Leaky swivels

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huffhuff

huffhuff

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Hi all

Should the swivels leak at all? Is this amount normal/common? It's happening on both sides. Is there any easy fix or do I need to strip the buggers and fit new seals?!?

They've recently both had a dose of one shot.

Cheers

image.jpeg
 
No they shouldn't leek, but if the chrome balls are pitted it will knacker the seals even if new are fitted.
Something one-shot will slow down over ep but wont stop it altogether.
 
Job isnt too bad. Stripped both sides and replaced the swivel bearings and a few other bits took about 2:30hr a side, for a basic level mechanic, that included removing the swivels. So just changing seals may be able to do it an hour a side.

If the balls are pitted replace them with new chrome balls.
 
The swivel balls in the pic look well shagged.
The teflon black coated jobbies from britpart are okay, used one on my 90 a year ago and its still leak free.
The job isnt hard but the most **** you off bit about it is getting the swivel to axle bolts undone as they dont loosen enough to get them out with your fingers it spanner all the way!
 
I've got some of those ratchet ring spanners and got mine out quickly once they'd been initially loosened. If you're doing both sides it's worth buying one. If you're just replacing the seals, simply undo all those 12 point bolts and drag the hub and swivel off all in one piece. You've got to take the brake calliper off though. I rest mine on the radius arm where they can be wedged safely out of the way while you work. So you don't even need to bleed the brakes.
 
Brown said:
I've got some of those ratchet ring spanners and got mine out quickly once they'd been initially loosened. If you're doing both sides it's worth buying one. If you're just replacing the seals, simply undo all those 12 point bolts and drag the hub and swivel off all in one piece. You've got to take the brake calliper off though. I rest mine on the radius arm where they can be wedged safely out of the way while you work. So you don't even need to bleed the brakes.
Click to expand...

Excrement. Will order a ratchet ring spanner once i've been out to see what size I need :)

Not sure when i'll have time to do this though...so is topping up with one-shot ok for a couple of weeks?
 
Yeh it's 14mm but the bolts are often corroded to **** and it's easy to round them off. Worst case scenario (happened to me) is you have to cut the heads off the bolts. That will leave a stub you can get a pair of mole grips round.

If the bolts are stubborn, soak them in plus gas or WD40, use some heat and then try again. Make sure you use a long breaker bar or couple of ring spanners joined together.

I did this job the other week. It's not difficult but, for me, those bolts were a pain in the ass.
 
Topping up with one shot got me all the way back from Bordeaux (and they were leaking badly), so it will be fine for a couple of weeks.

I had to use a bar on the end of the spanner to undo mine, and unfortunately my fancy Bahco ratchet spanners didn't fit in the gap so had to spanner it all the way. It took me 1 day on and off to do swivels, bearings, discs, pads and the seals on both sides.
 
Thanks guys. Will deffo do this myself with the Teflon kit, where's best to buy from? Just ordered ratchet spanners to help, will soak in plus gas beforehand too. Just picked some stuff up from a LR specialist and he quoted £700 to do it! Pah! I didn't buy the defender for other people to get dirty
 
Why do you get supplied a replacement upper pin in the service kids, do you need to replace it?
The bearings supplied in my kit were appalling, worth paying a few quid extra and getting decent ones.
 
huffhuff said:
Thanks guys. Will deffo do this myself with the Teflon kit, where's best to buy from? Just ordered ratchet spanners to help, will soak in plus gas beforehand too. Just picked some stuff up from a LR specialist and he quoted £700 to do it! Pah! I didn't buy the defender for other people to get dirty
Click to expand...

I bought the bits separately. Its pretty much swivel, seal, retaining ring, oil seal, top and bottom bearings (go for timken if you can) then some gaskets and maybe a new bearing nut lock ring if you are feeling flush. What year is your 90 as they changed at some point? I can make you a parts list if yours is the same as mine.

As Tom said, go for OE if you possibly can. My teflon swivels were in a BP box, but are OE. From memory I got my stuff from LRdirect.com and paddocks.
 
Don't buy a kit, buy the swivels from Britpart (yes that's one component that comes in a blue box that's OK) and buy genuine (or OEM if you can they're cheaper) bearings and seals, Pattern parts are a waste of time for seals and bearings
 
Did one of mine a couple of weeks ago, as it says here the bolts holding the ball to the axle are a pain, I ended up putting a bottle jack under the spanner on one of them to get it going.
Take some time and clean the heads very well then wiggle the 14mm spanner onto the heads until it goes completely on then wire brush them again, you do not want to chew up the heads.
I found it best to wind them off about 5mm then squirt WD40 down the shank and also into the hole in the axle flange at the other side then tighten them back to carry the WD40 into the threads, this way they come off a bit better, I cut the open end of a flat combination spanner and put a pipe over it to give me extra leverage.
tap the holes if you have a tap it gets all the old locktie out of the threads, don't forget to locktite the bolts when you put them back.
its a mucky job so be prepared but its pretty straight forward.
 
Mine is a 2001 TD5 90. From other bits I've bought, seems to be a crossover year (typical)!

A Parts list would be fabola, happy to go OE on these kind of parts!

Ta muchly
 
Yours will be the same as mine then.

Per side:
2x 606666- bearings
1x FTC3648- gasket
FRC7065- Swivel
FTC3276- swivel oil seal
FTC3401- swivel seal
571755- retaining ring
571751- half shaft gasket

Then if you need bolts (you will have to count them):
FTC3454- holds the swivel on
SH106121L- holds the plate on, but I just used normal bolts

If you want to get some shims:
FRC2883
FRC2884
FRC2886

Please someone else double check them!
 
Mine is a 2001 TD5 90 I used a kit to make life simple probably not the best parts but didn't seem too bad :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEFENDER-...VEL-HOUSING-REBUILD-KIT-DA3179-/181787673783?

I would recommend to also get the wheel bearing seals that way you can pull out the old one clean up the bearings and re grease that should keep them going for a bit.
DONT FORGET a 52mm socket or box spanner for the wheel bearing locking nut, you will need it
 
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