To Grease, or not to Grease???

[parrie]

Intresting jac04...I see your point. I'm guessing this is what may have happened to the side that had been greased...the bearings look OK but what an awful mess of oil & grease sludge. I'm glad I asked the question...this forum is a great resource!

[jac04]

...grease it is!

Unless it is a SIII set up for greased bearings, greasing the bearings isn't the way to go (IMO). There is nothing to keep the oil from the swivel pin housings from getting into the front wheel bearings. Typically, mixing oil & grease isn't recommended.

For the oiled hubs, I put the fill plug at the top and put about 1/2 to 1 quart in the hub. The excess will flow into the SPH through the spindle. Then check the SPH to make sure it isn't overfilled.

[parrie]

Mark/TeriAnn, thanks for the info. I too was thinking about oil leaking and contaminating the brakes...grease it is! Thanks again

[TeriAnn]

I have always just packed the bearings with molly wheel bearing grease, added more grease in the hub per the manual, then installed the bearings & hub on the stub axle . It has worked for me so far.

1961 Dormie, owned for 36 years and counting and driven by me well over 250,000 miles and counting.

I suspect that oil would be more apt to seep past the inner hub seal and get onto the brake shoes. But that is just a suspicion based upon how much more fluid oil is..

[SafeAirOne]

I presume the oil level would be about half, is that correct?

I'll leave that for someone else to answer--I have no idea what the fill procedure was on those.

Ha--Just saw that I should have said "Step 7" not "Step 8" on my original post too. I'm sure you worked that out, though.

[parrie]

Sorry about that...61' early IIa 109 Dormobile, she sports some II parts here & there so didn't know if there may be different recommendations. After looking this over I think the bearings on that side had been replaced w/ grease at some point & then the PO added oil, what a mess it was! The hubs do have the fill plugs. I presume the oil level would be about half, is that correct?

[SafeAirOne]

You don't mention what vehicle you have. If yours has the oil fill on the driving flanges, I'd consider using oil.

From SIII bible. See step 7:

[parrie]

Just began tearing down the front end of ole Daisey. When I pulled the locking hubs off, the driver side the hub bearings had no grease (bearings where not packed w/ grease) and looked great but the passenger side bearings had been greased and it was an awful looking brown mess of crap. I've looked at a couple of threads...some say grease, others say 90wt oil. I can't seem to find it in the green bible, possibly looking in wrong section maybe? Any thoughts on to grease or not to grease the hub bearings?