| supereal | -- 06-01-2011 @ 9:47 AM |
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The new issue of the V8 TIMES arrived yesterday and, as usual, is terrific. I do take exception to "Tec Tips" on page 16 regarding rear wheel bearings. I was with Mr. Flynn until the end of the article where he seems to recommend synthetic lubes as an application for the rear bearings. I tried the "blue grease" several years ago, and ruined the bearing surfaces on axle housings after only a few hundred miles. If you carefully check the underside of the housings where the bearings ride, in most cases you will already find spalling of the surfaces. Those roller bearings carry not only the weight of the vehicle, but the force of the propulsion, and the shocks of the road surface. The only protection is constant lubrication. To achieve this, the correct grease has fibers embedded that allow the bearing rollers to pull the grease into and around the bearing. The synthetic "blue" grease forms a film, to be sure, but doesn't provide the cushion needed. Once the hardened surface of the housings begins to shatter, it doesn't take long for the damage to accelerate, evidenced by the "gray grease" that appears. Synthetics were designed for close tolerance applications and our old cars demand greater consistancy to fill the gaps. I'm not anti-synthetics, to be sure, but the sticky, yellow "drum brake" grease, such as Sta-Lube, is essential if you wish to prolong the life of the axle housings. While the article says you won't have to "change it each year like petroleum lubes", it isn't the "breakdown" of the grease that is of paramount importance, it is that there are specific applications for all lubricants, and there is no "one size fits all" type. Synthetics are, in fact, petroleum based to begin with, whether grease or oil.
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| JM | -- 06-01-2011 @ 10:47 AM |
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Super, I would suggest sending your message to the V8 Times/Mr. Flynn and maybe they will print this as a followup or a second opinion. Maybe this would save a fellow V8er from ruining his bearing and axle housing's. JMO JM
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| MG | -- 06-01-2011 @ 11:18 AM |
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won't have to "change it each year"??? Can someone post the recommended preventive maintenance schedule for these cars of ours?
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| supereal | -- 06-01-2011 @ 1:25 PM |
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JM: Oddly, Flynn and I argued this matter several years ago, and he conceded at that time that I was correct. I know that the editor (Jerry Windle) does monitor this Forum, and prints posts he deems worthy. I don't want to leave the impression that I don't respect D. Flynn. He has been around a long time, and has given years of good advice.
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| supereal | -- 06-01-2011 @ 1:44 PM |
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There are reprints of the owner's manual for your car. They are not expensive, and can be found on page 17 of the C&G online catalog www.cgfordparts.com The current subject, rear hub bearings, are shown to be in need of repacking "Once a year, or at least every 10,000 miles". That's a lot of driving of our old cars. Today's lubricants are very different than those shown on the charts, many of which are obsolete. Today's do, however, give superior performance, in most cases. Due to the usual leakage, gearboxes should be checked frequently, and engine oil replaced at least at the beginning and end of the driving season. The old charts show oil changes at "four times a year, or at least every 3,500 miles". That was in the days of non detergent oil with limited or no dispersants. Cars without a filter should change oil more frequently if the oil becomes dark from blowby. Our old Fords are very tough machines, to say the least, and with the TLC given by most of today's owners, they should outlast most of us with reasonable attention so, hopefully, the next generation will love them. too.
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| ford38v8 | -- 06-01-2011 @ 3:35 PM |
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Super, I for one have long felt that much of the advice given by Dick Flynn was outdated years ago. I, like you, respect Mr Flynn and admire the wealth of information he has provided over the years, but times do change, and I believe that his column is obsolete in light of the abundance of expert Tech advice found in the modern V8 Times. Alan
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| BrianCT | -- 06-05-2011 @ 7:34 AM |
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I agree. Any tech advice should be run by several up-to-date enthusiasts before it goes to print.
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| 51f1 | -- 06-05-2011 @ 4:32 PM |
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When I suggested a couple of years ago that articles in V-8 Times such as the one referenced were more opinion than fact, some of the same people that have responded to this thread took offense! Richard
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| ford38v8 | -- 06-05-2011 @ 5:11 PM |
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Well, Richard, I guess you're entitled to an opinion too. Alan
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| supereal | -- 06-05-2011 @ 5:17 PM |
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The difference between opinion and fact is whether experience is involved, in most cases.
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| v8teditor | -- 06-06-2011 @ 6:49 PM |
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Thanks for all the comments. I will publish SUPEREAL's comments in the next V-8 TIMES as a rebuttal to Flynn's comments.
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