I had squeaking brakes when hot (after 30+ miles) for a while now. I knew there was some grease that escaped onto the brakes but attributed that to me overfilling with grease.
Surprise!
This is my dish the way I pulled it of. Any ideas as to what is happening and why? I’m not even sure where it’s from - a failed Zerk fitting, maybe - but that can’t explain the pattern. (The Star shape in the center must be from the nuts, which makes it even stranger - or does it?). No unusual noises besides squeaking brakes when braking only. No noticeable play or roughness. Any ideas? Thank all of you for now.
The pattern is random and means simply that the grease is being flung out by centripetal force. If you overfilled the hub, it is coming from the little hole in the center of the hub cap, unless the cap is loose and it could be coming from around the periphery.
Squeaking brakes means you need to smear some molybdenum disulfide (brake anti-squeal goop) on the backs of the pads.
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As Rob implies, David; excessive greasing is the likely cause - grease expands with head, and gets hotter with overfill. Remove excessive grease from the cup…
You need to inspect the disc and pads - contaminated with grease, the brakes will squeak - and changing pads will then be necessary. Also check that the anti-squeak springs are in place…
Good, so I take that you don’t see any dangers either. I did attribute it to overfilling, but that was a year ago and it was cleaner even half a year ago, so I figured I better ask. I’ll keep driving and check if it’s still clean every once in a while.
Hub cap aka wheel cover for Series 1 or 2, in earlier times known as a nave plate.
Better pull off your wheels and take a better look at your brakes and clean your hubs.
So that is probably my mistake, I still don’t know exactly why it isn’t leaking on the other side as well with so much coming out but doesn’t matter much right now. I’ll keep it clean and and eye on it and try bearing grease.
Thanks all,
David
What are the properties of bearing grease? Is it thicker or just mor stable?
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Bearings are rotating at high speed, with high temps and tight tolerances, David - retaining lubrication properties over a variety of temps. Chassis grease is meant for lubrication of slow/intermittent movements - just preventing metal to metal contact…
I recall my after school job in the late forties at a full service station. We charged 2 bucks for a front bearing pack. The grease was much thicker and referred to as log fiber. One could pull out a “string”.
We did it by had, carefully massaging the goop into the bearing. Bare hands. no blue gloves!!!
and the parts and hands washed in gasoline!!!
It was there that I learned not to pack the cavity between the front and rear bearings. And, not to spin a clean bearing that was bereft of grease.
My oily box on my bench has both chassis and bearing grease. The chassis in tubves to load my grease guns.
I have a little device to pack bearings. I don’t use it, still do it the way I did it 50 years ago.
I was taught this same thing in high school auto shop class, the instructor said just to put grease on the bearings themselves. They had a grease packing tool in the shop. Which I did to my 1950 Mark V as a class exercise. Thus a few weeks later the very first failure on the car was a fried and galled front outer bearing, inner race welded to the stub axle, outer race loose in the hub. Thus I had to get a new hub and stub axle. I wonder if this was an outmoded advice which only applied to cars of the 1920s or something. Since then I have always filled the cavity between the inner and outer bearings by injecting through the Zerk fitting, and never seen a hub that wasn’t thus fully packed.
I think that is trhe proverbial exception that proves the rule !
supported by the fact that the hub lubed the same way on the other side o the car did not fail. If the process is flawed each should have seen failure.
Indeed, I did pack the hubs of my 23 Ford T in the bearings only method. It had a neat feature. the inner race on the outer bearing was threaded was the axle. so the bearing was screwed in place, as well as locked by a nut, washer and cotter pin. True enough, no long high speed runs!!!
We did a car for a family that was leaving on a long trip. My boss was interrupted one way or another. he seated as to whether or not he replaced the cotter pins in one or both wheels.
The highway patrol office was across the street.
He confered with them
Word was sent done the line. the family was stopped and directed to a station. the chop checked. All was well. Pins in place. No charge. Professional courtesy. All impressed, and relived…
I should have mentioned that I had only owned the car a couple of weeks at the time, and I only did one side the instructor’s way in class so the whole class could learn what a bearing was. It failed within a month after that. I did not touch the other side.
I figure there is only one reason for putting grease fittings on hubs in the middle between the two bearings.
You all may be interested in this early type grease fitting on my 1938 SS saloon (the brake drum has been removed in this picture). It doesn’t work with modern grease guns, only the pre-war type where you just push against the end. You have to push straight or the grease goes all over.
I recall those pre Zerk, straight shank grease fittings. At the “full service” station" we saw them on older cars and usually swapped them out for Zerks. I think we had a hand “gun” that fit. But, it was easier and faster with the air driven unit.
I think I now see the principle in packing the space between bearings.
If there is a Zerk or similar, it serves. Squirt ion more, force the existing in to the bearings, if not, no so much. Just stays in the cavity and adds nothing… …
Pack the bearings, or pack the hubs? The first is a must. The latter seems to be a question for the ages.
Is that the rationale for filling the hub with grease? To ‘supply’ the bearings? How does is move from the hub cavity to the bearings? (Asking, not arguing)
Over the years I’ve sometimes filled the hub cavity…and sometimes not. I’ve never heard an agreed-upon reason for doing so. I’ve never had a failure either way…but re-packing the bearings is a scheduled service in my book. Not so with some others.
Some service manuals I’ve had over the years have mentioned adding some grease to the cavity…but not filling it.
Some old salts say 'fill 'er up". Others say “all that added grease is superfluous”.
Could it be a throwback from the olden days, before the higher-quality greases we have now?