Eric wrote:
> I have a trickle of oil from my right axle into the brake housing.
>
> What I would like to know is it possible to replace the bearing and oil
> seal without disassembling the entire rear axle.
Eric:
Unfortunately, Jarrid is correct. I went through all of this back in
September of last year when my left rear oil seal gave up on my Series I
vintage racer. You DO have to remove the entire axle from the car and you
DO have to remove the hub from the axle. The seal is not mounted on the
rear end housing like one would see on most American cars; thus, when you
pull the axle, it comes out with the entire assembly. The factory shop
manual for my Series I doesn't really go into great detail on how to replace
the seal, but you'll find it's self-explanatory when you get into it.
Pulling the hub, as Jarrid mentioned, is the most difficult part of the
task. In fact, a friend of mine and I broke his puller trying to get the
hub off the axle (and that was with the axle out of the car...)! If you
want to try, however, to remove the hub with the axle in the car, you can do
so. Just be very careful; more than likely, you're going to find that it's
going to take more force to remove the hub from the axle than you can
realistically apply to it with the axle in the car. I would recommend
taking the axle to a shop that is properly equipped to handle such a job.
You'll be ahead in the long run if you do that. Other than that, the job is
a snap, although the gaskets involved on the brake backing plate and dust
cover are a little tedious to work with. Just use a good grade of gasket
sealer (not too much...) on them and you'll be fine.
One other tip...make sure you use anti-seize compound on the axle and hub
when you reassemble them. If you ever have to do this again, it should be
much less dramatic to get them apart.
Good luck,
Andy Walker
Edmond, OK
'67 Sunbeam Tiger Mk1A
60 Sunbeam Alpine Series I vintage racer
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