Old fashion fibrous wheel bearing grease source?

[53k]

I have finally emptied my can of what appears to be obsolete wheel bearing grease (heavy, fibrous). I repacked a set of front wheel bearing last year with the modern red grease (recommended for disc and drum brake applications). In about 500 miles I seized a bearing. Granted it could have been something else, but I'm having trouble trusting the red grease. In fact, the rollback driver that hauled me home said to never use red grease in old cars. Problem is, I can't find the old stuff. My favorite FLAPS, two NAPAs, Autozone, Advance and Tractor Supply don't carry it anymore.
Anyone know where to get the old stuff?




Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. '64 Daytona Wagonaire, '64 Daytona convertible, '53 Commander Starliner, Museum R-4 engine, '62 Gravely Model L, '72 Gravely Model 430

[Dan Timberlake]

I might have an old can kicking around someplace.

What brand failed? Sounds like one wheel, how does the other wheel look and feel? How do the parts look? Outer bearing only? Generally rough, blue and burnt, cage worn thin and broken. ???
I have a hard time believing a quality name brand would not out-perform the old stuff in every way.
If the initial setting ended up very tight, I would not expect the bearings to survive extended highway running.

[gordr]

I have been using some amber-colored heavy wheel bearing grease from Quaker State for a long time. Seems to work OK; at least I haven't had a wheel bearing failure that I could attribute to poor lubrication. Valvoline used to make the black, super-stringy stuff, but my last can f that is long gone. I also have a big can of mil-surplus bearing grease, but it's so old, I'm loathe to use it on a car.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands

[hotrodstude]

is the military grease "automotive,artillery" if it is don't use it on wheel bearings it was designed for the wear strips on artillery pieces.

[53k]

quote:Originally posted by Dan Timberlake

I might have an old can kicking around someplace.
What brand failed? Sounds like one wheel, how does the other wheel look and feel? How do the parts look? Outer bearing only? Generally rough, blue and burnt, cage worn thin and broken. ???
I have a hard time believing a quality name brand would not out-perform the old stuff in every way.
If the initial setting ended up very tight, I would not expect the bearings to survive extended highway running.

The brand I used on the failed bearing was Tractor Supply generic. The tube said recommended for disc and drum brake wheel bearings. The bearing that seized was the outer right. I removed all the bearings and replaced them with new. The other three old bearings looked ok. I packed the new bearings with the last of my old fibrous Quaker State wheel bearing grease.
It's possible that the bearing was going bad already and I could have run it too tight. I do a lot of dumb things anymore.
The NAPA man I talked to yesterday recommended Lucas grease in a tube for grease guns (also red, but guarenteed anti-sieze). Maybe I'll try it next time.




Paul Johnson, Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. '64 Daytona Wagonaire, '64 Daytona convertible, '53 Commander Starliner, Museum R-4 engine, '62 Gravely Model L, '72 Gravely Model 430

[Transtar60]

quote:Originally posted by hotrodstude

is the military grease "automotive,artillery" if it is don't use it on wheel bearings it was designed for the wear strips on artillery pieces.

That's weird. In the Army we used it on everything from tank roadwheel bearings, deuce and half and jeep wheel bearings and everything else.


3E38
4E2
4E28
5E13
7E7
8E7
8E12
8E28

59 Lark
etc

[Bud]

I've been using Pennzoil # 707 heavy duty red grease for years in wheel bearings, both drum and disc brake and I haven't had any bearing failures due to improper lubrication. As far as I can see, the new grease stays in the bearings far longer than the old fiber type grease. Bud

[hotrodstude]

that is true put i was in a maintance unit(562nd lmc and 145th engineers) and we were always replacing the wheel bearings. al most 100 percent failure rate we switched over to regular wheel grease and had no more failures.it may work in a cold climit but not in thailand.

[Lark Parker]

A mechanical engineer advised me to not "mix" the greases, particularly with the "new" lithium greases.
He said that they would form a hard compound.

He spent a lot of company time going to dinner with the
lubricant vendors so he may have learned something.

This advice was directed at the grease gun additions as the wheel bearings would have the old grease cleaned out anyhow.

I've never had a problem with the red grease.

LP

[N8N]

yup, never switch greases without a good cleaning first.

I've been running Redline CV-2 in the 944 for years... don't remember how many. Repacked the bearings once as PM a little while after getting the car and haven't touched them since. They're still fine, but that's really not a ringing endorsement because I think I've only lost two wheel bearings in my entire life (one VW rear outer and... well... ALL of 'em on my F-150, but that was the PO's doing.) I've since switched to Mobil 1 simply because my FLAPS doesn't carry Redline products, and I figure Mobil 1 is sold just about everywhere, so I can always get the exact same grease if I need some on the road. Haven't driven any car so packed far enough to give it a thumbs up or down. Ask me in a few tens of thousands of miles...

'course new cars all have those sealed bearing thingys... sure you don't ever have to repack 'em but you WILL have to replace 'em someday... not sure how I feel about that. I kind of like being able to shoot some fresh grease in them and take up a little slack and keep on truckin' - total cost, some red goo and a wheel seal (if I choose not to reuse the old one - you can do that if you knock it out with the inner bearing. Manual says no, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I've done it and gotten away with it)

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[1962larksedan]

Something to remember is that disc brake bearings tend to run hotter as it is........meaning that such grease used on a drum brake vehicle should be OK.

Although; as several of the above posters stated-----------cleanliness is next to Godliness where wheel bearings are concerned since different types of grease do not usually 'play well together'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borrowed Bams50's sigline here:

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[fmarshall]

Use this stuff:

http://www.farm-home.com/mn/t7_ssidi...27-8008~~~~~~~

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63 Avanti R2, 4-Speed, 3.73 TT
Martinez, CA

[BobPalma]

Paul, was the Tractor Supply red grease you were using marketed by Champion Lubricants, their UPC 43685-41498? If so, I doubt it failed. I am just now finishing up a full container of it and use it exclusively for all types of wheels bearings. No problems or failures, and this is over probably five years with dozens of different vehicles. BP

[31Streetrod]

In my humble opinion, the best grease I have found as a substitute for the old grease is the wheel bearing grease formulated and marketed for use on wheel bearings in boat trailers. Stop and think about it for a minute, boat trailer wheels are submerged in water and a large percentage are small diameter wheels turning higher revs than the tow vehicle thus generating more heat and more load on the bearing. Ain't had no problems with this grease. It stays where you put it and does what you expect it to. [^]

Lost in the 50's

[fmarshall]

I somewhat concur with the boat trailer bearing grease. Bear in mind that most trailers see only seasonal use, traveling way less miles than most autos. And they should get repacked yearly, for the aforementioned reasons.

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63 Avanti R2, 4-Speed, 3.73 TT
Martinez, CA