[Healeys] Rear axle oil seals

[Bob Spidell]

Working from memory here (I've pulled these a couple times):

<snip>

1.  Does this indicate that the oil seal has failed, as I'm assuming?  Or is 
it possible that the joint washer between hub and the driving flange just 
needs replacing?

Like Bill said, you've probably damaged the paper gasket and/or O-ring.


2.  From reading the shop manual, it looks like I will need to pull the hub 
and bearing to get to the oil seal.  I can see I'll need to rent a puller 
for this.  Any tips/suggestions on this process?  It's also a bit of a 
mystery to me how the bearings stay lubricated, with the oil seal inboad of 
them.

The bearing is an interference fit to the axle and to the inner part of the 
hub.  You can actually--carefully--knock the hub and bearing off from the 
backside after removing the large, eight-sided nut and lock plate.  Be 
careful--bearings are expensive and you should be able to re-use yours 
(check for fretting or heat stains).  If not, you'll need a press to remove
and replace the bearing.

Doubt the seal is your problem, but replace on principal when you put it 
all back together.


3.  The manual's directions for refitting of the oil seal, bearing and hub 
are not terribly detailed, and I don't get how to actually measure that the 
bearing spacer is protruding .001-.004 inch beyond the outer face of the hub 
and paper washer.  Can you check this with a feeler gauge?  What about the 
tubular drift to drive the hub back on?

When you replace the hub--I bought a properly sized heavy steel tube from a 
metal supply to use as a drift against the inner bearing race--the bearing 
should bottom out with just a bit of the axle shaft standing proud from the
spacer (enough to just catch your fingernail).  It just needs to protrude enough 
to give a little clearance for the paper gasket to fit, but not be loose.


4.  The Moss catelogue shows an O-ring and an oil seal, while the service 
manual shows only the seal. ???

Use new O-rings and paper gaskets (there is a groove for the O-ring). Some 
people use RTV or similar instead of the paper gasket.  I like to coat paper 
gaskets with a thin coat of Permatex Aviaton Form-A-Gasket.


5.  Finally, after studying the exploded views of both the shop manual and 
the Moss catalog, and evidencing my lack of experience with tearing apart 
an axle, I'm having trouble visualizing how the hub is actually mounted.  If 
you can pull the axle shaft out without removing the hub, what does the hub 
locknut thread onto?  It seems like it would have to mounted to axle 
somehow.

The large, eight-sided locknut screws to the end of the axle housing--which
is threaded--and holds the inner bearing race.  It's locked with a locking 
tab washer.  The hub is an interference fit to the bearing--hence the seal 
on the backside--and the whole thing is held together with the wheel hub 
mounting studs.  This is known--I believe--as a "three-quarter floating" 
axle and is a good design because if the axle shaft breaks the hub still 
holds the wheel on.



bs

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Bob Spidell         San Jose, CA        bspidell at comcast.net
'67 Austin-Healey 3000             '56 Austin-Healey 100M
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