If it ain't leaking......

[ironhorse]

After My wife got sick there wasn't time to do a lot of work on the T. After she passed I started working on the T again and frankly it has been a big help.
So I had a friend come over to help me with the rear end on the '25. Here is what we found.
I replaced my Rear spring perch bushings and inside the hubs was a minor amount of grease and dirt and I didn't think much of it at first

right side
left side

right side

then my friend whose was helping me said,"you mean that rear end has been sitting here 4 years and hasn't leaked?" That got me thinking that is not possible so I pulled the plug and I couldn't even get a drop of oil on my finger!

Uh oh

I started disassembling the rear end and I turned the nose down, after 4 hours not even 1 drop of oil in the drip pan!
Tomorrow I will split the housing I'm Kinda afraid to look in there... More Pics tomorrow.
(The lament of old Harley riders and A-7 Mechanics, If it ain't leakin, It ain't got no oil!)

[Scott_Conger]

G.R.

I had the same thing happen on a '23 runabout I bought. Had sat outside for years and the wood was mulch and the lower 4" of sheet metal were rotted out. It was a major mess. After I started puttering around on the thing, I found the rear end was brand new without a hint of oil in the differential (and not a spec of corrosion anywhere within. Go figure!

Glad to hear you're getting into a project.

[BUSHMIKE]

Ironhorse,
Sorry about your wife and am glad the T is good therapy! Many many times on antique tractors, Ive pulled drain plugs and had nothing come out until I poked a screwdriver thru the congealed plug and then all hell broke loose.

[ironhorse]

At 69 this will be my first rear end rebuild.
This is what I've found so far.

no oil!!!

not only was there no oil but there weren't any gaskets

Right side inner and outer bearings

The cages are tight but the outer bearing rollers are measuring .482 avg. measured in 6 places

uh-oh are these the dreaded babbit thrust washers?

These Babbitt thrust washers are museum quality pieces

this was the only oil in the system

this the only oil left in the rear end it peeled right off.

This last Picture is for Steve Jelf, If you don't have enough light in your shop for photos I modified a trouble light (threw away the Bulb guard and hung this 8000 lumen garage light from the overhead worked gud!
Both inner Hyatt bearings measured at .497 avg. would it work to move them to the outside and replace the inner bearings with the smoothies the suppliers sell?

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

I'd say you're pretty darned lucky. Everything looks good, so far. Also lucky to catch the babbitt thrust washers before they gave it up.

Personally, I wouldn't use the smooth/solid roller bearings for anything. What sizes are your current outer Hyatt bearings?

[ironhorse]

Jerry the Outer bearings are .485

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Jerry the Outer bearings are .485

Well, that's not so good...

I'd look for good, original Hyatts first and if I found none, I'd go for the floating hubs and leave the good Hyatts for the inner bearings. One of my favorite Model T guys, Bud Scudder, (RIP), and his wife Ginny, were badly injured in a T that had a solid roller pinion bearing fail many years ago. No thanks.

[Erik Barrett]

If your model T isn’t leaking, it’s out of oil. They are like old Harley Davidsons that way.