Thread: [B]4x4 front wheel bearings and river crossings[/B]

Originally Posted by longrange308

Pointless

Yeah it doesn’t really appear to help, but it costs like 6 bucks worth of hose to do

Originally Posted by longrange308

Pointless

interesting perspective.... i haven't bothered as i dont do many river crossing but know some people that have, they seem to have their reasons

Originally Posted by 40mm

Why?

If you take a look at the seals they are designed to keep grease in not not water out
Ad that to the water pressure trying to get in
And ad that to the vacuum created by rapidly cooling the hot housing/hub
You could have 3m high breathers and water would still get in there
Makes you feel good is about all they do

Originally Posted by longrange308

If you take a look at the seals they are designed to keep grease in not not water out
Ad that to the water pressure trying to get in
And ad that to the vacuum created by rapidly cooling the hot housing/hub
You could have 3m high breathers and water would still get in there
Makes you feel good is about all they do

fair enough, makes sense... just as well i haven't bothered

Good south island water keeps my diff strong and healthy

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Dont just grease the bearings pack the entire cavity as full as you can= no room for water.

This^^^
You can fit a grease nipple to a lot of 4wd front hubs and pump extra grease into the hub without removing the hub from the spindle, A few pumps every 3-4 months keeps them full of grease. You may not keep all the water out but you can certainly minimise it.

And check the hubs seals where they run on the spindle as once they wear, water can be pushed in through the seal, It will keep the grease in but not good at keeping water out when worn.
Over fill your CVs with grease a bit too and ensure you're CV boots are cracked or perished and all the clamps are tight.

Diff breathers do work. You just need to get them as high as possible and in a dry place for them to vent. I think the issue with a lot of daily driver 4wds is that seals wear and water can find its way in. Also a hot diff hitting cold water can cause a small vacuum which can suck water in through worn seals too.
Using a 4wd in water or mud etc. does call for more regular maintenance though. I change my diff oils twice a year due to the environments we drive in. (Mud, Water, Silt Sand etc.) The price we are prepared to pay for using our 4wd for our Hobby.

Extended diff breathers do work, a normal diff breather is usually just a cap on top of the diff which close with pressure , a hot diff cold water and this is what creates the vacuum and sucks water in , extended diff breathers allow the diff to equalise and not as much vacuum , I have seen heaps of examples of how they help keep water out all things being equal with grease and seals ,

Have even tried pressurising the housings with compressed air from onboard compressor. Helps but still get water in past the seals. Also tried double seals with 1 facing backwards. Its a losing battle. No simple solution.
Easier to just replace oil and grease all the time.

Diff breathers DO work, Nissan safaris come out of the factory with them..

Defiantly needed on the rear diff if using to put the jet boat in, nice hot diff after a drive to the river then sit the diff in the water for 5min while pissing around with the boat, the diff has no trouble puling in water though the pinion and axle seals.

Originally Posted by longrange308

If you take a look at the seals they are designed to keep grease in not not water out
Ad that to the water pressure trying to get in
And ad that to the vacuum created by rapidly cooling the hot housing/hub
You could have 3m high breathers and water would still get in there
Makes you feel good is about all they do

Breathers are for the oil in the diff not the grease in the hubs. Different animal

Originally Posted by longrange308

If you take a look at the seals they are designed to keep grease in not not water out
Ad that to the water pressure trying to get in
And ad that to the vacuum created by rapidly cooling the hot housing/hub
You could have 3m high breathers and water would still get in there
Makes you feel good is about all they do

well that sounds not too far fetched but iv got em and im gonna pretend they do something! extended the fuel tank breather, two diffs, trans, and transfer case. I think for the price it was worth doing just in case you are wrong. Iv got a 1993 hiace, its not really a vehicle that can be traded in for another once its flogged out as they stopped making decent 4wd vans after 1993. so Im gonna do anything I can to try keep it well.

Have you replaced the seals recently to see if it helps.

Originally Posted by xtightg

Anybody got any advice on front wheel bearing grease or lubricant if I don't clean out and repack with fresh Timken wheel bearing grease after every river crossing my front wheel bearings fall apart.
2003 Triton.

Has it been lifted?

It's not that you're running -44 offset and big tyres or something is it? Tends to chew up wheel bearings pretty quick

unimog, problem solved. axels wont even touch the water.