MTFCA Forum

I am finally in the process of re-assembling the drive train of my '27 touring. I think that I have the bronze thrust disks properly adjusted. My question is do I pack the inner two axle bearings with axle grease? They seem to be open to the differential area which is lubricated with 600w. There is no grease cups for the inners only the outers.

I certainly do.

I don't know Jerry,....that certainly sounds like "belt & suspenders" to me, but then it certainly couldn't hurt. I know that in looking for good, reusable rear axle bearings at swap meets and such, where it can be determined if a Hyatt axle bearing was an inner or an outer, it is always best to select the inners, because invariably, when determining wear with a micrometer, the inners usually seem to be in much better shape than the outers. And I would naturally conclude that this is due to the fact (as the original poster here mentioned) that the inner bearings are constantly lubed with gear lube.

......but then the last time I "expounded" my "vast knowledge" here on the forum, I soon learned that I didn't know as much as I thought I did about the subject,...... .....harold

I don't do mine, however, I don't think it would hurt anything. The gear oil will soon dilute the grease anyway, and since those bearings do not support the weight of the rear of the car but only a bit of weight from the differential, most of the wear is from rotation of the axle. I don't think it is necessary to grease them.
Norm

The book says to add cup grease. Usually a smear on the rollers and some to hold the washers together.

Or many times have slipped the Hyatt in 600W, and wiped some of that heavy grease into the new sleeves, don't want those new sleeves dry, and then some on the washers too.

Really helps more to put grease on the washers to keep them in place as you fit the two halves.

Those inner Hyatts will soon be swimming in 600W

Dan - It's the INNER Hyatts that he's asking about whether to grease them, or NOT grease them.

The way I read it Harold, that's what Dan is referring to, the inner bearings, no washers on the outer ones.

Hmmm,.....I guess Dan's mention of "sleeves" and "washers" made me think that he was just referring to the outer Hyatts until his last line which for sure, pertains to he inner ones.

Well, it's late, and I'm finding out that I shouldn't post when it's late and "past bedtime"!

Harold

Correctly stated could have been better, but was referring to the inner Hyatt’s.

Ford Service, Chapter XV, Overhauling Rear Axle, para. 616: “lubricate bearings with cup grease”

IMO better to lube any new dry bearing surfaces in sub assemblies.

Since cup grease is impossible to find these days, I use front wheel bearing grease. I can't imagine anyone putting those bearings in dry!

Norman Kling wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 19, 2020 8:41 pm

I don't do mine, however, I don't think it would hurt anything. The gear oil will soon dilute the grease anyway, and since those bearings do not support the weight of the rear of the car but only a bit of weight from the differential, most of the wear is from rotation of the axle. I don't think it is necessary to grease them.
Norm

Those bearings get plenty of load every time you climb a hill or apply the brakes.

Thanks for the clarification Dan; sorry if my mis-understanding and resulting comment in any way confused the issue,.....harold