Hi.
I just replaced all the rear brake components on my 1984 F250 4x4 Diesel pickup truck. It has a fully floating rear end so I had to pull the axle shafts to get the drums off.
Anyway, my question is should the wheel bearings in the drum be packed with grease or not during reassembly? I thought they should be (like most wheel bearingsg) but then I noticed they didn't seem to have any grease on them when I pulled them off. It looked more like they were lubricated via the differential/axle fluid (since that has a clear path out the end of the axle tube and in and around that whole area). The bearings were not coating in grease but what looked to be axle lube and seemed to be in great shape.
So I put the axle back together with just a bit of grease in the bearing but I hope I did the right thing.

Does anyone know if this is correct? Does the axle/differential lube reach into the bearing area and provide the proper lubrication or not?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

You can grease them up a little bit if you like bit it isn't necessary. They share gear lube with the rest of the axle. If you are pulling the hubs, spend the extra few dollars and replace the hub seals... they like to leak for some reason when they are pulled apart.

 

You need to invest in a Chiltons so you'll gain some basic knowledge of what you're driving.

 

I can vouch for that, I have been working on these trucks for quite a while and I still use mine. I have a Chilton's and a Hayne's manual for all my trucks.

 

Very good thing to keep in mind. It really sucks to ruin a new set of brakes because they absorb your rearend lube. Hasn't happened to one of my vehicles, but I have personally seen the results.

 

It is recommended to grease the bearings when they are newly installed, to give them some initial lube. But as you go around turns and such, the gear lube in the diff does lubricate the bearings for the long term.

 

I always grease them prior to assembly, it does take a little time for the gear oil to get to the bearings. Good idea to replace the seals, they are a little pricey but worth it. The drums on my 86 F250 come off the hubs. (Sterling rear)

 

on the 10.25" FF rear like the one under my 85 F250 the drum slides off the hub without having to remove the "wheel" bearing retaining nuts

older years' axles and some other models(also depending on the age) you have to remove the bearing retaining nuts to get the hub/drum off

but you dont have to remove the wheel and tire to pull the shafts out, unlike the type that the drum slides off the hub(such as these 10.25 ford FF)

older type that requires removing bearing nuts to pull the hub, but not removal of wheel to pull shafts:
Eaton H052 and H072('72 and older)

older GM corp 14 FF 10.5 '73-early 90's

dana 60

etc


other axle models i am unsure of such as the H110 Eaton and any Chrysler FF axles(dually dodge truck are very rare here, ive only seen a half a dozen in person so far)

AFAIk all FF axle wheel bearings ride in the axle gear oil

no need to lube them manually

i personally never have or will


having the rear seal leak into the hub and ruin the shoes is awesome(sarcasm) it causes really super grabby rear brakes that like to lock up really easily)

it sucks

we have a 79 C-20 pickup right now in which has done this

it happens

ive owned a couple dozen FF axle equipped trucks over the years now and id say instances of rear seal leaks are just as common as blown wheel cylinders on them, the 85 F250 i have now blew the right rear wheel cylinder, i removed the shoes and have the line pinched off for now until i put new shoes and a new cylinder on it, this is the first FF axle that had slip-off style drums

this is the only FF ford truck i have ever had, i always had GM FF trucks before now


ive owned many different dually and SRW trucks
anything from a '53 6400 2 speed 2 ton to a '77 C-30 dually dump to a '68 C-60 1.5 ton to an '82 C-20 SRW



good luck

 

Whether it's installing a new bearing, rebuilding a tranny, or a engine, it's just good practice to put some pre-lube in the bearings or on the bearing surfaces for start up lubrication.

 

I couldn't agree more.
As for the FF wheel bearings, sure they get lubed by the axle grease, but how long is gonna take till they get fully lubed? In my opinion, even one full revolution is too long.......

 

All,
Thanks for the good input and advice. I figured a little grease on the bearings would be good and that the axle lube would slosh around but I just wasn't sure, so thanks again for the confirmation. Knowing that puts my mind at ease.
Unfortunately, I didn't replace the seals because I didn't think they looked too bad but I probably should have. But since it's all back together and on the ground, I'm not going to monkey with it now. Hopefully the seals will still work fine.
And as far as getting a Chilton's manual, I suppose I'll have to. I have a Haynes manual and I have the Ford factory spec manual for diesel engines (helpful for when I replaced a cracked head earlier this year) but maybe the Chilton's contains some info the others don't.
Anyway, thanks again for all the responses. They are extremely helpful.
Scott