rear wheel bearing grease.

[chas1930]

very new to the Model ! vehicles. Inherited from my 95 year old father. 3 yrs ago I did manage to start and drive by myself. So I am learning very slow.
OK, my question is... rear wheel bearing were installed 4 years ago on the restore process. Now 2,500 miles later I would like to know how to lube them. I think they are sealed but not sure. I see two fittings on the backing plate. Original style. Tried to pump grease, I even used the adapter for grease gun. Only to have grease squirt out around the fitting. So, I used a needle adapter inserted in the original fitting and slowly pumped some grease into the fitting. The needle adapter went in about 1.5 inches. Was this wrong? Do I even need to grease if they are sealed bearings? Any help would be great.

[Bill G]

Welcome to the forum. The fittings on the backing plate should take grease, but maybe you have old hardened grease in there. They aren't sealed, so they do need grease.

[WMWS]

The only grease fitting on the backing plate is up on the brake leaver bushing. It does need grease. The other grease fitting is on the end of the axle and it is supposed to grease the bearing but they usually don't work very well. The best way to grease the wheel bearing is to pull the hub and grease it by hand. Then you can check the brakes etc. at the same time. But if it has only been 2500 miles since it was last done you are probably ok for awhile.

[Mitch]

Welcome chas to the VFF! How about a few pics of dads jewel. Regarding your question, those rear fittings were not one of Henry's brightest ideas. imo. Pumping grease into those fittings is a blind operation at best. Much of it gets pumped into the axle housing without even knowing it. Get yourself a rear drum hub puller, then clean & repack those bearings by hand. You'll need to get new hub seals and I recommend a seal driver designed for the job. You should be good as mentioned with 2500 miles on it, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I would redo it so you know what you have. When these things come apart back there you can end up with a real mess / meltdown. Since you mentioned that they may not be taking grease that should be a red flag on how well they were done 2500 miles ago.
Here are a couple threads I dug up for you to review

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/for...wheel-bearings

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/for...-hub-seal-info

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/forum/model-a/technical-reference/35173-rear-axle-key-orientation-and-rear-hub-seal-bearing-info

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/for...846#post169846

Don't end up like this

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/for...2086#post12086

[Greynomad]

Don't end up like this

https://www.vintagefordforum.com/for...2086#post12086

EEEWWEE! How could anybody do that? It's a wonder he didn't start a fire - those rollers are blue. A very nice looking car but this just shows that there is more to these cars than a pretty coat of paint.

[Mitch]

How timely. This newsletter tech tip just came over the wire

D904A58A-0E84-4282-9F76-3D51A8D21364.jpeg

[Terry, NJ]

Chas 1930, Thanks for posting this question! I've wondered about this for a while. Next question, This looks like a perfect application for John Deere Cornhead grease. It's thixotropic. Please tell me what you think. If any one was thinking about what the pinion bearing was like in my rear end, this is almost it, except there's more "burning" in these axles. Less heat in my differential. I will take a hint and grease the axles very soon.
Terry

[Greynomad]

I use 2 grease guns. One with chassis grease in it and the other with wheel bearing grease for the rear wheel bearings. When I go on a long tour, I make sure the wheel bearing gun is well charged so I can use grease from it if I have trouble with the front bearings - which I haven't yet.

[Kevin in NJ]

As a general rule when you get a car that is new to you it is wise to take the wheels off and inspect. You just do not know what might be in there. Often in care restoration used parts are used that maybe should not have.

Brakes are important to have properly functioning and you can inspect the shoes for wear patterns. You should have full contact with the drum. You also need to measure the drums to make sure they are not just wore out- really bad for braking.

Then there are the bearings. You need to check the surfaces on the spindles and rear axle for roundness. Both the front inner and rear can have wear on the bottom of where the bearings go. Of course you need to make sure the bearings are properly greased and are not trying to go bad. Inspect the surface for flakes of metal. If the real bearings have the spiral type then they are the original Ford. If the surface looks good and measures properly (you do have a micrometer?) then do not be afraid to reuse it.

It would be wise to take pictures of the areas and take measurements and post them here. From there you can make decisions as to what to do next.

[chas1930]

O K, thanx guys. I did not explain with perfection. When I used the adaptor needle on the grease gun I can reach in about 1.5 inches. The restore operation included new bearings and seals. So that said, if I cab reach in with the needle fitting and pump in very slow will the grease reach where it needs to be? When I use the grease gun fitting for original fittings is my problem. I think maybe remove hose from grease gun so as to put more pressure on fitting and avoid grease leaking out. Am I making any sense??????

[chas1930]

O K Before and after pix

[Mitch]

O K, thanx guys. I did not explain with perfection. When I used the adaptor needle on the grease gun I can reach in about 1.5 inches. The restore operation included new bearings and seals. So that said, if I cab reach in with the needle fitting and pump in very slow will the grease reach where it needs to be? When I use the grease gun fitting for original fittings is my problem. I think maybe remove hose from grease gun so as to put more pressure on fitting and avoid grease leaking out. Am I making any sense??????

The bottom line on the feedback above is to bag those fittings, and repack the bearings by hand

Thanks for the pics, nice lookin Tk, and I thank your dad for his service