HUBS

[JSalyer]

Well,
Here I go again, I'll keep posting these until Thompson(TSR53) kick me off hee hee.

Well here is something you need to address on your rover that will stop you cold in your tracks, usually 20 miles down the trail or on that back road in West Virginia(watch "Deliverance")!!

HUB MAINTENANCE:
You should rebuild your hubs every 60K if you dont off road, and every year if you do. If you're like I used to be, it was every 2 months, since a great deal of my time was in the water.

Rovers are notorious for blowing hub seals, and they just seem to need more maintenance in this area. If you have recently purchased your Rover
and cant find a record of hub rebuild/repack, do it or have it done. If one of them fails due to lack of grease, a stub axle is about $300, bearings about $40, seals $10, plus labor per hub. If you do it now, all you are looking at is seals and grease.

I wont get into the procedure, there are plenty of threads on it and its in the manual, but if you are going to do it yourself, make sure you have a working knowledge of wheel bearings, brakes etc, and the PROPER tools!! I have seen alot of folks ruin a hub, making mistakes in this procedure.
If you are going to pay somebody, make sure they are a competent Rover mechanic(same issues!)

I have been in a vehicle(a friends) going to an event when the hub failed at 60mph. The wheel locked up momentarily(almost causing us to crash) then every thing in the hub went away!! then crunchy crunchy till we got it stopped. He was the first one to say, "I was gonna do that, but just blew it off".

One caveat to this, if you can get an industrial grade synthetic grease that inhibits water, I used to buy it from Wurth, and it was for bulldozers, dumptrucks etc. You might try www.Wurth.com and see. I bought several tubes, and we used it at the dealer for guys who where serious offroaders(additional charge of course!!). This stuff was tacky, gooey stuff, and the bearings would not wear out!!

[luckyjoe]

Important missing step

There is one thing that all D1 owners need to do when servicing their hubs - forget the D1 hub seal and use the RR Classis hub seal p/n RTC3511.

Here is a picture of the D1 factory hub seal RTC4785:


Below is a picture of the RRC hub seal RTC3511:


You can see that the RRC seal is a true double lip seal. This is like every other output shaft seal in your drivetrain. RTC3511 will actually do the job you expect from it, unlike the factory D1 seal. In fact, the D1 hub seal appears to be designed more to keep grease in, rather than keep water out!

Simply using the RRC hub seal should get you years of service. And if you wade a LOT, it is well worth the peace of mind...

Regards,

[Bootlover101]

Hubs

I'm a new owner of a 1999 Land Rover SD Discovery 1. It has 92,250 miles on it. I've changed the oil using 10W-30 Castrol synthic blend oil and a fram TG16 filter, Replaced F&R diff lube with 80W90, greased all nipples in the driveline, replaced all brake pads (F&R), added a K-n-N air filter, WD-40ed all the locks and hinges, checked the coolent and ATF. I still need to replace the T-case grease. Is the fill plug on the T-case on the back side about 1/4 or so up, kinda behind the E-brake drum with a 1/2" square Driver hole in the plug?? Is this a all gear T-case??
HUBS. Wow, I'll bet this rovers way past due for the hub service. This rig looks like it's never been off road, theres no signs anyplace to show it's ever been off road. Being a hard core life long off roader, I know what to look for. But I'm concerned about the hubs. The rover rolls just fine, and there are no sqeeks comming from the wheel bearings. I can't seem to find a repair manual for the 1999 Disco. Where can I find one so I can do these hubs myself.
Thanks alot, sorry for the long posting covering more than just the hubs, but this is my 1st Land Rover, I love the machine and have a lot to learn about it.

[Leslie]

A) For a '99D1, you need the '95-'98 shop manual.

B) Don't use the K&N, at least not offroad in dusty conditions; they may help an engine breathe better, but allow for more dust ingestion. Always switch back to the stock filter before getting offroad or down dusty dirt roads. I know of several people that had their MAF hotwire get toasted from the oild from a K&N too, so make sure you wring all the excess oil off of it, too.

FWIW....

[joshua.mcguoirk]

If I recall correctly, the hubs should be serviced at every brake change and checked anually.

Hubs serviced and bearings (including races) changed every 60,000 mi.

I have opted for a more conservative approach and replace bearings every 30,000 mi. and service hubs semi annually.

Yea, I may be throwing money down the drain but its still on the road as a daily driver with over 130,000 mi. on the clock. I use Mobile 1 synthetics for ALL lubricants and never had any troubles.

[1996trek4]

I have 205k on my 98 and have only serviced the bearings on brake jobs and have never had a bearing failure and still have the original bearings...If you service your bearings-clean, inspect and grease you will be fine. It is just as important to give the swivels a good once over at every oil change and after wading or deep mud to make sure there is not any water ingress. Water will destroy bearings in short order.... The old saying that if grease or oil can get out, water can get in is only partially true. If the component is warm and you suddenly surround it with cold water it can create a vacuum in the hub and actually suck water in. Same with your rear diff. Lubrication will keep the parts from wearing almost indefinetly. I've also done all fluids annually including brake fluid and have never had a caliper, trans, diff or water pump failure. I think a lot of people forget that oil is not the only fluid in the truck and the others are just as important. I've probably spent much more time and expense than needed in maintenance, but still being able to say that after all these miles and having all original components I think it is worth it... You guys with just around 100k have a long ways to go yet. My best friend has several RRC and one has 315k still a daily and just as nice as it was when it was probably only a few years old. Take care of them and they will take care of you...I know there are exceptions on some Rovers, but it still should help with most things so that problems are not compounded.