Oil out of centre hub

Hi guys, I have my ex-RAF 2.5 90 and there is a nice oily mess coming out of the centre of the rear nearside wheel hub.

I'm going to order one of the the new black rubber caps, but a mate at work is telling me that
1. I don't need to actually take the wheel off, and that

2. there is just a big nut underneath I have to undo, take the core out and there is a paper gasket in there to replace.

5 minute job he says.

Do I then just re-grease it through the nipple on the inside of the hub?

Thanks for your help

I had that, but there's no gasket (behind the big nut at least), and no grease nipple. I just removed the old cap, made sure the metal stub was clean, and refitted with a smear of non-setting liquid gasket. Not sure your mate was talking about the right motor

I thought the oily mess would be diff oil which runs up the half shaft/axle. I'm sure on mine you leave wheel on, undo the 5 inner bolts and remove hub and replace that paper gasket after cleaning. Bear in mind to jack the axle up so the oil don't spill out.

depends where the leak is.

iirc, that age will have an oil seal between bearing and axle. but oil can go to splines. that rubber cap stops it leaking.

so if it's just the cap, replace it.. maybe with some rtv if needed, but check your axle breathers! make sure they are clear and check your diff oil level.

if it's not from the cap but behind then it could be the oil seal.

Huddy84 said:

I thought the oily mess would be diff oil which runs up the half shaft/axle. I'm sure on mine you leave wheel on, undo the 5 inner bolts and remove hub and replace that paper gasket after cleaning. Bear in mind to jack the axle up so the oil don't spill out.

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i've found paper to be a bit naff and let water in. i use rtv or hylomar

Yup, there's two places where it could be getting out, one of which is around the plastic cap in the centre and the other of which is the gasket between the drive flange and the hub. Yes, you can change these without taking the hub off. There's usually supposed to be a seal between the main axle casing and the stub axle to keep the oil in the diff and the grease in the wheel bearings separate. However, a while ago some people on here were talking about leaving these out so the oil gets into the wheel bearings, so I don't suppose a bit of cross migration will do it any harm.

Trax beat me to it!

ok, first failed attempt at uploading from photobucket!

Trying to do the photbucket thing to get an image on here. Few questions. Guessing rtv is just a sealing paste ye get from halfords. And this axle breather pipe, whats it look like and how do i clear it?

Looks like it's getting out round the plastic cap to me. My favourite thing is Locktite Premium Instant Gasket with Silicone. But there's so much smeared on the outside of the tube I can hardly read it so I couldn't swear to the exact title. It's very hard to get out of clothing and upholstery so it must be good.

Just buy new caps.

Make sure they are genuine ones though. The aftermarket ones fit crap and still leak. 4 genuine LR ones on mine, nice tight fit and no leaks

Check your axle breather tube / banjo as these clog causing excess pressure that pushes the axle fluid to the end of the drive shafts.
On mine there was no shaft oil seals and the rubber cap can just be replaced without stripping any of the hub.
Check your hub seal is ok and that the oil isnt leaking out the back of the hub.
If it is you need to take the hub off and replace the seal, easy job

Lol, last time i checked the military used some form of silicone sealant for both the rear hubs, and engine sump on mine. It's held up so far but I have bought the proper gaskets ready to replace them.

fit the uprated ones with a big nut instead of a cap

Will do, how do I go about replacing the oil/grease that has already leaked out? Is this just packed in round the bearings or does it get pumped in through that bleed nipple which is on the rear of the hub?

I can remember cutting out gaskets from a cereal box and using plenty of blue hylomar on my first Landrover. Mind you it was a V8 Stage 1 so I had precious little money left over after each time it passed a filling station.

Jesterr6216 said:

Will do, how do I go about replacing the oil/grease that has already leaked out? Is this just packed in round the bearings or does it get pumped in through that bleed nipple which is on the rear of the hub?

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you on about the brake fluid nipple?

anyway, no have another read of my post

it's diff oil, so top the diff oil level up or replace it all if it's been a while

I'm feeling a bit left out because I've never had a Land Rover with grease nipples on the hubs. If that is the brake bleed nipple you've found, try to resist the urge to put grease in it. I'm sure your brakes won't appreciate being pumped full of grease!
It's easiest to grease the wheel bearings by undoing the large nut(s) which you can see after you've taken the drive flange off and sliding the hub gently off the stub axle. then you can get as much grease in as you like.

LOL thanks Brown, will indeed resist the temptation to pump grease into my brake nipple. Have sussed rear axle oil filling/draining nuts on the rear hub, will go for that instead. Does it have to be API GL5 90EP?
Have also sussed the breather pipe thing that runs from the top of the axle up somewhere to the engine, just need to check it's clear now, when the rain stops!

Cheers again guys

Hi guys. Update. Got some gunk and cleaned off the oil off the outside of the wheel for a starter. Got myself a new black plastic centre hub cap (even though the old one didn't look split or damaged, but just thought I'd order it whilst ordering other bits at thesame time) and got some fresh new gearbox oil. Then, undid the breather bolt on the top of the rear axle to check if it was clear along with the breather pipe which I have identified runs up to the engine bay. The breather bolt was well crudded, so cleaned it all out, blasted some air down the breather pipe, and then today undid the filler plug in the centre of the rear hub anticipating having to top the level up due to the lost oil out the wheel centre hub. But when I've undid the plug, the hub has been more than full enough of old oil (the excess of which dribbled out).So I did it back up and have let be. Could it just have been the crudded up axle breather bolt ? Cheers.

If the axle appears to be overfull it could be a sign that water has got in to it (have you been wading?). Oil will float on the water and make the level seem high but water isn't a very good lubricant for your diff gears!