Re: Why pack hubs full

["Tim Hancock" <timhancock@domain.elided>]

I don't know the answer either!!   But Skoda obviously take it seriously as
one of our Favorits was subject of a recall as it was found that the rear
wheel bearings on a certain production run had insufficient grease in the rear
hubs. Presumably they had a number of premature failures, and as it happens I
did have to change a rear wheel bearing on this car at about 60,000 miles.

I have alway slavishly followed the advice of old manuals that say that you
should place an amount of grease "about the size of a walnut" in the hub. I
always understood that Overpacking a bearing can create conditions of
excessive lubricant pressure and overheat the bearing. I have no personal
evidence of this, but both my grandfathers were engineers....one on commercial
newpaper printing presses, and the other on ocean liners..and they both
counselled against overlubrication...but never told me why as I was only very
young.

All this being said I'm sure many of us we have cleaned old grease out of hub
caps firmly believing it has never ever moved from there. Perhaps it is there
to maintain a lubricant laden atmosphere when the hub gets hot. I dunno..I'm
just speculating, but there must be a reason.

Tim Hancock    Boston UK

164TS
164Super
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