TR6 Grease on rear hubs

[brohawk]

Hi folks, hoping for some advice here. I'm currently overhauling the brake system, as my braking ability gradually got worse this past Spring. Front lines were replaced, MC rebuilt, and thought I was in the home stretch when I pulled the rear drums this week to find quite a bit of grease on the shoes and outer hub faces. I didn't feel any play in either hub though. Does this mean w/o a doubt new/rebuilt hubs are in my immediate future or is it possibly something a little more simple (and doable before the good driving weather is over)?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[70herald]

Did you grease the rear hubs in the fall / winter spring? If so, there are a few possibilities. The oil seal (which holds the grease in) could be worn out, or there should be an escape hole for excess grease out side of the brake which may be plugged with dried hard grease and crud. Just clean it out with a screwdriver and problem solved. (I ruined a set of brake shoes because of a plugged up escape hole on the herald.

With the wheels / brake drums off try greasing the hubs and see where the excess grease gets forced out. It shouldn't be on the brake side.

In any case, if there is no other sign of problems with hubs, make sure they greased, clean up the mess, get new brake shoes and start driving. Even if the seal is the problem, just take off the brake drum before greasing and make sure everything is clean before driving.

 

[brohawk]

I'm apparently a bad TR owner. In the past 7 or so years I've owned the car, no, I've not once greased the hubs, nor do I think my mechanic has. Car has about 62,000 original miles on it. You can't really see in the below pics as I'd already removed the cylinders, but they were covered in crystallized brake fluid and a hefty amount of brake dust/fiber; more so the driver's side. The bleed nipples were seized to the point that once snapped off and the other started rounding off. I've ordered replacement cylinders. The back plates aren't wet, just covered in brake gunk. But the hubs as you can see, have a lot of grease which looks to be coming out from around the axle nuts/oil seals and then covering the face of the hubs. Shoes and drums are also quite greasy.




I would assume it's then the seal, but where is this escape hole you speak of?? And if I try greasing the hubs, do I then apply it to the axle nut/outer seal area as well as behind the backing plate?

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[brohawk]

Forgot to mention, no clunks or other signs of hubs failing.

 

[Darrell_Walker]

I'm apparently a bad TR owner. In the past 7 or so years I've owned the car, no, I've not once greased the hubs, nor do I think my mechanic has.

I'm pretty sure there is no provision to lube the IRS hubs. It was pretty obvious when mine started to go, there was a bit of a clicking noise when driving (drive next to a hard vertical surface that will reflect the noise back to you), and when I pulled the hub, you could tell it wasn't completely smooth in rotating.

 

[brohawk]

Thanks 70herald and Darrell, I'd read the same in other forum posts, about the rear hubs being completely sealed/PITA to separate, but don't know if grease should still be applied to the surface of the seals.

I'm assuming at this point I have one or two possible problems: the outer seals are leaking but hopefully caused no damage to the bearings yet, and/or the cylinders failed/leaked fluid, which then mixed w/ the massive amounts of brake dust I see elsewhere, which then looks/feels like grease on the hubs but is in fact just fluid. If it's the seals, I don't want to foul up new brake shoes a few miles down the road, but I know I've got to get the car running again to confirm there's no noticeable hub noise.

Am I on the right track guys?

 

[philstr6]

when grease is appenent inside the break drums,the inner seal is probly gone away,if your hubs are original,they probly have the leather seal and after 30 pluss years they have come apart.if you need help with your hubs,pm me,I can help
Philstr6
Phil

 

[brohawk]

That's what I was afraid of. So we're talking about a total rebuild needed, i.e. Churchill tool/similar required, or replacements? If so I'm not sure I'm ready to shell out that kind of dough, but will PM you Phil when I know I can do it.

 

[poolboy]

Phil is your guy.
He's got the tools and parts ...and the know-how.