birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front (UPDATE) (1 Viewer)

[instigator]

got some moly grease to do the birfs but i really dont like this grease i have, its valvoline synthetic moly fortified, the consistancy is like that of somthing that has a powder mixed in with it. i can get some aeroshell 17 which has 5% moly in it and is also a synthetic grease, it has a smooth (almost glass) consistancy. i really would like to know what is the brand thats recomended here on the board. yes i did search

now for the hum. it hums more when making a right hand sweep(long highway turns) and kinda goes away when making the opposite turns so i just changed the left front wheel bearings thinking it was the inner bearing that was failing (hub was a little loose). went for a ride afterwards and it still has the hum. my only thought would be the tires, will rotate in a couple days (christmas eve). by the way i used mobil1 general purpose grease for the bearings (any concerns i need to be aware of ?)

thank you

 

[Scamper]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

I used that Valvoline synthetic on my front axle and have not had any problems.

Yeah, it does have a cottage cheese like consistency, but I'm sure that smooths out once you give it a few thousand whirls in the axle

Tom

 

[Greddy0]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

Question about the birf joints? How much grease do you pack in there? Couple squeezes of the gun or fill it to the brim?

 

[Pitbull]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

[quote author=Greddy0 link=board=2;threadid=9128;start=msg79508#msg79508 date=1072196008]
Question about the birf joints? How much grease do you pack in there? Couple squeezes of the gun or fill it to the brim?
[/quote]

I think you are talking about the steering knuckles, just give them 6 squirts. To grease the birfields you will need to do a major axle service. I have 130K+ miles on my 95 and have not yet done the birfield service, figure I will do it when something breaks. I have several friends with over 200K miles on their 80's and they have never done the birfields. Were all waiting to see who's fails first. Based on the cost of the birfield versus the cost of the service at 60K mile intervals I figure I am already $$ ahead. JMHO

 

[sleeoffroad]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

[quote author=Pitbull link=board=2;threadid=9128;start=msg79515#msg79515 date=1072196988]
Based on the cost of the birfield versus the cost of the service at 60K mile intervals I figure I am already $$ ahead. JMHO
[/quote]

Uhm, let's see. Grease goes into axle. Gear oil turns to grease. Remove third member and replace carrier and pinion bearings. Or other scenario, both birfields worn beyond service. Bushings inside spindle trashed, groove worn into both inner axles, races spun on spindle, replace both spindles. Ask C-Dan to add up those parts for you.

 

[instigator]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

somehow i knew this thread would go astray

scamper thanks for your input

 

[Pitbull]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

[quote author=sleeoffroad link=board=2;threadid=9128;start=msg79524#msg79524 date=1072198321]
Uhm, let's see. Grease goes into axle. Gear oil turns to grease. Remove third member and replace carrier and pinion bearings. Or other scenario, both birfields worn beyond service. Bushings inside spindle trashed, groove worn into both inner axles, races spun on spindle, replace both spindles. Ask C-Dan to add up those parts for you.
[/quote]

Got to agree if all that went wrong it would be more expensive. But I also think if you fix problems when they occur you would not have all of those problems. If the steering knuckle leaks fix it. If your getting a bunch of grease in your front differential fix the seals. If your birfield makes noise fix it. Do the wheel bearing every 30K miles like the service manual suggests. If you do the work yourself do the axle service every 60K miles. But if you are paying someone else $1200 to do the service it seems you are $$ ahead to fix problems when they occur versus spend $1200 for a complete axle service every 60K miles?? At least that is what I have seen with my friends that own 80 series LC's. Can anyone put together a chart that shows the $$ benefit of paying $1200 for this service every 60K miles versus keeping an eye on your LC and doing the service that is in the manual and fixing things when they leak or break? The owners I know seem to be $$ ahead servicing, watching, and fixing. Now if you like to do the service yourself then I can see where you would be $$ ahead, based on the cost of the seals and grease.

 

[Wayne]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

I've ask pretty much the same questions on this forum and here's what I got........ use 100% synthetic moly-b grease, and it takes about 4 lbs of it to repack both birfs. I plan to use Amsoil moly-b (purple-black) in the birfs and Amsoil general purpose (red) for the wheel bearings, u-joints and drive shaft splines...... hope that helps.

Wayne S

 

[instigator]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

thanks Wayne that does help. i guess i'll stick with the valvoline syn. stuff for now, still contemplating the aeroshell 17 though.

 

[Beowulf]

Re:birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

Instigator,
Any good brand syn grease with moly is OK. Valvoline is a good brand. Mobil-1 for the wheel bearings is fine.

As for the hum, it could be the bushing. See Rick's (landtank) posts for problem isolation and resolution. Did the humming start when cold weather came?

-B-

 

[instigator]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

-B- thanks for the thumbs up on the grease. as for the hum, i dont usually drive the truck its my wifes daily for the kids, but i will say it started reciently, maybe with the onset of the cold weather or with the rotation of the tires. but i will be checking out the thread you ref. to see what bushings you mean.

 

[instigator]

birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

-B- just read the "got a problem now that it's cold out" thread and the vibes and noises decribed are a little different, their vibes were in spurts and were audible mine are constant and really cant hear it ( i think ), but just to eliminate that being the case hear i'm going to be pulling the birfs to repack and will do the same with the bushings or the rollers which ever i have. but since the wife took it to work i cant do sqaut with it, was going to rotate tires to do a proccess of elimination(easiest first)

the vibes have the vibe of a wheel bearing not a big honking goose here :'(

 

[Beowulf]

Re:birf grease ? and a hummmmmm from the front

>> or the rollers which ever i have <<

You will have the bushing unless your spindle(s) have already been replaced. None of the 80's got the roller bearing spindle from the factory. It is a superceded part and relatively new.

The humming could be from the tyres as you have mentioned.

-B-

 

[instigator]

found the problem, was the pass. side wheel bearings. they were really shot and again the hub was loose. i guess i shoulda checked this when we purchased it : but oh well. i noticed on bothe sides the thick washer that rests upon the outer bearings had gouges like the bearing wasnt turning (deep gouges) will have to pick up a pair after the holidays.(bandaided it for now, turned them around) anyway now the wife is saying that we dont need the tires now that you've fixed the problem :whoops:, i knew i shoulda got the tires first. maybe i could lay some pipe and pilow talk her into letting me get those 285 bfgs. i cant stand stock tires

when i get the bearings and races cleaned up i'll post the pics of them, i cant believe that the truck wasnt moaning louder and at all speeds.

 

[Beowulf]

>> will have to pick up a pair after the holidays.(bandaided it for now, turned them around) <<

Save your money. Turning them around works fine; just replace them when you do the next wheel bearing pack or the front axle service.

-B-

 

[instigator]

thanks -B- will do. here are some pics of the races, the bearings werent really damaged.

 

[instigator]

another

 

[instigator]

another

 

[instigator]

another

 

[instigator]

and the last one