Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Hi everybody, my name is Kyle and I got my Model A a couple years ago. Right now I am working on wrapping up my biggest project with the car, and that is rebuilding the transmission, rear end, and rear brakes. I have been sitting in the back of "Ford Barn" class for a couple years now and going to the "Ford Barn Library" all the time to learn a mountain of information....thank you, thank you all.
Well, it is time to ask the "Professors" a question because I have exhausted all my resources. I am now getting ready to reinstall the rear end and rear brakes if it ever warms up enough to go outside, (no garage yet in Michigan). My questions is, after cleaning the rear wheel bearings I cannot figure out how to grease them so that I get grease between the "rollers" and the "pins" that hold the assembly together. It is easy to get grease around the rollers but not inside them. Am I over thinking this, will the grease flow in there while driving? I just do not see how to force the grease in there with out some type of pressure.
Again thanks in advance for any help, and all the wealth of information I have learned on this great forum.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody,
Kyle Robertson
Holt, Michigan

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Hi Kyle,

Good question, and a very important matter to address when installing rear bearings, as inadequate lube there can cause the rear axle to break. We just had a club seminar on this. It was suggested that the best way is to hand pack them with as much axle grease as you can force in and around the rollers with your fingers. Make sure you use axle grease. The more the better. The grease fitting on the underside of the axle housing will not do the job.

Welcome to the Barn.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Hello Kyle,

Ray has some good points. Maybe another suggestion is to make sure you have a good grease seal with the clip put in on both wheels. Also make sure your key in each axle is good. You may want to think about buying a new set, Bert's in Denver have one for only $4.50 along with the new seals for $4.00 each. Also be sure you tighten the axel nuts well, I think Andrews suggest 125 lbs. Just my $.02 worth.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

I use Mystik JT-6 High Temp grease and push it into the rollers with my finger. When I see the grease coming out by the next roller I move over one and keep pressing in more grease, etc. until I make the full round. This is for an installed in the hub rear bearing. If the bearing is out then I use the typical old mechanics method of cupping the bearing into a lump of grease in my left hand until it squishes out the rollers, then keep rotating until it makes the full round. Then I add to the rollers to make a smooth covering. I also smear grease in the hub so there are no bare spots to rust.

Be sure the rear wheel bearing seal isn't too large, as some were in recent years. I had one deform as I pressed it into position, so I had to buy another one and sand down the OD. I think that problem may have been corrected by now, but I haven't done a seal in some time. Don't drive the seal in too far! Just drive it in far enough to get the snap ring in place.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

I use Lucas wheel bearing grease as it seems to me to be the thickest most sticky new grease I can find. I take a palm full and pack and work it into all parts of the bearing and then fill it level with the rollers. This is a messy job but the only way I know to get it done, and done well.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

[QUOTE=fordified;774268]Hi everybody, my name is Kyle and I got my Model A a couple years ago. Right now I am working on wrapping up my biggest project with the car, and that is rebuilding the transmission, rear end, and rear brakes. I have been sitting in the back of "Ford Barn" class for a couple years now and going to the "Ford Barn Library" all the time to learn a mountain of information....thank you, thank you all.
Well, it is time to ask the "Professors" a question because I have exhausted all my resources. I am now getting ready to reinstall the rear end and rear brakes if it ever warms up enough to go outside, (no garage yet in Michigan). My questions is, after cleaning the rear wheel bearings I cannot figure out how to grease them so that I get grease between the "rollers" and the "pins" that hold the assembly together. It is easy to get grease around the rollers but not inside them. Am I over thinking this, will the grease flow in there while driving? I just do not see how to force the grease in there with out some type of pressure.
Again thanks in advance for any help, and all the wealth of information I have learned on this great forum.



I'd never thought about that. I don't think there is really much force on the pins but you
could set the bearings in a can of oil for a little while and then pack the bearing with grease.

Bob

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

You can also put them in a plastic bag with grease and force the grease into the bearing. Less mess

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

if you don't know how to pack a bearing by hand you can buy a bearing packer for about $15.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

For the rear axel bearings?

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Hi fellas I'm back from a great Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's home.
I appreciate all the comments. I also thought about soaking the bearings first in 600W oil, but like Bill said it would change the viscosity of my Mystic JT6 grease. I don't have any trouble packing a "cone" bearing by hand or using a "packer" designed for those, but I tried forcing grease through the tiny crack where the rollers spin on the "pins" but just could not seem to get any grease inside them after I cleaned all the old grease out of the bearings with gasoline.
I almost wish I would have just packed some new grease around the roller bearings and left them alone.
Thanks again,
Kyle

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

This just made me think of a novel way (maybe) to pack the bearing...If you have one of those food vacuum savers why couldn't you fill a bearing up with as much grease as possible, carefully place in a vacuum bag and vacuum all the air out to pull all the grease into the nooks and grannies..... Worst case is you have some messy fun till the wife catches you.....

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Yes....removed first though.

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

I seem to have good results with modern Moly lube axle bearing grease. I like Moly greases. The stuff only needs replacement every ten years or so, with a modern daily driver. It's probably good for a life time in a mod A that's only driven once a week or so.
We had a bearing packer at the airport when I was working on planes. I can't recall how the thing worked, just that it pushed the grease into the bearing quite nicely and you didn't have the big clean up that you have when you do it by hand.
Terry

Re: Packing rear wheel bearings
 

Thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions. Maybe I should try and clarify my original question about packing these specific bearings. The 14 "rollers" are hollow with a pin running through them that holds the assembly together. It is very simple to pack grease around the rollers but I am trying to get grease to the "inside" where the pin runs through. Bob C made a good point and suggested that the pins probably don't get much force on them anyway.
Again thanks for trying to help. I will probably just get as much grease as possible around the rollers and install them with the new seal. I'll drive the car a few hundred miles, then pull the hubs and pack some more grease in there and call it good enough. Hopefully the grease will be forced in around the pins before they get too hot.
Kyle