VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 1935 differential lubrication? questions.

Hi there,
I have just removed the rear brake drums from the differential in my 35 standard 4 door sedan.
You know the drill, drain oil, remove cover, undo screw, remove block and C washers, then slide out the axles complete with brake drums...Phew..

Well there was 1.750 liters of oil in the diff, the book says 1.5 pints =0.709 liter, so the diff had to much oil in it.
Reason says it must have drained from the gearbox, down the torque tube into the diff! haven't checked the gearbox oil level yet, but do on a regular basis every month.

So,in looking at the bearings in the wheel hubs in the diff, they are squelchy and fluid looking. I guess that the oil must have trickled to the bearings and lubricated them? lucky that it did not get past the oil seals. (modern ones made of neoprene material)

Q:- are the wheel bearings lubricated solely with grease OR lubricated with the oil in the differential?

Peter

The rear axle bearings are lubricated only by the gear oil. It is very rare to see a rear axle bearing go bad.

Hi there,
Thank you for your prompt reply, that has put my mins at rest. I will replace the drums and refill with fresh oil, my bearings will thank me for it one day

Peter

Peter,

As long as you can touch the oil in the differential with a crocked pinkie, it is considered full. That in turn will leave some capacity for seepage from the transmission. No need to check to see if the differential is full just take the plug out now and then and let the excess drain out. Do check the transmission and keep it full with the same pinkie dipstick.

Note: If you have a seal going or is bad you may want to check the differential oil to make sure it is full. It may be losing more than is being replaced from the transmission to keep it filled.

Charlie

Hi Charlie,
My workshop manual says 1.5 pints = 0.85 liter,for the standard diff, when I drained the diff it had 1.75 liters in it which is 3.6 pints, so I assumed that the gearbox was leaking down the torque tube into the diff.
On the same page in the workshop manual it also says 2.5 pints (1.18 liters)for the passenger model? So I refilled it and it took almost the amount that came out of it.
I am wondering with all these confusing numbers, if the manual is using US pint measurements and I am using standard UK imperial measurements?
I know that US and UK galls are different.
I checked the gearbox and the level was OK.

Peter

Peter
If you are using a original book it will most likely be US measurements which are different to Imperial (UK) which is causing the difference you are finding.
I have used the spill method for filling and little finger for subsequent level check.
Tony