Rear Axle Hub

[Chuck]

I pulled a rear wheel on my SIIa - with oil leaking badly and completely covering the inside of the steel wheel. Clearly this hub is lubricated by oil, not grease, and an oil seal is ka-put.

When looking at the workshop diagram (Fig. E1-3) the oil seal is on the outside of the wheel behind the hub cap / castle nut.

• So why is the oil blowing out the back and not the outside face of the wheel?
• Does this indicate an oil seal failure at the inner bearing and not at the rear axle shaft oil seal?

Thoughts on how to proceed...Thanks.

[I Leak Oil]

It's probably a bad seal and distance piece. Remove the hub and replace them both. Should probably check the other side too. Then make sure the axle breather isn't blocked. If it is then the axle is building up pressure and blowing past the seal.
Jason T.

[Jeff Aronson]

As long as you've pulled the wheel, pull the brake drum, too. If the drum and shoes are filled with goop, then your hub seal and race are leaking and should be replaced.

Your rear wheels can be covered with hypoid leaking from the pinion seal at the driveshaft, too. Or you could have a leak at the breather valve - is the wheel leak on the left side rear or the right side? The breather is on the left side, I think.

Enjoy,

Jeff

[Mike Koch]

Rovers North offers a hub seal kit which includes everything you'll need to successfully swap out a bad hub seal.

-Mike Koch

[singingcamel]

jason, absolutely right on

It's probably a bad seal and distance piece. Remove the hub and replace them both. Should probably check the other side too. Then make sure the axle breather isn't blocked. If it is then the axle is building up pressure and blowing past the seal.
Jason T.