[Zmagnette] wheel bearing lubrication

[Steven Trovato]

OK, so here's my wheel bearing update.  Everything looks just fine so 
far, except the grease in there now is very liquid.  It's no surprise 
at all that it is making its way onto my wheels.  If I want to do an 
official bearing inspection and service, I better make sure I have 
some new grease seals around.  I'm going to have to use a puller to 
get the hub off, I checked.  I am also going to have to remove the 
inner spacer and oil seal from the stub axle if the manual is to 
believed.  And this is supposed to require some other magic special 
tool.  I'm sure there is a way to do this with readily available 
tools, but I am not in there yet, so I don't know quite what will be 
required.  So, I can either forge ahead, or clean things up a bit and 
put it together as is for now.  I agree with Fletcher about not 
disassembling a known good hub, but I don't think there is any way to 
keep the current nasty thin grease from leaking out without cleaning 
it all out and putting some reasonable modern grease in there.  On 
the other hand, if I just put it together, everything seems 
functional and safe for now.  Decisions, decisions.

-Steve T.

At 03:30 PM 3/1/2014, Fletcher Millmore wrote:
>Doesn't matter who made the bearings- all ball bearings are the same.
>
>Too much grease is evil. It just creates heat - which melts the 
>grease out, and all over the wheels, or brakes if it goes inside.
>
>I pack the bearing, and smear all internal surfaces - including the 
>cap - with grease to prevent rust.
>
>Remember that modern greases are far more stable than the old stuff, 
>and last more or less forever - far longer than you will.
>
>Once you put a hub together correctly, properly greased, it should 
>easily go 24000 miles, and likely 100,000.
>I never take a known good hub apart for inspection - it just wears 
>out the bearing fits, and introduces dirt.
>IF the car is parked under water, or the brakes hang and get really 
>hot, then it makes sense to "inspect and service" the bearings.
>IF the outer bearing looks a bit dry, smoosh some grease into that 
>bearing. The only place that grease went is along the hub taper to 
>the inner bearing.
>
>FRM