Rear Axle bearing / oil seal update required

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
maxdog
Patron 2019
Patron 2019
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:27 pm
Your car is a: 1979 spyder 124
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

Rear Axle bearing / oil seal update required

Postby maxdog » Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:41 pm

I'm pulling my 1979 rear axle apart to fix an oil leak . I've found some old references to fixing this problem on earlier axles and would appreciate any updates for a 1979 axle
The problem was an oil leak along the axle shaft onto the rear RH brake . So far I have :
Cleaned the axle casing vent , this slowed the leak but didn't cure it .
Pulled the axle shaft , the Big Snap Ring was an absolute PITA to remove .[ Mickey Mouse engineering worthy of British Leyland on a wet Friday ]
This revealed : an inflexible shaft seal held into place in the axle with some sort hardened grunge ,
The shaft has no wear or pitting .
No big rubber O ring, which should be fitted inboard of the bearing ??
The bearing , which is supposed to be greased and sealed for life , has been exposed to rear axle oil.There is no play in the bearing
My questions are :
How do I remove the seal from the axle case .Is therea trick to this or is gentle applied violence acceptable ?
Is the O ring essential ? If so What size is it , is it a standard O ring or a FIAT special ?
Can I repack and reuse the bearing, there are no obvious grease seals ?
Any hints on replacing the Big Snap Ring
My Fiat is used as a geezer's Summer toy , not a boy racer Ferrari substitute .
Thanks
Maxdog

djape1977
Posts: 985
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:08 pm
Your car is a: 1970 fiat 124bc
Location: Belgrade, Serbia, eastern Europe

Re: Rear Axle bearing / oil seal update required

Postby djape1977 » Mon Mar 27, 2017 4:05 am

oil seal inside axle needs slide hammer to pull out
O ring is important, don't remember the size though
if bearing is not noisy and has no play, just repack with grease

wheel bearing kit comes like this
Image

maxdog
Patron 2019
Patron 2019
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:27 pm
Your car is a: 1979 spyder 124
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

Re: Rear Axle bearing / oil seal update Part 2

Postby maxdog » Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:25 pm

Old posts talk about a " Speedy Sleeve " presumably a short thin sleeve which fits over the seal area on the drive shaft to provide a better surface for the seal and also to tighten the seal spring .
who makes Speedy sleeves , how are they sized and ordered
How are they fitted , shrunk onto the shaft ? slid into place and held with Locktite type sealant
Maxdog

maxdog
Patron 2019
Patron 2019
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:27 pm
Your car is a: 1979 spyder 124
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

Re: Rear Axle bearing / oil seal / Speedy Sleeve

Postby maxdog » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:51 pm

I Googled "Speedy Sleeve " and found that these are thin walled sleeves manufactured by SKF. The provide a new bearing face for the shaft seal .
I have measured my shaft and decided there is no wear on the seal area , just a nicely polished shaft where the seal runs on the shaft . So I will replace the seal , add an O ring which wasn't there when I stripped the axle , repack the bearing and button it up for the summer season
Maxdog


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