Knuckle Lube at Axle End

Hawkshadow · Post by **Hawkshadow** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:19 pm

Is it normal for the corn head grease used to lubricste the knuckle to travel to the end of the axle from the knuckle housing? Shouldn't it be stopped by the seal at the hub end of the axle? I checked both sides and they look the same as the picture below.

rgmutchler · Post by **rgmutchler** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:43 pm

Jordon
How much did you put in the knuckle? Was it above the bottom of the plug?

Hawkshadow · Post by **Hawkshadow** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:11 pm

I filled it over a couple of services, figuring that the grease wouldn't spread into place and fill up like the oil. On the last service once it ran out the filler and I put the plug back in.

Post by **wesk** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:43 pm

The front hub spindle bearings were meant to be hand packed every 6,000 miles and the front hub universal joint was meant to turn half submerged in oil. The fill plug was to be the max height of oil/lubricant in the hub. Flooding the hub will do nothing for the spindle bearings. They still need to be cleaned and hand re-packed at 6,000 miles.

In your case you have added enough grease to completely flood the hub and migration to the axle tip would be the result of that.

Is your hub flange grooved for an "O" ring to seal a full cover cap? If not take a look at MWO ORD G740-W7 . You will find all 4 pages in my photo album: http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... _album.php

oilleaker1 · Post by **oilleaker1** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:14 am

The Canada labeled wheels in your photo is something I didn't know were made. I knew there was CND M38's, but the wheel is new to me. John

Hawkshadow · Post by **Hawkshadow** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:46 am

As far as I know the Canada stamped rims are original for Canadian units but I can't be certain. Perhaps Mr. BCA can elaborate for us.

I probably should have added in the first post that the picture was taken after driving, not immediately after filling.

Regarding the grease, the intention was never to have the spindle bearings lubricated by the corn head grease. My biggest concern on seeing the corn head grease at the end is if its thinner grade will be compromising the bearing grease in the spindle bearings… I only ever filled it until it reached the bottom of the hole, I did this on 2 desperate services to allow the level to have equalized, as the thinner oil would have done, and not just be piled up below the fill plug.

Do you think that it was overfilled and excess pressure is forcing it past the inner seal and letting it migrate down the shaft? As such, it should settle down once the pressure lessens?

The drive flange is indeed grooved for that O ring below the hub cap.

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 11:31 am

My M38 and M38A1 have corn head grease in the knuckles up to the fill plug, wheel bearings and knuckle bearings are hand packed with high temp wheel bearing grease. I've not seen any migration of corn head grease out of the axle and very little from the knuckle seals. Check your axle seals. The manual for the civilian CJ2A, published in 1947, references Universal Joint grease as No. 0 (winter) and No. 1 (summer) as the lubrication for the front knuckles. Which is essentially what John Deere Corn Head grease is - No. 1 weight. Housings are recommended to be filled to plug level and checked every 1,000 miles. Annual (12,000 mi.) tear downs and cleaning are recommended, if used in the field (CJ2A's could be used to plow), the interval was 300 miles. The military opted for #2 grease all around for their own reasons - probably because they didn't want to stock another weight of grease just for knuckles and they had a lot of trained motor pool personnel to take care of vehicles.