grey axle oil

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Hairball

Hairball

Active Member
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199
Location
sussex
This is more of an observation than a question ..
I 've had my 90 300tdi for just over 3 years now and when I "first got it I thought I'd go through all the fluids as you never know when they were last done
Anyway when I changed the axle oils I found the front to be much much greyer in colour to the rear.. I put it down to maybe the rear being recently done..
Well I checked it yesterday and exactly the same thing ... the rear is as clean as when it went in but the front is grey as grey...
Just to add .. I did replace the swivel balls last year . There was no leaking past the seals into the hubs and as far,as I can tell they are still good now.. so any thoughts
Only thing I thought could cause it was ,, does the front diff work harder than the rear as it has the steering wheels that end.. Or is there something else going on.. other than the colour difference I have not noticed any other nastiness going on ...
is this just a land rover thing..
Stumped ...
 
Hairball said:
This is more of an observation than a question ..
I 've had my 90 300tdi for just over 3 years now and when I "first got it I thought I'd go through all the fluids as you never know when they were last done
Anyway when I changed the axle oils I found the front to be much much greyer in colour to the rear.. I put it down to maybe the rear being recently done..
Well I checked it yesterday and exactly the same thing ... the rear is as clean as when it went in but the front is grey as grey...
Just to add .. I did replace the swivel balls last year . There was no leaking past the seals into the hubs and as far,as I can tell they are still good now.. so any thoughts
Only thing I thought could cause it was ,, does the front diff work harder than the rear as it has the steering wheels that end.. Or is there something else going on.. other than the colour difference I have not noticed any other nastiness going on ...
is this just a land rover thing..
Stumped ...
Click to expand...
Probably caused by water mixing in the oil! :)
 
Water in the oil is not something I had thought of I must be honest... is there a likely place for it to be getting in.. I don't go wading so will only be from normal rain on the roads etc.
I was checking levels yesterday and came across a blocked breather on the rear so I have ordered a new breather kit for both. Was surprised how much pressure had build up in the axle which was released when I removed the filler plug
 
Hairball said:
Water in the oil is not something I had thought of I must be honest... is there a likely place for it to be getting in.. I don't go wading so will only be from normal rain soon roads etc.
I was checking levels yesterday and came across a blocked breather on the rear so I have ordered a new breather kit for both. Was surprised how much pressure had build up in the axle which was released when I removed the filler plug
Click to expand...
Leaks in anywhere if you drive through water more than about a foot deep. Or just caused by condensation if oil hasn't been changed for a long time,check axle breathers are clear!
 
Maybe a couple of oil changes close together will help to purge any water / condensation then.. it was very manky when I first changed it.
Nothing too bad then... Maybe getting the breathers working properly will help.as well..
 
Hairball said:
Maybe a couple of oil changes close together will help to purge any water / condensation then.. it was very manky when I first changed it.
Nothing too bad then... Maybe getting the breathers working properly will help.as well..
Click to expand...
It will. If the breathers are blocked, and you splash through water, the oil and air inside the axle are cooled, causing negative pressure in the axle. If breathers are blocked, water will tend to be sucked in elsewhere to equalise pressure.
 
Is this bad.. I only rebuild the hubs last year.. all new parts used.
Obviously the contamination/ mixing, goes both ways and axle oil ends up in the hub as well ..
 
Hairball said:
Is this bad.. I only rebuild the hubs last year.. all new parts used.
Obviously the contamination/ mixing, goes both ways and axle oil ends up in the hub as well ..
Click to expand...
Not quite sure about the one shot stuff, I don't use it, on the rare occasions I have seen it, it has been dark green. Either way, wouldn't stress too much. Just drain and refill axle, check breathers, use and monitor the situation. I cant see much harm coming from either temporary water contamination or the one shot stuff.
Personally, I prefer EP90 in the swivels, easy check of all level plugs, you know where you are. ;)
 
I bought some one shot grease a few months ago and it was grey. I assume there was graphite in it. Axles seem to be able to pick up water just from everyday puddles on the road - you don't even need to go wading. Provided you change the oil regularly it shouldn't be too much of a problem, neither will a little grease getting in there from the swivels.
 
Brown said:
I bought some one shot grease a few months ago and it was grey. I assume there was graphite in it.
Click to expand...
Interesting, the ones I have seen, only a couple of times when I have drained it and replaced on bought vehicles, was dark green.
Would figure, graphite grease is dark grey/black.
 
Rub the oil / grey stuff through your fingers ...
Gritty ? silvery slime ?
Can you see the water pulling from the gunge ?
Sounds like you have blocked breathers and have sucked some water from somewhere ...
If you do a lot of wading, it'll pay to repack the wheel bearings very regularly ...
Changing the axel oil will be good, give the casing a good look over as it maybe getting 'pinholes' ...
a good wirebrushing and coat of paint ...
 
Yes indeed, I always try to push as much grease into the hubs as they will accommodate. I think the more grease there is, the less room for water!
 
Long ago in my youth I noticed that whenever I took bearings apart, there was a little silvery bubble of water in there, along with all the oil and grease. Once it's in there it is very difficult to get rid of. Even in the long hot summer of 1976 I found water in my bike wheel bearings, presumably left over from the previous winter. In later life, I often found the same sort of thing, in more expensive bicycles, Morris Oxfords, Triumph Heralds, and Series II Forward Control Land Rovers. The latter was a special case though as the previous owner used to drive it into the sea off the north coast of Somerset before we had it so you'd expect a bit of water ingress. Water seems to find its way into the voids,and once it's in, it'll stay there for a long time. I've been filling spaces in bearing housings, hubs and the like with grease for a number of years now and don't find water when I take them apart. OK, maybe it's also something to do with the fact that I have some money now and can fit new seals as well, wherever there are any. I can't claim that this experience is statistically representative of course, but by now the sheer weight of numbers means that it's far from trivial. Moreover, my bearings are all really happy, and even the ones in the shop tell me that they want to come home with me.
 
whether hubs full or mostly empty as they come from the factory and water still finds its way to the bearing especially with modern greases which seem to lift off the bearing as soon as any dampness is present,red n tacky is one grease that copes well, in my experience
 
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