swivel grease fill?

[rogue_roverus]

Hello,

How often should the grease be changed in the CV joint knuckles? I have a 1998 Discovery I, I pulled the fill plug on the knuckles and there was not grease up to the fill hole, but I was able to get some grey grease out a ways down. Is the knucke supposed to be all the way full of grease? If so, can I just add grease or should I flush it with 90w and then refill? The seals dont seem to be leaking.

Thanks!

Jason

 

[Steve83]

The reason the seals aren't leaking may be that there's not enough grease in there. It won't hurt to top up the grease, but if you're going to pull the hub apart for something else (like rotors or seals), then clean it all out & start fresh.

 

[Scott]

I was just going to post this same ???? How much do you put in? I tried to look at the LR one shot grease for a #Ounce on it but could not find. Do you drain out and fill to the fill hole or half way?

 

[antichrist]

I was just going to post this same ???? How much do you put in? I tried to look at the LR one shot grease for a #Ounce on it but could not find. Do you drain out and fill to the fill hole or half way?

The one shot grease is 10oz I think. If you're using that it doesn't "drain out", it's grease. Well, if you left the drain open for a month it might.
If you're using 90wt gear oil, drain it out and refill to the level of the plug that's on the front of the swivel housing.
Either the grease or 90wt will work. With the 90wt you're more likely to get leakage from the swivel seal and you'll want to check the level more often.
Cheers.

 

[john]

The reason the seals aren't leaking may be that there's not enough grease in there. It won't hurt to top up the grease, but if you're going to pull the hub apart for something else (like rotors or seals), then clean it all out & start fresh.

Steve, if you thinking topping up to the fill plug on the 1998 swivel ball housing "won't hurt", then you're in for a rude awakening.

 

[Ian95rrc]

They don't call it "One Shot Grease" for nothing.

 

[LRWheelman]

Hey John, I am clueless as to how topping off the swivel balls can hurt? My 96D1 never had "One Shot" in it before I got it, but @ the 100,000 mi. maintenance I did a 50/50 mix of 1shot & gear oil, only to have to do it again after leaving Rover in a river overnite. Have had no problems, noise, leaks, etc. Thank You. LRW.

 

[john]

Did you top off to the fill plug or the level plug? Your 96 has both. A 98 has only the fill plug.

 

[LRWheelman]

Thanks John, I get it now! I only topped to the level plug, didn't know the 98 only had fill! Is that due to the factory use of "1 shot"? Have You ever noticed "1 shot" looks & feels & smells & smears just like the CV joint grease that I use in all my other vehicles? Thank You, LRW.

 

[rogue_roverus]

So, on my 98, if it seems a little low, can I add ~1/2 a tube to each knuckle? What is the danger in overfilling?

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Steve83]

...you're in for a rude awakening.

Not really. I don't own a LR and never will. I'll also never have to guess how much lube I'm putting in one - if I'm not sure, and I'm not completely rebuilding it, I drain it (thru the lower bearing), rinse with 1/2 can of carb cleaner, & put a 1-shot in.

But I didn't tell him to OVERfill it. Just out of curiousity, though: what harm do you think it WOULD do to fill oil/grease to the fill plug? Any extra pressure generated by the CV pumping it around won't hit the ball seal directly since the CV is inside the ball. But since air expands more when heated than grease or oil (by a factor of more than 10), the less oil/grease, the MORE pressure you have in the ball. And it's much more likely to vent out around the ABS sensor anyway since that seal is probably original, and leaking accordingly.

But what are your thoughts on it?

 

[PHARAOHDISCO]

LR have a special grease for the swivels. You empty one tube in each swivel and forget about the swivels forever. This grease is never changed unless your swivels are leaking. The LR part no. for the swivel grease is STC3435 and each tube contains about 450 grams.

 

[DiscoJen]

Overfill and ABS sensor

Hey Steve83, I think I overfilled mine last month, and a week or two ago my ANTILOCK light in the dash came on. If the excess oil IS escaping around my sensor do you think that would cause my light to come on? With all the bad weather here, I haven't really had time to do too much diagnosing of this problem, but your post makes sense as to my recent development.

Thanks,
Jen

 

[CRASH05]

I just had my swivels serviced and was told there is no way you can use one tube on each side, if you did you would have grease shooting out everyware.

 

[PHARAOHDISCO]

It is definetely one tube on each side. This is what LR did on my swivels over 9 months ago and it is fine since then.

 

[Sergei]

LR have a special grease for the swivels. You empty one tube in each swivel and forget about the swivels forever. This grease is never changed unless your swivels are leaking. The LR part no. for the swivel grease is STC3435 and each tube contains about 450 grams.

If you driving in humid/watery condition you not forgetting about it for forever. And you dont forget about it for prolonged periods of time if you got axle shafts oil seals removed/leaking b/c oil will slowly wash grease out, so on refill/drain of differential you will take it slowly away.

 

[Lutzgaterr]

Manuals do have some contradictions. Anytime I read language suggesting no-maintenance required, I shudder at the thought of actually not-maintaining it.
Maybe it's just me, but the water, sand, mud we plow through, everything is maintained due to the abuse. You shouldn't play if you can't pay, else you will pay dearly.

 

[Lutzgaterr]

Oh almost forgot...
DiscoJen, hope you are going to attend the Florida Land Rover Club Rally in October.
Go to our site, FloridaLandRoverClub.com

 

[DiscoJen]

Feelin' the luv

Hey Bruce, I just found your clubs website 2 days ago and saw the rally listed. Got me all worked up so I printed my application to join the club and am mailing it out tomorrow. Working out the specifics to make it for the weekend (got to find a sitter for my gazillion dawgs). Thanks for the invite too!

Jen

 

[Steve83]

If the excess oil IS escaping around my sensor do you think that would cause my light to come on?

No, grease should have no effect on an ABS sensor. But the metal filings that were stuck to the insides of the hub & which are now washing around in your fresh grease might... I always disassemble, wash, & refill hubs. Try pulling the sensors & removing any metal filings stuck to the tips.