Greasing new wheel bearings and hub.

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"Into the Void" was a kick *** Black Sabbath song.

I put a tall swirl of grease inside of each end just past the bearing races. The Chilton book calls it making a dam to stop grease from flowing away from the bearing.
 
"Into the Void" was a kick *** Black Sabbath song.

I put a tall swirl of grease inside of each end just past the bearing races. The Chilton book calls it making a dam to stop grease from flowing away from the bearing.

Just heard that song on Ozzy's Boneyard on Sirius XM tonight.

Awesome tune. I think it's Sabbath's heaviest song.
 
Better safe than sorry. A little extra grease never hurt anything.

Not always true. We have big (up to 400 HP) electric motors at work and if you over grease them the bearings will overheat. Sounded like BS to me the first time I heard it but its true.
 
I guess some people just want to pack that void just plum full of grease. Me, I just put a little dab in there. I put a little in the cap as well, just in case I might have to repack a bearing on the side of the road every once in a while. Never know when you might have to replace one in an emergency situation.
 
Could never understand why the space between the inner & outer brgs was packed with grease...
Maybe the assembly line workers had stocks in a grease company....
Centrifugal force throws the grease out of the brg, no matter how much you initially pack into the brg. It is amazing how many miles the brgs last with no fresh grease.
Quiz question: if roller wheel brgs last for years carrying the weight of the car, why do needle rollers in roller lifters need a pressurised oil feed?
 
I always put some in the hub void,as well as the cap. Thats how i find them, and i put them back that way. Its a mess when a bearing fails, makes more work to clean up.
Bearings fail for only 3 reasons. too tight
Too loose
Contamination
Ok, 4 -overloading..
Not like the conventional unitized hub/bearings. They just fail.
470,000 kms on my power wagon.had regular service.
 
It needs grease but don’t fill it up. @dadsbee has it about right, a little too much for me. I like to cover the spindle with a thin coating.

Read section 0 of your service manual, lubrication and maintenance. Lots of good info in there. It says don’t lube rear wheel bearings, but they need to be repacked periodically on 8.75 and Dans 60 cars because the ride in grease not gear oil. These rear wheel bearings a long time with repacking.
 
Could never understand why the space between the inner & outer brgs was packed with grease...
Maybe the assembly line workers had stocks in a grease company....
Centrifugal force throws the grease out of the brg, no matter how much you initially pack into the brg. It is amazing how many miles the brgs last with no fresh grease.
Quiz question: if roller wheel brgs last for years carrying the weight of the car, why do needle rollers in roller lifters need a pressurised oil feed?
So, what's the answer Bewy?
 
Could never understand why the space between the inner & outer brgs was packed with grease...
Maybe the assembly line workers had stocks in a grease company....
Centrifugal force throws the grease out of the brg, no matter how much you initially pack into the brg. It is amazing how many miles the brgs last with no fresh grease.
Quiz question: if roller wheel brgs last for years carrying the weight of the car, why do needle rollers in roller lifters need a pressurised oil feed?
When I first learned about packing front wheel bearings, I asked about the full-up hollow area in the hub. I was told that people think of it as extra grease that can flow into the bearings if they get real hot. Well, it seems to me that if the wheel bearings get real hot, there's a problem with the packing job or some damn thing making the bearings hot. Look into the heat problem. I just pack the bearings themselves (using the palm of the hand method) and reassemble. Never had a problem. I've been a mechanic for decades.
Jerry
 
Go on a freeway road trip on the summer and then see how hot your hubs are. It’s from the bearings because you don’t use the brakes on the freeway.
 
Could never understand why the space between the inner & outer brgs was packed with grease...
Maybe the assembly line workers had stocks in a grease company....
Centrifugal force throws the grease out of the brg, no matter how much you initially pack into the brg. It is amazing how many miles the brgs last with no fresh grease.
Quiz question: if roller wheel brgs last for years carrying the weight of the car, why do needle rollers in roller lifters need a pressurised oil feed?
The roller lifter wheel bearing makes millions of revolutions compared to a cars wheel bearing and at astronomical speeds. Therefore they need constant oil. Kim
 
H-D introduced the needle roller lifter in 1929. They didn't have pressurised oiling, just splash oiling. Never heard of one failing.
 
I fill them. Period. Done it that way forty plus years. Don't really care what the manuals or other "experts" say. When bearings heat up, that heat gets transferred to the grease in the hub and allows some heat OUT of the bearings. If the void was not meant to be filled with grease, it would be a hole just big enough for the spindle to pass through. Think about THAT when you eat your Corn Flakes.
 
The roller lifter wheel bearing makes millions of revolutions compared to a cars wheel bearing and at astronomical speeds. Therefore they need constant oil. Kim

Yup.The valve train is the fastest moving thing in the engine.
 
Just finishing rebuilding hubs, spindles. Cleaning them free of grease(before sandlasting) is messy, but not a pain. Gloves and varsol. I was wondering if the void should be filled. Wasnt too concerned yet as these pieces will be painted and wrapped before getting stored away. I bet there is over a cup of "empty " space for grease in there.
Grease thins out the warmer it gets and gets flung off somewhat. If that void is filled, better chance the grease stays put where it needs to be.

That being said, what's everyone recommending for front bearing grease?
 
As long as you grease them. And when they say "pack the bearings" make sure you pack them and get grease around the rollers and between the roller and inner race. I smear grease on the spindle and copious amounts on the outside of the bearing before I install them in the hub. I don't completely fill the cavity but there's always grease left when it's time to repack again. I do them about like this guy but I add a bit more grease. I hand pack but also have a bearing packer like he uses. They work pretty good.
 
Hard to argue with the FSM. This is from 1968.

Yes, notice they even point to it with an arrow and call it the "Wheel hub Grease Cavity" indeed, hard to argue with. Although some still will. lol
 
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