High Temp Bearing Grease in CV's

Firstly I would suggest contacting castrol thru their website? I did this recently with a question about bearing grease and got an answer the next day.

Secondly, while on the website read up on some of the stuff they have about grease. Very interesting and informative.

Most importantly, do not, ever, ever, mix different types of grease.

Cheers,

MUZZ

I don't profess to be an expert on much at all, esp things mechanical, but as I understand it, the CV grease is usually a molybdemum-additive grease, whereas the HTB is a bentonite-based grease. Totally different applications. The moly grease is for extreme pressure, whereas the HTB is for bearings associated with high temperature.
Havind said that, I have seen modern CV greases which appear to have no moly additive; ie, not black $hit.
I personally would be putting the correct stuff in.
Gerry

One could call that bad management eh,
won't that High Temp Bearing) Grease make the CV run HOT , [tongue in cheek]
cough cough

I use Penrite high temp bearing grease, NL GI 2 Lithium Complex Grease.
Its everything you will ever want.
Do the bearings every year, usually before a trip.

It's blue in colour and really sticky stuff.

Just a word of warning !
Make sure you check the old bearings for discolouration and look for tiny slithers of chrome in the old grease. I also put in new seals, front and rear each time I pak them..
Packing bearings is an art in itself, you have to force the grease right into the bearings themselves, not just cover them, or you are wasting your time.
I believe there are bearing packers ( cheap enuf ) that will force the grease into every nook and cranny if the bearings, but I use the old fashioned way, with my hands, but its a bit messy.

Cheers Mate
Bucky

Makes me wonder about this grease thing.On the farm we used to buy what ever grease the hardware store had and grease everything with it, 4wd ,bailers ,bikes, mowers etc and we never had bearing failures.Now when you consider what a dairy farm 4wd goes through you will under stand the extreme conditions it works in.Mixing grease was common, never a drama, one grease for all, never a drama.
Not saying it is right but makes me wonder.

This is the reply I got from an Iveco dealership in Europe a few years ago, when enquiring what oil to use in a leaking rear diff on a truck: ANY oil is better than NO oil so use whatever you can find.

I guess the same applies to grease and a lot of the differences are relatively minor, e.g.
- correct grease: 100% estimated life
- no grease: 0%
- wrong grease: 80-90% ??? just guessing
and then again:
- overloading, overheating, water ingress: ???%

With CV's I would not worry too much, as every time you regrease them some more grease is replaced, so eventually you'll have the right grease in there anyway.

The other consideration is: how does the labour involved in pulling the CV out, cleaning etc compare with the price of a new CV?

In a nutshell, HT grease is designed for High Temp applications, ie wheel bearings, and only works correctly when it heats up.
CV joints should never get that hot, therefore probably won't get sufficient lube with this type of grease.
Should only use a high pressure grease in a CV.

Thanks to all you guys for the info. I am intrigued with the grease saga also. I did email Castrol and here is there reply:
Hi Richard.

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry regarding Landcruiser CV grease.

As Castrol HTB does not have the right additives for CV joints, the
recomendation is to use Castrol LMM or Agri Grease Plus.

Concerns: As either of these 2 greases are NOT compatible with the HTB,
a thorough clean of the CV is strongly recommended.

Premature failure due to excessive wear will be expected using HTB in CV
joints.

If you have any further enquiries please contact the Technical Helpline
on 1300 557 998, Mon - Fri, 8.30am - 5.00pm.

So there you have it, I guess it is another day of cleaning and re-packing the CV, (bugger, Oh What a Feeling) LOL