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Doing some work on my 70 W200 Dana 60. Pulled the axles and there is gear oil in the wheel bearings. I dont see any seal that would keep the gear oil out.
My question is, is this the normal way to lube the bearings or is there supposed to be some seal?

Thanks all sb

Its the normal way, but you can pack them with grease if you want. It will eventually dissolve in the oil.

sweatybetty wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:00 pm

Doing some work on my 70 W200 Dana 60. Pulled the axles and there is gear oil in the wheel bearings. I dont see any seal that would keep the gear oil out.
My question is, is this the normal way to lube the bearings or is there supposed to be some seal?

The bearings should be packed in grease and then it will dissolve in axle oil. You should put grease on the seal as well. If you have time, it is a good idea to put a radius on the seal journal and polish it so that the seal is not damaged when the hub goes on .

I purchased a used step van for our business years ago. The biggest issues with it was the company who had performed the "maintenance". When I pulled the rear drums of the Dana 70, the seals were sitting on the hub. The brake shoes were covered with axle lubricant. They had ran the differential dry and the spider gears had froze to their shaft. In turn,the shaft broke the keeper bolt off when it began to turn. The turning shaft oblonged the holes in the carrier. I was able to salvage the housing, the axle shafts, and the ring/pinion---nothing else.

I've never been able to set the seals in the drum with a hammer & punch. I found a clutch drum, from an automatic transmission, that fit over the seals. Using that, I would press them into the drums, with a hydraulic press.

The moral of the sotry is to be sure you have those seals fully seated.

Thanks all!