• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Brake drum leaking differential oil

Share this page

JP,
Thanks for the tip! I went downtown yesterday and got a set - guess what! It was 25% off (ar, ar!).

All I can say is that set is honking! Definitely got to have it out when the neighbours come around.

OK, so now I have done one side. Fortunately, I did not have to make a decision on greasing the bearing up or letting it ride in the diff oil because they come (from Moss Motors) sealed (on both sides):
Bearing.jpg


There is one niggling thing however. I re-installed the hub by tapping on a 2x4 against two opposing lug nut studs. I noticed that the bearing had started coming out (by about 1/4". I tapped it back in by about 1/8" but that is a far as it wanted to go. So I levered the hub back out so the bearing was totally inside the hub.

Then I installed the washer and nut, tightened to what I think would be 45 ft-lbs and then bent over the washer. I have not taken it out yet as I want to do the other side (while I'm at it) but I'm now worried about that movement of the hub.

Whaddya think?

Cheers,
Jones
 
It's been a couple years since I had my rear hub apart, so I'm going by memory, always dangerous with me--but I think you're OK. The nut essentially holds on the center race of the bearing onto the rear-axle housing, so when you torque it properly, it's all the way on. I can't remember exactly how the outer race is located. As I remember, though, if it all goes together smoothly, it's right.

Take a close look, and make sure I'm right. Or else someone else may correct me.
 
Steve,

Thanks for the post.
I completed the other side today - it also was leaking!! Didn't realise it until I took the drum off.

Anyways, made a beer run to the store and back - no wheels fell off.

I'll drive it around for a few days then check the drums for leakage. If OK, I'll put in the new brake shoes and Bob's your uncle, as they say.

Cheers,
Adrian
 
Torque on the axle/hub nuts is more like 90 ft. lbs, and I never use that cheesy tabwasher, just clean the threads on the nut and housing good and use red loctite, done it that way for years. That dang tabwasher cost me a race car one time, never again.

Now mind you most of the Spridgets I worked in this area are using double bearing racing hubs, but this job is basicly the same. I always set up my axles and hubs where I used 4 countersunk screws, they did not attach to the brake drum , just the axle and hub, I clean everyhting up good, so that during assembly didn't get rear end dope drooling out on the clean surfaces, I din't use the paper gasket, and used Permatex UlitmateBlack RTV (the best stuff i ever found for this job) and anew O-ring, let the RTV cure for 24 hours with no dope in the rear end, then refill the rear end, and off you go, it's real importatnt to let the RTV cure, and make sure no dope gets to it while curing. If you don't do the 4 screw deal, then just bolt you wheels on to get a good 360 degree clamp.
 
Thanks for the posts.

As far as gasket goo, I thought Hylomar was the best? Now the guys in the Triumph forum are talking about the Right Stuff . Any thoughts?

Yeah, I couldn't actually torque it down (I was using a 3/4" socket!) so I just tightened it real tight.

I hear you on the lock washer - especially since I could not find a way to cleanly bend it over (using screw driver and hammer)

If this thing starts leaking again I'll tear it down and do it Hap's way, red loctite and all.

Cheers,
Adrian
 
My vote is for The Right Stuff.. Like the Ultimate but cures quicker...
 
Hap Waldrop said:
... I never use that cheesy tabwasher, just clean the threads on the nut and housing good and use red loctite, done it that way for years. That dang tabwasher cost me a race car one time, never again.
Click to expand...

Sounds like there is an interesting story behind this remark....

It's important to remember that the way things were done in 1958 isn't necessarily the best way to do them in 2009. I have always had a hard time seeing how that washer really did much good--after all, you torque the sucka to 90 ft lbs and that little folded over gizmo is supposed to keep it fom loosening? Gimme a break!
 
I think it was designed to keep the nut from coming off not holding it tight.
 
OK,

As a final note (I hope):

Story so far - replaced rear wheel bearing, oil seal, O-ring and gasket (with Hylomar Racing sealer). Drove it around for about a week. Took drum off and it seemed to have stopped leaking. OK, time to put on the new brake shoes.

Took me a while to get the old shoes off and I'm just about to put on the new shoes when... guess what!! Drip, drip. The poxy thing is still leaking!

Inspired by the Bugeye Barn extra thick gasket, I went ahead and actually made one from 100 thou paper/cardboard stuff. (The Moss gasket is 15 thou). I used the Hylomar stuff (didn't have any Ultimate Black around) on both sides of the gasket and on the mating surfaces. Let the solvent (acetone) evaporate for about 20 min and then re-assembled.

After a day or so it seems to be holding up - ie not leaking. Think I'll give it a month and then, if still dry, put on the new brake shoes.
 
Back
Top