Information needed regarding rear axle

[Dr Neil]

Can someone please help??

I have a K plate discovery 200tdi with a "KA" chassis number.The rear half shafts are 10 spline with the flange fixed by 17mm headed bolts(10mm holes).Approx 10" from the flange there is a raised piece that has been machined(presumably to run in a beraing).My question is....is there a bearing that this runs on in the axle casing??

I know that earlier halfshafts that are 10 spline and held on by 9/16 bolts(approx 9.5mm holes) don't have this raised piece.

My reason for asking is that the shafts on mine are twisted just after the splines and i have a set of the earlier shafts, i can get the holes machined out to accept the bigger bolts,but there is no point if they need to have the face for the inner bearing.

I hope this makes sense and that someone can help??

thanks in advance

Neil.....

[ChrisW]

Neil, you need to drop a stub axle off and check inside the end that bolts to the axle if you have a needle roller bearing in there.

[Range Rover Blues]

I'm going to guess you have ABS on that car then.

The journal you describe is for the axle case to hub oil seal, or inner seal as it's known (even though it's outermost on the axle).,

On older RRC and early Disco there would have been an oil seal just inside the hub nuts and running on a large remable washer.  I don't expect you have this, you should have a normal thick washer behind the hubnuts.

You could run the older style halfshafts but then you will get diff oil into the wheel bearings and probably leaking from the 'outer' oil seal behind the disk.

Pretty ,uch any Disco or RRC with ABD up to the introduction of the 300 series (or RRC soft dash) will have the halfshafts you need.  On some Discos they might have been 2 peice (a straight shaft with outer drive member seperate, like your front hubs) and these will be fine.

[Disco_Stu]

RRB, you seem to know your onions...

I changed my 300Tdi rear axle for one off a 200tdi when my trailing arm bracket snapped. I reused my 300 discs and calipers and one of the wheel bearings.
I now appear to have an intermittant leak on the offside, basically a oily wheel.

Where do you think its coming from, or at least the most likely suspect? The inner oil seal on the stub is more to stop water and crap getting in I think, should there be an outer seal, because there isnt. I recall someone mentioning half shaft seals in the diff - do the exist/are they a possible cause?

I realise this is a shot in the dark but its lashing down outside and I cant be arsed taking the wheel off to have a look!!

Stu.

[Range Rover Blues]

I have a similar problem.
To try and clarify, the "outer" seal is the one that seals the hub from the atmosphere, even though it's on the inside of the hub.  Confusing but that's what you get with fully floating halfshafts.  The "inner" seal used to be on the end of the stub axle behind the hubnuts but on later cars with ABS it's right inside the stub axle and runs on the journal described at the top of this thread.

Part of the reason it was moved is because the older style is not 100% relilable and part was because some 2-peice halfshafts were introduced on the 200 series Disco and if these got EP90 on the back of the drive member they would leak.

Anyhoo, on the replacement axle, it sounds like you kept one of the hubs that was with it and replaced the other with one of your existing hubs.

If so then I'm going to guess it's the hub that swapped axles which now leaks, am I right.

Firstly can you confirm that the hub and axle "match" ie have the same type of "inner" seal.

If not then that's your big problem, but assuming everything is as it should be then I'd say your problem is the same as mine, the journal for the "outer" oil seal on the stub axle is rusty and it eats oil seals.  Once I swapped mine it's never been as good as the worn out original :? because it is running on a rough surface.  To make things worse my axles have the old style "inner" seal which doesn't stop oil getting into the bearings.

Although I keep the breathers clean it seems that oil is still bing pushed into the hub where is washes out the bearings and then leaks down the back of my disk.

My long term plan is to fit hubs and stub axles from a '93 ABS axle.

So, you need to check you have compatible styles of hub and that the half shaft is a close fit in the oil seal (a clean line where it runs is a good indicater).
Then check that the axle breather is not blocked.

Finaly check the condition of the oil seal journal on the stub axle, as that is the point where the oil is leaking.

[Disco_Stu]

Now I think about it, it probably is the swapped hub thats leaking, I've got some photos somwhere so I'll have to check which way the diff was pointing when I worked on it to be sure (it was off the car).

It sounds like I'm going to have to strip and and replace the seal or seals and see if that works. Its a 92 200 w/o ABS so that has both if I'm reading correctly.
Good job they're only £3 each :) and all the wading I've been doing I sohould probably grease the bearings anyway.

Thanks for the advice mate.

Stu.

[Dr Neil]

thanks for your help guys!!!

[Range Rover Blues]

Now I think about it, it probably is the swapped hub thats leaking, I've got some photos somwhere so I'll have to check which way the diff was pointing when I worked on it to be sure (it was off the car).

It sounds like I'm going to have to strip and and replace the seal or seals and see if that works. Its a 92 200 w/o ABS so that has both if I'm reading correctly.
Good job they're only £3 each :) and all the wading I've been doing I sohould probably grease the bearings anyway.

You should have single peice half shafts then and 2 seals within the hub itself.  At least they are easy to change ;)  If you have never done it I'd also check the axle breather, the oil vapour and a littl ebit of muck is allit takes to clog the thing.