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alastaid

Member Since: 03 Dec 2013
Location: York
Posts: 78

Rear axle with drums, what happens to the oil?

Hi,

So I am rebuilding my 1984 90, and have got round to the rear axle. After having done the front, the rear axle doesn't make sense to me. So the fronts have a traditional oil seal that the shaft goes through to keep the oil in the axle and diff. On the rears there is no equivalent, so suppose you park the car overnight on a really steep bank so its much higher on the off side than near side. Surely the oil will flow down the axle, it will well up in the cavity inside the drive flange, assuming the drive flange is oil tight no oil will leak into the hub cap, but if the oil is high enough, wont it just flow into the bearings and contaminate the grease? As far as I can see the two seals around the bearings on the stub axle are to keep the grease in the bearings, not the diff oil out?

Have i got the above right or am I missing something? Or can someone explain what happens to the oil when you park on a steep bank.

Thanks

Alastair

20th Jan 2020 10:10pm

htb2

Member Since: 02 Nov 2018
Location: Carmarthenshire
Posts: 546

Early axles like yours are lubricated by the diff oil, only later ones had the oil seal on the halfshaft (300tdi and onwards IIRC).
When you go back on the level it will go back to the diff.
Unless your hub seals are knackered and it ends up running down the inside of your disc

21st Jan 2020 1:51pm

oneten110

Member Since: 02 Jul 2011
Location: Wish I was still in France
Posts: 741

In axles of that vintage the wheel bearings are lubricated by oil rather than grease. A far better system which had served Land Rover well since 1948.
The hub seal should retain the oil, earlier seals were of a different design to the post 1993 300tdi seals.
In fact removing the stub axle seals is a better idea than retaining them It is not a Defender, it is a One_Ten

21st Jan 2020 2:39pm

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