old-tank Posted June 26, 2001 Share Posted June 26, 2001 Pulled the drums on my 55 after 5k miles and the wheel bearings (ball bearings) were nearly dry. I used the same grease I use in all my cars and trailers: Valvoline EP NLGI No.2 soap base. Seems that the grease does not stay put and slings out...most of the grease was out of the cage/retainers, bearings and races. The bearings were all good but for how long? Other vehicles with tapered roller bearings have plenty of grease after 50K miles. A few months ago I pulled the drums off a parts car and there was plenty of thick sticky fibrous grease. I drove 55 Buicks when they were just used cars and only serviced the bearings when I did some brake work. Also I DO know how to pack bearings and adjust.<BR>Is there a more suitable grease available? Or do I just repack every few thousand miles?<BR>Thanks in advance...Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAD36 Posted June 27, 2001 Share Posted June 27, 2001 Willie<P>I'm certainly not the most religious bearing packer - I've probably done mine on my '55 every 10K to 25K depending on the mood I'm in and what I feel like getting into at the time. Don't have any experience with the Valvoline product you mentioned; I've been satisfied with Kendall Super Blue, High Temp EP type L 427. I find it sticks well to both needle and ball bearings. I use it on all my vehicles and trailers for bearing and chassis service.<P>Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldtimer Posted June 27, 2001 Share Posted June 27, 2001 ball type bearing don't hold grease at all. my '60 camino had them and i was repacking about every 7k to 8k miles, so i switched to needle bearings (used a hub from a '68). trying to covert my '50 super, but thats a while down the road. you could try to use a thicker base grease or even that peanut butter drum brake grease (worst case). i would use a little thicker grease and still check them more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scott mich bca # 6619 Posted June 27, 2001 Share Posted June 27, 2001 Willie,<P>I had a problem with my front wheel bearings on my '55 as well. The first time I just pulled out of my driveway, came to the first stop sign, and when I put on the brakes, there was this horible scraping metal sound.<P>I simply backed up home and pulled the lf wheel. The bearing cage had come apart and spun. A few bearings fell out when I pulled it apart. OK, no problem, I had an extra set from Buick Specialists on the shelf, I cleaned, packed and installed them. Problem solved.<P>That was last fall. Well this winter I go to pull off the wheels to work on the brakes, and the same wheel, the cage was cracked, and a few bearings fell out.<P>There was plenty of grease in there, and it did not appear to be burnt either??<P>I'm not sure what the common denomator is. I used old bearing grease, that was approx 15 yrs old. I don't think they were packed wrong, don't think the spindle was bad, don't think it was touqued wrong. Unless the bearings from Buick Specialists are not up to snuff.<P>Napa wanted $75 ea compared to $25 from BS. Maybe there is a difference?<P>The auto part store and several members of the Chicagoland chapter have recommended that I use Amsol synthetic grease this time.<P>I am hope this does it. If you are going to the national, I'll let you know how it worked so far.<P>Scott Mich BCA # 6619<BR>Assistant Director<BR>Chicagoland Chapter<BR>1955-76C<BR>1959 Old SS-88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyrki Posted June 28, 2001 Share Posted June 28, 2001 There are a lot of Chinese bearings sold under American brand names nowadays. Sometimes they are up to their task, sometimes not. Better know what you are buying. When it comes to grease, a lot of racers use Red Line CV-2 grease, and say it makes all the difference in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted June 29, 2001 Author Share Posted June 29, 2001 The owners manual says to repack every 10K miles. I'm going to look into synthetic or at least stick my finger in some.<BR>I've heard of some bearing failures on the rear axel when using recent aftermarket....I usually make do with good used bearings or NOS or NORS from way back.<BR>Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Old Guy Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 I have a can of the old fibrous wheel bearing grease and it seems to hold up very well. I pack the bearings when I do the brakes and forget about them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted June 29, 2001 Share Posted June 29, 2001 Old Guy has the answer! As usual. I remember my dad having an old can of Quaker State fibrous type of wheel bearing grease. I cannot imagine packing caged needle bearings with it, but when you mentioned the grease not staying on the bearings, I immediately thought of that old can. Is that stuff still available? It was kinda fun to play in when I was 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldtimer Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 the only thing that is close is the peanut butter drum brake grease, but i wouldn't recommend using it on needle bearings (doesn't flow good enough). for needle bearings i use the red grease(valvoline), it flows good and is heat stable at continuous freeway speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted July 2, 2001 Author Share Posted July 2, 2001 Could not find the fibrous wheel bearing grease so I went with synthetic...will check the bearings after my trip to the nationals, about 4-5k mi.<BR>Will give an update then.<BR>Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 When recently disassembling my Invicta's centerlink, I found a great deal of some mysterious grease inside, striking by it's appearance: very very gold metallic in color. It was the third different visual type in the centerlink tube -and the most recent- as it was closest to the grease fittings. <P>In degreasing the internal parts, this stuff was incredibly resistant to removal, it was quite soft and very sticky- more so than any other greases I've encountered. I don't know what it was, anyone have a guess? The last time my car was greased was probably around 1989 (hasn't been registered since- body-off restification in progress since '95). I also don't know if this stuff was intended for bearings, but I'd sure like to find out what it was (and if it's still available). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nailswede Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 could it be copperpaste?<BR>(hope i spell it right)<P>Anders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldtimer Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 i used something like that it was made by kent products and it was for drum brake backing plates, star wheels, etc..... kinda like anti seize. i believe it was called "rusty" but the one i used can in a small can (plastic) with a brush top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted July 22, 2001 Author Share Posted July 22, 2001 Just checked the bearings after the trip to the nationals...4725 miles... and all is well; the cage/retainers had plenty of grease and the bearings were wet. As i mentioned previously I used synthetic grease (Valvoline) so will ignore until the next time I do some brake work.<BR>Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 Thanks for the update, old tank. I myself picked up some Redline CV-2 synthetic- as I've never heard anything but enthusiastic reviews of their stuff. Claims it's also formulated for high-speed ball bearings and has a 800 degree dropout (melting point). <P>I have an article on a bracket-raced '70 Hemi Charger that had tried tweaking everything to break it's consistant best time of 13.00 in the quarter. The magazine (MCR) did nothing to the car but replaced the gear oil, trans fluid (4-spd) and engine oil to Redline synthetics and the car ran 3 times that averaged 12.8. Synthetics don't seem to have any down-sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 Thanks for the update, old tank. I myself picked up some Redline CV-2 synthetic- as I've never heard anything but enthusiastic reviews of their stuff. Claims it's also formulated for high-speed ball bearings and has a 800 degree dropout (melting point). <P>I have an article on a bracket-raced '70 Hemi Charger that had tried tweaking everything to break it's consistant best time of 13.00 in the quarter. The magazine (MCR) did nothing to the car but replaced the gear oil, trans fluid (4-spd) and engine oil to Redline synthetics and the car ran 3 times that averaged 12.8. Synthetics don't seem to have any down-sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickNut Posted July 23, 2001 Share Posted July 23, 2001 That's good news about the use of synthetic grease on the wheel bearings. However, I would be careful about changing to synthetic oils/lubes in already broken in engines, trannys and axles. I've read that once you get about 20 k or so miles on a car, stick with the lubes you have been using - especially in the engine as different oils will give different wear characteristcs with the pistons/cylinders, and the bearings. Also, and this is first hand experience with a 75k newer car, I replaced all the gear lubes to synthetic and came across the problem also stated - that even with new seals, synthetics are more prone to leaking than conventional. My suggestion (for what its worth), stick with your oil for the engines, and maybe put up with synthetic leakage from the other areas due to its superior lube/heat resistance characteristics. Though be sure to put a leak pan under your car so as not to hurt the ol' enviornment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 There are many types of synthetics. Over 95% are based on PAO (polyalphaolefin), that has the characteristic of shrinking seals. While the more expensive oils, based on esters like diesters (Amsoil) or polyolesters (Red Line), SWELL seals. Note that the better PAO-based brands add esters to compensate for the seal shrinking effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now