Series IIA hubs heating up

[LndRvr64]

Hi all,

My IIA was sitting for @ 6 months and now when I took it back out on the road the front hubs are heating up to the point I can't keep my hand on one of them. I have standard hubs. The front differential is topped up with gear oil. Do the bearings need to be packed with grease?

Thanks.

Jack

[navydevildoc]

Hi all,

My IIA was sitting for @ 6 months and now when I took it back out on the road the front hubs are heating up to the point I can't keep my hand on one of them. I have standard hubs. The front differential is topped up with gear oil. Do the bearings need to be packed with grease?

Thanks.

Jack

Do you know if the hubs have been converted to grease packed? They may still be oil filled hubs. Look behind your wheels to see if there is oil all over the bottom half of the brake drum and brake backing plate. You may have a blown oil seal and all the oil drained out.

[Jim-ME]

There may be a small allen head screw which will allow you to add 90W gear oil to the hubs. If you have them add oil. If you don't repack your wheel bearings and fill the hub about 1/2 way with grease. Make sure your seals are good. On second thought I would go ahead and repack your wheel bearings after making sure the actual brearings and races are still good. Another thing to check is if the brakes are sticking. Does the whole drum get hot too? If so it may be a brake problem not a bearing problem.
Jim

[LaneRover]

There is a chance that the hubs had leaked all the oil out while sitting for 6 months. The hubs get their gear oil from the differential, in your drive is there a chance that not enough oil got out to the hubs? (usually it runs along the spinning axle shaft to get out to the hub) If the hubs were empty it might take a while for enough oil to get out there.

I would even try jacking up the wheel opposite the one that got hot. That will get some more of the oil down to the wheel that got hot. You might have to jack it up quite a bit.

Then take it out for a short drive and see if that made a difference.

[scott]

the hubs get their oil from the swivel ball oil. back of swivle ball housing, 1/2" square plug.

[KevinNY]

I'd bet on the brakes sticking before a bearing issue, Does the wheel spin freely when jacked up?

[LaneRover]

the hubs get their oil from the swivel ball oil. back of swivle ball housing, 1/2" square plug.

The hubs are connected to the differential. Oil travels between the two.

Yes it is definitely best to fill up the swivel balls directly and using the 1/2" square plug is much better than my idea. At the same time, gear oil travels along the spinning axle half shafts from the differential to the hubs.

I was saying that filling the differential will eventually get oil to the hubs.

[LndRvr64]

Thanks for all the tips. Will apply them tonight and tomorrow and see if the issue is solved.

Jack

[jac04]

The hubs are connected to the differential. Oil travels between the two.

Not on the front hubs. There is an axle case oil seal on each end that separates the axle housing from the swivel pin housings. Oil will not travel between the two.

FYI: On the later Series 3s with greased type hub bearings, there is another oil seal that separates the hub assemblies from the swivel pin housings.

[LaneRover]

Not on the front hubs. There is an axle case oil seal on each end that separates the axle housing from the swivel pin housings. Oil will not travel between the two.

FYI: On the later Series 3s with greased type hub bearings, there is another oil seal that separates the hub assemblies from the swivel pin housings.

Did not know that! Thanks!

I too would look into the brakes being the culprit.

Actually my first answer should have been: Ya, there is a seal but how many of them actually seal on a rover?

[SafeAirOne]

Add me to the "dragging brakes" list. I don't think your shoes are retracting fully when you let up on the brake pedal. It has happened to me before when a rubber nugget prevented brake fluid from returning to the master cylinder (like a check valve).