I just purchased two Timkin rear axle repair bearings for my 8.25 rear and the instructions state that the repair bearings are lubricted by the diff gear oil, just like the OE bearings. I'm concerned because the repair bearings have a seal on the outer and inner sides, which would prevent gear oil from reaching the bearings. The bearings are packed with grease too, so what gives? How are these bearings really lubed, gear oil, or sealed in grease?

 

Hey Ragged89, Have not seen you on here for awhile!! Good to see you back. Have you looked at rock auto? They show pictures of the bearings. That being said, it appears that the standard bearing is open, but the repair bearings, SKF, and Centric, have seals on both sides.
You may try to contact Timkin to verify it is correct, but ill bet it is, and why I have no idea. But if 2 other manufactures are using them......


Edit to add this. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...3337&ppt=C0362


On the third line it says. (Premium double seal design to exclude dirt and contaminants and retain lubrication in bearing )

 

Thanks RT93, its been a grind for the last few months trying find time to get anything done on the 'ol truck. Working 180 miles from home doesn't help either.

I purchased the repair bearings from RockAuto and I did see the images you mentioned, but I think I'm going to call Timken to get an answer from the horses mouth. I know tbugden did use these same bearings to fix his axle in his "victim build" thread.

 

OK I reached Timken today, and the word is that the repair bearings for the 8.25" dodge rear are "lubed for life" bearings. They are pre-packed with grease and have both an inner and outer seal. The support guy I talked to, "Bill", said that they switched to a sealed bearing because dirty gear oil was causing the bearings to fail too soon. He also said that the instructions packaged with my bearings were old and should have been updated.

 

That makes sense considering it comes packed in grease.

 

It is a common issue that I have also faced while getting an axle job done to my Dodge Charger Bee 2009. To my experience, always get an axle repaired by an expert. Most of us just follow the trait and perform it ourselves. Yes, it works sometimes, but not for everyone. If it goes wrong, we see leaking seals, noisy axles and bearings, and so on. Therefore I will ask to go for an axle repair service nearby, that is familiar with your car's mechanism.