Patrol 4x4 - Nissan Patrol Forum banner

leaking swivel hub

10K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  Dirty Dub 
#1 ·
While under the old girl applying grease to the grease nipples, I noticed that ther is oil leaking from the driver side swivel hub. I degreased the area and after about 50kls there is the faintest amount of oil there again.

I have done a search on here and have come to the conclusion that it is going to be a pretty pricey fix. So what I am wondering is it ok to just keep an eye on it and how quickly does it generaly take to get worse.

Or should I get it repaired as soon as I can.

Cheers Chris.
 
#2 ·
yeah they weep a bit but should be OK, it shows that the inner axel seal is fubar, if you take it to a mechanic they charge $$$$ as its a pain in the backside since there is so much cleaning involved, not that hard to do yourself but dirty work hence the $$$ lol

ash
 
#3 ·
The diff oil leaking from the inner axle seal also mixes with the CV grease and turns it to syrup. The whole hub and axle has to come out to replace the seal.
Apart from normal wear and tear other reasons they leak is because of a banana'd diff, uneven king pin shims, or wear on the axle shaft itself where it contacts the seal.
 
#6 ·
If you dont want to spend $160 on a swivel hub kit from don kyatt (cheapest and most trustworthy ive found), you can remove the disc, backing plate and axle shaft, replace the seal, clean and repack the hub and CV with fresh moly grease.
*don't use wheel bearing grease,it isn't the correct temperature rating for the application,ive seen it melt on mining vehicles*
If youre not sure on the kingpin / knuckle bearings, remove the draglinks from the swivel hub and move the swivel side to side to check for movement or notchy bearings.If you were in adelaide, could offer to do them as I do a lot of swivel hub overhauls, suspensions and brake jobs after hours.
 
#5 ·
and if you do deside to repair it, it abit of a messy job but providing everything else is in good nick the seal is only about $3 from a seal shop the size of the seal is written on it so just take it in and they will most robly have them on the shelf.
 
#7 ·
not a fun job, done mine twice. Hence I'm looking for a new diff housing.
I wouldn't worry about a bit of a weep though. If you have grease dirt and oil encrusted inside the wheel I'd definitely have a look at it.
If you decide to overhaul both sides do one at a time, then you have something to copy.
It can be done in the driveway with axle stands and a LOT of rags and degreaser. But it's much easier to do it on a hoist.

If you only use 4wd to get out of the odd boggy patch I'd leave it until it's worse, but if you use 4wd for any reasonable period of time you should look at it. Diff oil has a very distinctive smell so smell the goop oozing from your hub.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the replies everyone, ill keep an eye on it and if it gets increasingly worse ill take it somewhere to get it done.

I think ill get all the seals and the front wheel bearings done at once, seems everything will have to come out to get at the leaking seal anyway and for piece of mind.

I notice there are som e kits on e bay for around $240 which include all the seals and the bearings needed. Does anyone have any experiance with these. What to stay away from ect.

Cheers Chris.
 
#12 ·
Don Kyatt kits are pretty good and reasonable price.
When you're spending that much on labour (it takes most of a day) don't cheap out on parts.
You may need to wait for kingpin shims, sometimes people take them out as the bearings wear, then when you fit new bearings you need to order new shims.

Dunno why people think nissan parts are expensive. some are, most arent.
 
#13 ·
Don Kyatt kits are pretty good and reasonable price.
When you're spending that much on labour (it takes most of a day) don't cheap out on parts.
You may need to wait for kingpin shims, sometimes people take them out as the bearings wear, then when you fit new bearings you need to order new shims.

Dunno why people think nissan parts are expensive. some are, most arent.
Hey MikeH, I couldnt agree more with you about cheaping out on parts.

From some posts on here I reckon I am going to be looking at just under grand for parts and labour, mostly labour. So it def pays to get good gear that will last.

Cheers Chris.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top