Wheel Bearing Repack

Just pack the grease into the bearing by hand Michael and replace all seals - rain in the Kimberley should not cause bearing failure!

Any auto parts store should sell them

I do them with my hands because I find I get just as much grease on them either way I do it.......... ok and I'm a tight arse and wont buy one lol

Cheers Luke

Vigorous working in with the hands is the way to go

Snap-on Tools

The Snap-On Grease Injection Needle

There is one listed on -bay item number 290150444457
I do mine by hand and I think it's quicker.

Reiner

Toyota recommend 20,000 km. Some prefer 40,000 km as that is normally sufficient. I do 20,000 km as I can afford it.

I've had the brown sludge problem in the rears of my LC105. Probably water crossings. I now use Castrol APXT grease (the blue stuff, water resistant) and pack it in by hand. I put plenty in the hubs, not much air space left when I'm done and I haven't had any ill effects. Some would say this means more drag = worse economy but I reckon there are plenty of losses elsewhere and more grease = less water can get in.

Also, always new hub seals, and I run a generous amount of marine grease (sticky dark green Shell stuff) on the hub seals and on the surfaces of the stub axles where they run.

Also, if there's signficant wear on the stub axle sealing surface, fit Speedi-Sleeves. Casper

I like to pack mine by hand for a number of reasons.

I know I get them well packed.

It takes a while but I find that when my hands are covered in grease that I get a fair amount of peace from the mum and kids.

I like the idea of latex gloves but I do it with bear hands because I can feel if there is any grit in the grease. A good supply of rags is essential. I keep the greasy rags out of the dirt and use them for wiping thigs over before putting it all back together. The grease will help lift dirt off the parts prior to reassembly.

Duncs

Michael

The best tool for packing grease into a bearing is a small zip top plastic bag. Put the bearing and half a handful of wheel bearing grease in, then squish and squash it around till all the grease has gone into the bearing. Put more in till no more will go into the bearing, but don't stick and "spare' into the hub - it does not good and can build up pressures.

Certainly replace the seals (as stated above), and make sure you tap off the outers and replace them too when you replace the bearings. Before you put any on, make sure the axle is nice and smooth - rub with a very fine wet and dry paper to get rid of any "dags" as they can cause the seal to fail.

If nothing goes wrong, the distance / time between repacks in the owner's manual should be ok, but the inspections in between are essential to pick up problems - as you just found out.

Hope that helps
Max

Thanks to everyone that replied. From the feedback I think I will stick to repacking manually.