Okay, ALL jokes aside…
I have been rebuilding my 120DHC’s Differential (and everything that could go wrong, HAS gone wrong!!)… Here is the current earth-stopping issue: The Inner Axle Oil Seals that go inside the Axle Tubes… In reading the XK120/MKVII Factory Service Manuel, in the “Rear Axle E.N.V.” Section, states, on page HI.27, under the sub-heading of “Refit Axle Shafts”, and I quote: “Fit a new oil seal into the housing at either end of the axle casing, lip of the Oil Seal facing axle center”… Makes sense… Except I don’t have the E.N.V. Rear Axle… I have the Salisbury Rear Axle and there is NOTHING in the XK120/MKVII Service Manual about “how” or “which way” the inner oil seal should face… Quick note, I’m using the original style “Leather” seals… At first blush, I can tell you, I am NOT impressed with the “From The UK” versions of these Leather Seals… The leather “lip” on my (possibly) Sixty-Seven year-old seals is longer, at a minimum,longer! The "modern remakes are just plain, too damn short!! It barely covers the spring whose sole purpose is to press the leather against the Axle Shaft!! I compared ALL the sets of my UK Bought Leather Seals against their older counter parts, and ALL the “new” seals are short, by a sixteenth inch, on leather (for the price these vendors charge for these seals, they SHOULD include a couple of Prime Porterhouse Steaks with EACH seal!!)
That said, I do have ONE Set of the Inner Axle Seals (metal clad on both sides) where the leather sealing area IS as long as my old (original?) seals… so I NEED to make sure I install these correctly!!
As referenced above, the E.N.V. is suppose to be installed with the “lip of the Oil Seal facing axle center”… Given the Salisbury Axle has, via a double set of seals (inner and outer) an area between the Hypoid Gear Oil AND the periodically applied “Wheel Bearing Grease” towards the outside (hub side) would it not make sense that the Salisbury’s Inner Oil Seal should, like the E.N.V., be facing towards a specific direction to prevent the Hypoid from mixing with the wheel bearing grease?? If THAT be the case, WHAT would that direction be??
What is the general consensus amongst the wisened and learn’ed “Grey Haired
XK-perts” out there???
Charles Ch #677556
Lip pointing to the inboard. You push the axle through it in the “easy” direction.
Rob R;
Well… That was too easy… I guess I’ve been “over-thinking” everything,
on this differential, from the start… so much so that I’m overlooking the “easy stuff”…
Thanks for the quick reply, Rob… I’d-a been “hung-up” on the seal direction
for weeks? months? had you not replied… This “gittin’ old” is starting to Suck!!
Thanks, Again… Rob.
Charles Ch# 677556
Before installing the seals, I set the end float on my 4HA to limit any damage to the seals that might occur while installing and removing the axle shafts several times as the end float is checked/adjusted. Also, I destroyed 2 seals just trying to install them into the axle tube…they were a VERY tight fit. However, the seals I used had a rather grippy, rubber coating on their OD.
Lee; I used the “Leather Seals”… I like the “more surface area” of the leather “sealing” patch… The Axle Shafts slid right in with no difficulties! As to the float… I “tapped-in” the bearing race Verrrrrry gently as I inserted my axles… Just about the time I was to START checking the end float (I got the left/drivers axle “adjusted”), the right/pax axle shaft would NOT move the 0.006" in/out, okay, I’ll pull the axles and see what’s going on… CANNOT get the axles out… at least not by using the “reversed brake drum as a slide hammer” method… So, I designed and started building my own axle puller… ordered the various components I’d need to build the unit… THEN I needed to get a 1" x 14TPI Tap to “chase the threads” on the “adapter” I made to screw onto the axle shaft and the “pulling” shaft… A week later I now need (and have ordered) a 1" x 14TPI Die to chase the threads on the pulling shaft… It should arrive by no later than Jan 8th… meanwhile, I’m cooling my jets doing not much!!
Charles Ch #677556.
I was able to push the axles out by using threaded rod thru the axle flange bolt holes, then coupling nuts bearing on either the thick retainer plate, or the installed wheel hub, or both. Sounds like you wouldn’t be able get the hub secured to the axle taper due to buggered axle nut threads?
But, while the axles are still in their housing, you CAN possibly take some measurements of the gaps between the retaining plates and the axle flanges? These measurement may give you an idea of how thick the shim packs need to be on each end of the axle housing to achieve proper end float…
Lee;
No, No, No!! I did NOT bugger the threads on my axle shafts… Fortunately, axles, threads, etc. are pristine.
The threads that ARE a bit messed-up are on the Axle Puller that I am building. That said, I could probably “force” my “home-built” nut (three store-bought 1" x 14TPI Hex Nuts welded together) onto the threads of the home-built puller (via a 1/2" Drive CP734 Impact I bought used circa 1968) without any issues, but… why chance it??.. Anywho, I figured since I have the tap to chase the threads on the home-built “extended nut” I built (that WILL go ON the XK’s axles!!), I better get the Die to “chase” the threaded “pulling shaft”, which is the same thread size (1" x 14TPI) as the axle ends, nuts. etc. just-in-case. I’ll note that the “Pulling shaft’s” threads are 99% perfect, I did “ding” the end of the shaft, so it needed to be “chased” (cleaned it up with a small triangular file) and when I cut the threaded rod, I’ll want to “clean-up” (aka “chase”) those threads, as well.
Basically it’s “CYA” work, but why chance it…
Charles Ch #677556.
I saw later that you were talking about the tool you are fabricating, not the axle shaft threads…I shoulda edited that part…oops.
However, the threaded rod tool I made can be constructed from your local hardware store supplies so it might save you some time not having to wait for the parts you ordered.
Once you DO get the axles removed, you should gather up all of the original factory shims, stack them, then measure their combined thickness. Divide them into equally thick stacks(packs), then install each pack between the axle flange and the (thick) retainer plate(which bears on the bearing cup). IF you are living right (and that is NOT an accusation), you may end up with the proper end float…6 to 8 thou…MAYBE.
Lee;
Yeah, my “axle puller” is 90% hardware store stuff… I did have to go to a specialty house for the three foot threaded rod and the 1" x 14TPI nuts (five in all) that I welded three together to make a “serious” coupler to fit between the 120’s axle shafts (threaded ends) and the “business end” of the thread puller.
On the construction of my Axle Puller, I did get a bit? anal-retentive about it’s construction… I wanted it to be strong and, in the end, a pretty nice looking tool… I’m sure it will probably get loaned-out to other XK-Owners… I would have no problems with that.
Once my puller is finished, I have no doubt that I WILL pull my own axles several times before I “sort-out” the “binding” issue… But, I’ll get there… one way or another ;-}
Charles.