Brakes! Grease Seals and Bearings Question...

Okay, so I got the Deuce on jack stands, and am working on both of the rear axle brakes. After removing the Wheels, I found evidence of my seals leaking on the drivers side for both axles. So, I removed the drums & hubs from both axles and found that the drivers side bearings were saturated with differential fluid and the passenger side had a 50/50 mix of differential fluid and what appears to be black grease of some kind.

My question is this. The book I have states to pack the bearings with new GAA. First off, what kind of grease should I use? Will Hi-Temp Disk Brake Bearing Grease be sufficient and if so which one? I picked up two kinds of grease, One is red in color with a Lithium Base and the other is black in color with a Mineral Oil/Aluminum Base.

2nd Question, If packing the bearings with grease is needed, am I to assume that the inner seal is to keep the bearing grease in the hub and the outer seal is to keep the Differential Fluid out of the Hub? Or, is the differential fluid supposed to mix with the wheel bearing grease? I know its a lame question because standard logic has me to believe that the outer seal is to keep the differential fluid out of the bearings.

I got all new Inner Seals from the Fontana Yard and installed them already. Got new brake shoes on order from Saturn Surplus and Outer Seals on order from OD Iron.

Thanks for the help.

Tyler

Tyler,

I used high temp DRUM brake grease. Not disk brake grease.
I packed the bearings and put the recommended amount in the drum also.

You are correct that the inner seal keeps grease in and the outer keeps dif. fluid out. If you've gone so far as to break down the axles that far, i'd recommend new brake cylinders. Not too much $ and you've come that far.

Don't forget to put the cork or form-a-gasket in the keyway where the outer bearing, tab washer and nut are.

also check this out.

http://www.bunkerofdoom.com/mil/m35/raxle/index.html

Last time I went to Napa Auto Parts, they gave me the Disk Brake Grease and said that was it. I don't recall seeing any "Drum" brake grease... Will have to take another look. Do you recall what type of "Base" the grease you used was? Such as Lithium, Moly, Mineral Oil/Aluminum???

BTW, about the cork material... Where abouts in the keyway does it go? Under the bearing, sandwhiched between the grease seal and adjusting nut? The book I have doesn't state that little fact. I'd assume its to keep the differential fluid from passing through the keyway tab on the outer oil seal.

Mike, When I was at Fontana with you guys, I bought 6 wheel cylinders, so I'm golden on that... Just not looking forward to bleeding the brakes. Getting the plug on top of the master cylinder was a pain in the neck last time I checked the fluid level.

Also, As far as the seals go, are you supposed to lightly coat the outer surface of the seals with oil/grease before putting the drum on or do you put it on dry? I would assume that the seal should have a very thin layer of grease on the outer portion where it contacts the drum to prevent it from burning....

Thanks again,

T

Tyler,
Give your seals a thin coat of grease for sure. As far as the cork or sealant for the keyway, it goes in under the bearing and before the outer seal. If your wheel cylinders are NOS I'd take them apart before installing to make sure they are decent inside. I take brand new wheel cylinders apart to verify that all is clean and that they were assembled correctly. Can't say much about the grease but I have surplus GAA and it is lithiun based. Bleeding brakes, do yourself a favor and put together a power bleeder, you won't be dissapointed.

Thanks Kenny for the Advice. I think I have a bleeder tool around here somewhere.

Mike, thanks for the link. Thats a fantastic and excellent description of what is done. Especially the drawing at the bottom of the page.

Thanks again for the help fellas!

T

Brake bleeding is a fun job and can be accomplished easily by one Soldier with no special tools.. The 3/4 open end on the cap is used with the 30 inch breaker bar down thru the open floor hole to break the cap loose because you forgot to put a little neverseize on it the last time... the vent is treated the same way with a little tubing wrench and some squirt sauce and should just spin out by hand when loosened.. then a tranny fill funnel down the hole and some BFS. The next morning, gravity has done most of the bleeding for you...Remember to put the cap back on finger tight overnight to keep moisture and BFS sipping varmints out...Then the next sunny day you tie a rope to the Brake Pedal linkage under the floor and start at the right rear with your handy 1/4" ratchet and socket.. pull the rope (pump the pedal) and viola within 30 min or so you are a stopping fool... Don't forget to bleed the booster...aka AirPak and put in your Air Pak oil in the air side of it...see your LO...have fun.

Check this old thread out, the pics might be helpful (especially the silicone in the keyway pic):

http://steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=6290

I stock GAA in gallon cans. Why use anything but GAA?