stuff. But newer thinking is use a grease that will melt and flow under normal operating temps so that fresh grease flows to the bearings. That old stuff would never melt. After pulling the hub off years ago (with the old stuff) you would find a bearing with very little grease on it and big clumps of grease still in the hub just right where you put it.

If you have grease leaking out the cap most likely you need a new cap or you have too much grease in it. Most of the grease you put in there needs to between the bearings. Don't add grease into the cap. The only grease that should be in there is what is on the bearing or oozes out when torqueing the bearings.

You need to take it apart and inspect your bearings and races. Look for rollers with pitting and the races for pitting. Any pitting you need to replace the bearings and races.

Here is a good thread on bearings. Just remember the torque specs can be listed in either foot pounds or inch pounds and they are differant. there is 12 inch pounds in 1 foot pound. There might also be specs in metric. I don't have that conversion handy or buried in my head. (remember I'm old and got into this before metric) Rear wheel bearings
Tim

[Powell]

well i'll look over that thread but seeing that you've done a few well maybe you could answer a simple question... I pulled hub apart again just to check everything and i found that the inner bearing has like 1/8 to 3/16 play back and forth... Is that normal or is the lip of the racer bad? it looked ok when i inspected for pitting. It seemed like it was the outer that was giving me the trouble but who knows? (you might?)

[charger R/T]

I don't think I quite understand your question but lets try. If you are referring to movement of the cage with the bearing in you hand it will move. If the rollers have worn to the point you see scuffing or scrape marks on the cage the bearing needs replaced. The bigger the bearing the more the cage will rattle around. Meaning your bigger inner bearing will have more rattle then the small outer. I believe my mini has plastic cages on the outer bearings and they seem not to move as much as the metal cage ones. When the bearing is seating and tightened the cage just goes for the ride. The races should be smooth there are no and no lips on the wear surface. New races come with most car sized bearings. (trucks are something else)
Tim

[Powell]

Ok i'll try to explain it best i can... the Inner bearing has play in the manner of pushing in and out away and back torward the grease seal. I am able to push out the bearing up to about 3/8 away from the seal and back. Thats what i was wondering if was normal... the outer one is tight onto the racer once you put on the washer and nut so it didn't quite seem right that the inner could move that much.. Maybe it seats fine once the hub it mounted i don't know.


I could always pull off the other side i guess to check if i'm still not explaining it right... I'm also having a hard time getting the inner racer out. (i decided to replace it anyways seeing as i didn't the first time and still have it laying around)

[charger R/T]

I think what you are saying is normal but do a test. slide the inner bearing onto the spindle. It should slide all the way back to the lip the seal rides on. It needs to slide on straight and not wobble on the spindle (inner part of bearing without the race on it the rollers and cage can wobble). Now put it down in the hub and turn the bearing by putting pressure on the part of the bearing that the spindle slides through. It should turn smooth and take any of the loosness out of the bearing.

Have you checked out the link yet? Good info there.
Tim

[Lone Eagle]

On the grease, find a tub/tube of Moly-Graph from CNC Chemicals. I've used this stuff for years, and I even use it to lube my autobelt tracks. It's a blend of moly grease and graphite, and rated for 600F. We used to use it for the bearings in tunnel ovens at the bakery I worked for years ago, and most parts stores carry it now.

On the bearings, they will be slightly loose until you torque the nut down. This "seats" them to the shaft. As far as wear, if there are not any scuff marks or burnished areas on the rollers/race, then they are good to go. Repack them, reinstall them, and ride. Personally, I ditched the plastic retainer bearings(OEM) on all my FWD Mopars and went with the Timkin replacements from Parts America, Napa, or Oreilleys.

[Powell]

K i bought some good ep stuff thats rated for 540f. the variety here isn't the same as in most normal states. (hence why i am moving next week)