Rear end locked up!!!

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Yepper! The brand new rear we just installed in my dads old daily driver less than a year ago locked up today. It had brake problems a few weeks ago so we pulled the thing apart after noticing the axle seal was leaking. So we serviced the whole thing, drained it, and found grit in the main housing so we flushed everything out with solvent and filled it back up with premium oil. We also installed new axle bearings at the same time, which is funny because this is what went bad. We havent torn it apart yet but we tracked it down to the drivers side hub which was nearly glowing hot and would barely spin after an hour of cooling down. I dont know what would have caused the bearings on that hub to lock up but they did.
We were hauling a new washer/dyer pair home with it today and getting off the freeway we felt it bog a little, and my dad was like WTH, then it did a bigger bog and started bucking, and then all of a sudden it started squeaking like a rod bearing was dry. So we pulled over thinking it was the engine, but after close examination we could find no evidence anything was wrong with the engine and started off down the road again to see if it would do it again and it sure did not a quarter mile down the road, except this time it locked up so bad before we could pull over, it pulled us all the way into the LH shoulder and my dad and to fight it over to the correct shoulder.
Lucky we were only about a mile from my brother and he came and got us and took us to my dads work where we borrowed the Mack Rollback and loaded it up and hauled it home.
Oh GOODY! Im looking forward to tomorrow!

 

[Exekiel69]

If it got so hot I would think it didn't have any or sufficient oil in it, specially after 1 year of using it with no problems so it could be the seals didn't sit well?

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Yea, thats the same thing I was thinking but there's no sign of oil leaking, and I know I filled it full. lol

We'll find out what happened tomorrow I guess.

 

[Ironman03R]

I've seen this before and it usually happens because of lack of lube in the hub. I remember my little bros chevy that did that, I told him to make sure the hubs had oil after the brake job he did. He didnt think it was nessesary, so in a few weeks he was replacing the bearings cause it locked up.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I really dont know what would have caused them not to get oil though. I've done dozens of these 10.25 sterlings and this one was no different aside from some grit inside the pumpkin that I had to clean out. I filled the oil up properly and put everything back together.

 

[sassyrel]

this is what i do--i oil the bearings in a can of 90w--then put them in. fill the punk'in full of oil--jack one side of axle up high---wait 10 minutes---then set down, and jack the other side of axle high--10 minutes---then let down--wait another 10 minutes--and recheck oil level--soem put gun grease in bearing--uh huh--oil wont pass thru the bearing easy--and could seize bearing again--

 

[sle2115]

I do them the way an old Ford tech manager told me too. I pack them with wheel bearing grease! Never had a problem.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Sterling 10.25's have greaseless bearings. You're asking for trouble doing that.
I never got around to pulling the axle apart today, had to much other **** going wrong.

 

[subway]

forgive my ignorance but grease should be fine, it would just dissolve in the gear oil eventually but either way it would be lubed.......thats how i have done axle bearings and have been fine.

glad you came out alright though, it can be scary with a locked up rear.

 

[riotwarrior]

I do them the way an old Ford tech manager told me too. I pack them with wheel bearing grease! Never had a problem.

I agree with this method of doing a service to a full floating diff.

Sterling 10.25's have greaseless bearings. You're asking for trouble doing that.

Actually all grease is is thickened gear oil or EP lubricant. Eventually the gear oil will work it's way into the grease and begin to lube the bearings like it should. This method is an accepted , trusted and commonly used method to service wheel bearings and I have never heard of a problem from doing so what so ever. Bearings do not know what lube or care what lube is used, it only needs lube and I suspect that had this been done if it turns out to be a lack of oil..you would have been safer with the greased bearings.

forgive my ignorance but grease should be fine, it would just dissolve in the gear oil eventually but either way it would be lubed.......thats how i have done axle bearings and have been fine.
.

Again....this is a suitable method as the grease dissolves over time as you have suggested with no harm done.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Okay, well I have the cheap black crap, and some nice synthetic blue stuff that I cant remember the name of but its GOOD stuff. So which should I use?

All I know is I've done them this way for years and have never had a problem with it.

 

[riotwarrior]

I would ensure its an EP or Extreme Pressure rated grease and personally I use Amsoil grease whenever possible. Otherwise I look for a quality synthetic, I just pack the bearings, wipe the races in the hub.

Unlike regular non oil lubed bearings say Fronts, I DO NOT pack the area in the middle of the hub with grease like you would normally do. I try to get a few table spoons of fresh gear oil in there just moments before I install the hub onto the stub shaft. The grease in the bearing should help hold some oil in the hubs reservoir area. Then install tighten to correct torque and install axles.

Finally fill the diff with quality EP gear oil, Again I try to use Amsoil for my personal stuff. Then I usually drive up on a good side hill one way...park and wait a few minutes...then the same the other way....then home level parked and check fluid level one final time.....

This is just my personal way it does not mean it needs to be yours, I have never had a wheel bearing failure while doing it this way (Knock on wood)!

I suspect it comes from my father who was a trucker years back and taught me to do it this way. The bearings need to be packed properly but not smothered ridiculously, just enough to pack and then install, when the bearings get warm the grease thins out and then the warm gear oil will permeate it and flow through to lube bearings .....

JM2CW

 

[sle2115]

Sterling 10.25's have greaseless bearings. You're asking for trouble doing that.
I never got around to pulling the axle apart today, had to much other **** going wrong.

Well, you might think so, but it works. I've got probably 100,000 miles on bearings doing this. He did them for a living and I think he would know best. This is an ongoing argument, but I have done it, it works - can't say that for the dry method, can you?

 

[sle2115]

I would ensure its an EP or Extreme Pressure rated grease and personally I use Amsoil grease whenever possible.

Me too and synthetic gear oil, never a problem!

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

it works - can't say that for the dry method, can you?

Haha, true dat!
I use Kendall Super Blue grease for all my bearings and that stuff is da ****! So I guess I'll pack the back ones with it too from now on.