How long do differential bearings last?
Wheel bearings have an average lifespan of 136,000 to 160,000 km (approximately 85,000 to 100,000 miles).
What bearings are in a differential?
Front and Rear Pinion Bearings & Carrier Bearings In drive differentials, pinion bearings help the smallest gears in the differential work smoothly. Differentials are made up of a series of gears and cogs, and it is the smallest gears that allow one wheel to safely rotate faster than the other.
Do you grease rear axle seals?
To begin the seal installation, an important step is to pre-lubricate the seal with the oil or grease you are going to seal. This will reduce the “sliding“ friction force that can damage the seal when installed dry. It also prevents a dry starting condition that can tear the seal material during initial run-in periods.
What makes rear differential go bad?
The leading cause of a differential failing is due to using the wrong lubricant type and specialty lubricants. Water can also be a culprit to a differential failing as it can enter through the vent or seals. This often happens when driving in high water.
What is an axle bearing?
The term axle bearing refers to a device located at each mounting end of a live axle, allowing it to spin without resistance or wear. Just to refresh your memory, first, there’s the car axle, which is the central shaft for a rotating gear or wheels.
How many bearings does a differential have?
There are two bearings in a differential, the one for the pinion, and the one for the side. Once it begins to grind or hum, you’ll have to have one or both of them replaced. Since this requires dismantling the diff, it can take as much as 5-hours to complete, meaning it’s a lot more costly to do so.
Do you need to grease oil seals?
For the oil seal to operate correctly, the seal lip must be aligned with the medium to be sealed. To make it easier to slide over the shaft, both the shaft and the oil seal lip must be lubricated properly beforehand with grease or oil. Oil seals with a leather seal lip must be soaked in oil for some time in advance.
How does the rear wheel bearing get lubricated?
Re: Rear wheel bearing lubrication? The oil seal keeps oil from leaking out of the hub. The seal is between the hub and the axle housing so keeps oil from leaking out behind the hub. There is plenty of room between the axle housing and the half shaft for oil to get through to the bearing.
Do you grease bearing seal?
Grease is applied to a marine seal and bearing for one reason only, to reduce friction. Friction produces heat, excess heat through incorrect installation destroys bearings.
What is the part number prefix for axle bearing and seal?
At West Coast Differentials, we stock a wide variety of Axle Bearing and Seal Kits for many common applications and an extensive inventory of individual Bearings & Seals. The part number prefix for our Axle Bearing & Seal Kits is “AK”.
How do you remove the rear differential seal?
Use a large pry bar to leverage the seal out of the differential housing, you can also use a seal puller but we have found this method works pretty good. Use an axle puller to remove the axle bearing, once installed push the shoe of the puller straight which will help it lock behind the bearing.
What should the seals look like on the rear differential?
The seals should look identical unless they have been updated by the manufacturer. Once the surface has been cleaned, match the new seal to the old unit and apply sealer to the differential housing if needed. Most seals have a sealer allied to them as a thin coating, this seal uses an orange colored sealer.
Can you put a new differential seal on an old one?
These seals have a outer lip so the seal can only be installed one way. The seals should look identical unless they have been updated by the manufacturer. Once the surface has been cleaned, match the new seal to the old unit and apply sealer to the differential housing if needed.