front axle ball joints
hi!
could anyone advise me if the ball joints on the front axle can be changed.a mechanic said that they are rusty and is no point in fitting new seals after i changed the cv joints because rust will destroy them. he said that i have to change the whole axle as the ball joints can`t be replaced. also where i can source best u joints for the front propt shaft.
thank you .andro
This is really surprising. The ball joints are something that I would expect to hardly rust since the grease in the hubs would normally very slightly leak (if the seals are in tip-top condition) or greatly leak (if they aren't).
How rusty are they? OK, in the worst case scenario, you can get a serviceable axle in this country for £100, specially if the only bit that you're interested is the casing.
Speak to Howard Green (parts officer). I'm sure he must know of a good'un
Cheers
Unless they are realy pitted I would suggest polish them up top up with fresh grease and see how much escapes after a few miles. My understanding is that some grease should seep out. You will only get in to trouble if loads gets expelled on to the front discs/brake pads. If not just keep topping up with fresh grease.
I am currently refurbishing an axle and the "ball joints" are a dull chrome finish,rust would be obvious against this,but the original axle on my 300gd has a dark finish on the balls that I thought was rust/dirt at first.After trying to clean this off for a while I copped on that not all balls are equally shiny
bob
I am currently refurbishing an axle and the "ball joints" are a dull chrome finish,rust would be obvious against this,but the original axle on my 300gd has a dark finish on the balls that I thought was rust/dirt at first.After trying to clean this off for a while I copped on that not all balls are equally shiny
bob
Chrome ball joints were an option in mid to late 460 G-Wagens and standard equipment (I believe) in 463 GWagens
OK guys lets give them the correct description for a start. SWIVEL HOUSING. at the top and bottom of the housings are the swivel bearings if the outer case is rusted, chromed or not, than suspect that all may not be well with your swivel bearings, because these are sealed for life bearings there is only one way to inspect them and that is take them out. The housing also doubles as a protective case for the cv joint(sealed for life) and a mount for the outer hub inc stub axle and bearings, quite an important piece of kit.
Now the wheel bearings are packed in grease and sealed. the swivel bearings are packed and sealed and the cv joint is packed and sealed, so why must the hub be filled with."not grease" but black cv joint oil. because grease is water retentive and the oil isnt.
the oil is there to lubricate the anti lash bearing that is inside the axle casing. the drive shaft passes through this and a seal on its way to the diff, it prevents the shaft flexing or lashing under torque, also if the cv joint breaks out of its sealed bag it has lubricant.
If you fill your hub with grease it will throw out to the casing wall and stay there, the oil runs back down and lubricates.
The swivel bearings can be adjusted with shims. so if your steering gets sloppy or notchy here is the first place to look.
When I strip my hubs for inspection I always drill them and fit a right angle grease nipple, so that every now and then I can pump in fresh lubricant and push the old incl water out.
Thanks for listening
Bill Moss
Bill,
Very interesting.
I guess you forgot to mention that the Swivel Housing should be partially filled with general purpose grease to keep the ball surfaces (aformentioned "ball joints") lubricated.
Forgive the questions, but I am not sure I understand...
Are you saying that the hub should be filled with grease or oil?
What exactly are you lubricating by fitting the greasing nipple to the drilled hubs?
Thanks
i too am unsure about what to do with these. I did a service a couple of weeks ago going round all the drive nipples but wasnt sure what to do with the swivel balls chromed on mine... do you just pump in grease.. when do you stop?
Greeney,
That is precisely what Bill was suggesting, that you fit a grease nipple to the nut to check the level of grease and just pump grease until the hub is full. This way you can be sure that any water has been expelled from there.
See related thread:
http://www.gwoa.co.uk/node/#comment-
Cheers,
and just pump grease until the hub is full.
Didn't think it was supposed to be full?
Half full, up to level of filler hole?
Which is correct? (really need to get that manual!!)
Russ
I believe that there's a rubber boot seal over the internal CV joint inside the swivel housing. If too much gease, is pumped in, especially under the pressure of a grease gun, then there is danger of damaging the rubber boot.
Additionally, it's much easier to pump the relatively large amounts of grease in through the larger fill-hole by removing the plug.
I always thought that about half full was sufficient.
Regarding the unclear comments about oil vs grease and the susceptibility of grease to water absorption, then if your expect to use your G in water often, up to your axles, the use of marine-type grease may be preferable.
The rubber boot that surrounds the CV joint is also full of grease (black). I see you point about the pressure build-up while filling the swivel housing with grease, but I don't believe that you would damage the boot. I have run my two G-Wagens with the grease nipples and so far (touch wood) have never experienced any problems. I agree with Bill that the purpose of the grease in the swivel housing is to repel water, so in theory it should work better when full rather than half full.
I agree that "it's much easier to pump the relatively large amounts of grease in through the larger fill-hole by removing the plug" but this is only when you fill from empty. The point is that when I do the greasing of the propshafts, I pump grease inside the hubs a couple of times until I notice resistance.
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Jaffa_JIM_23
- Wrabstar
- GG
- KTMSCANIA22
- 280ge
thank you jesus!you seem to be connected to this site at all times.i think they are rusted because the g was not started for about 1 year.