I need to add grease to my front wheel hubs. I don't know the type of grease already in the hub.

Is it possible to just add grease w/o cleaning the entire assembly? If so, what type/brand of grease?

If I need to pull the hubs, clean them out, which type/brand of grease should I use?

Thanks!

NLGI 2 (the grease viscosity) rated for auto wheel bearing use.

Volvo grease in the small tubes is a lithium soap complex, if I recall correctly.

Phil Machine Man will correct me here.

So, you'd want mineral or synthetic grease of the same soap complex. Synthetic seem more forgiving when mixing different soap complex types.

The front hub assembly uses a rubber grease seal, incorrectly documented in Haynes, on the inside to limit grease loss. The seal become brittle and the seal wears, accelerating grease loss.

Don't neglect the rear wheel bearings also. They need an inspect, cleansing, and new grease repack well before the bearing and race wears as to cause the inner and outer wheel bearing seal to fail.

A great time to inspect the rear hub works, such as the parking brake shoes and assembly. More so with alloy wheels as the alloy causes corrosion of the more noble ferrous alloys comprising the hub works.

When the inner seal fails, differential oil will migrate in the rear wheel bearing well. The differential lube and the tapered roller bearings are quite incompatible.

Hope that helps you on your Monday.
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My 1980 and 1988 have front wheel bearings that I've repacked, but the rear wheels seem to have sealed bearings that I can't repack. Is the 1993 model year different?

Hi Mike,

As in other reply recent reply posts, the solid 'live' axle rear wheel bearings on RWD Volvo, including 240, are serviceable.

I had a Bentley 240 manual bible, and helping another and their 1986 240 meant mines disappeared. I get too focused on the help and not the manual left out for reference for some under hood thing the guy was having problems with.

On my 1997 imprint of the Haynes manual, you say you have both service manuals, beginning in Chapter 8 Clutch and Driveline, on at chapter 8, section 15, are the photographically greyscale illustrated steps to removal of the (left or right side) rear axle shaft. The assembley uses an outer and inner seal and an outer and inner bearing race with the tapered bearings secured (pressed) onto the axle.

Unlike the front wheel bearings and the castle nut, the rear wheel bearing are not adjustable. Over time, grease is lost, and the factory pressed in grease is lost as well as degrades. I'd imagine service interval for insp-ection and grease pack renewal is perhaps 30-50k miles? Yet the 240 rear wheel bearings go unserviced until a problem with the rear hub become apparent to the oowner / operator.

As the roller bearings wear, the grease collects the fine metal particle, and can hasten wear. As the tapered roller bearings wear, there is some movement of the rear shaft in the bearing, causing wear to the factory installed light or sea green blue inner and outer seals.

The inner seal loses, well, seal, and differential lube seeps and than leaks from the differential sump (includes the axle tubes) into the rear wheel bearing chamber. Wear accelerates and than you get the ominous drip of differential grease at the axle end, wetting the parking brake bits and dripping onto the wheel and tire.

Differential oil deteriorates tire rubber also in time.

You get to the point of rear brake rotor remval. You disassemble the parkiung brake assembly and remove. Four very strong bolts secure the axle half-shaft end-plate to the axle housing. Slides out.

You need to prep by chocking the front tires on a level surface, secureing the axle or body safely on axle stands, draining the differential, and than getting at the axle.


If a regular inspection and service, you can clean out the bearing well and cleanse the roller bearing race. Use solvent free stuff to remove any remaining grease. Though solvent-free stuff to not harm the seals.

You inspect the roller bearings and races they roll on (inner and outer) for scoring. If the bearings were allowed to run nearly dry or dry, excess heat and 'blue' the metal. Means you have to replace the bearings and seals.

Neatly Work in new grease (wear nitrile gloves) into the bearing race. And pack grease into the bearing well to around. I guiess up to nearly full, with some sort of air bubble. For some reason I recall like 2/3 or 2/4 full in the bearing well. Maybe more. I dunno.

You can find you tube videos and also threads here on your brickboard on the topic that are photo-image-illustrated.

If you are in a slat and snow reagion, or the axle hosts a long time install of alloy wheels, expect rust. And that rust can work into the four bolts securing the end plate. Take time. Kroil. Tap the bolt heads. Check for other methods to beark the factory torque / bond or (hope not) rusty-enhanced bond.

As you say one of your two 240s is leaking diff fluid at the rear wheel, expect to replace the bearing bits and seals. SKF makes both and Timken makes the bearings.

Though check with a Volvo dealer ship as to parts and availability.

When removing the outer bearing race pressed into the axle, in no way damage, nick, scratch the axle. The pressed on race seals against the axle shaft diameter. Keep this in mind should or, another, or your auto machinist remove these for you.

Many threads here on your brickboard and Turbobricks that make suggestion to remove this rear outer axle bearing race.

I have to do this to all three 240s. Not ever been serviced as they usually are not.

The only procedure I'll write all week. Huzzah.

Questions?

Hope that helps. Auf to werks - no technical procedure to write.

Instant Tea no Longer Tastes like Tea, boyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Theobromine delights, in black tea and chocolate.


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KGV,

I just read your reply here and am soon to service my rear bearings as one of the seals must have failed and I now have a nice whine coming from my rear end and a clunk as well that is not suspension related as all bushings are new and poly.

My question to you is this, my bearing kits came from FCP, and the bearings are already pre-lubed. Is the grease that is already packed into these bearings sufficient the way it is, or should I clean out the grease and add more?

Also, is more grease required on the bearing when you place the axle back in to the rear end?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

Thanks.

You wrote: "Four very strong bolts secure the axle half-shaft end-plate to the axle housing. Slides out."

Are you referring tot he rear axle bearing retainer (lock plate), as in Fig. 4 on p. 460-2 to 460-3 of the Haynes Manual?

If so, the tightening torque for those four bolts is only 22-36 ft-lbs. Is that correct?

Also, on page 460-2, Fig. 5, Bentley recommends Volvo special tools to remove the axle and the axle bearing. Are there any inexpensive after-market tools that I can use for that portion of the job?

Unlike the front wheel bearings, on the rear wheel bearing it appears that there's only one wheel bearing, the one pressed into the axleshaft. Is that correct?

Either way, it's unclear what part of the axle or axle plate (not sure of correct term) that I attach the tool to to remove the axle and the axle bearing.

Thanks

Thanks. Now I finally found that section in Haynes. If I'm lucky and just need to repack the bearings, do I still need a hydraulic press to remove the locking seal? Just to be clear, I think you were referring to OP about leaking differential fluid. I have no leaks anywhere on the rear axle. However, on the front wheel bearings, there were scratch marks on the bearings that were pressed in on the brake rotors (but the tapered bearings were okay), which made a humming noise when driving. I repacked the bearings and the noise disappeared (or is very subtle).

Thanks

Hi Mike,

Happy Sat-Your-Day. I see your post about high nitrogen oxides in the your 1988 Volvo 240 exhaust. That's next.

At least I get to write. I do not write a thing all week at this cGMP jobg. Merely chase paper cats (docs for review and signing). I strongly prefer writing and technical illustrating my own content, like posting to the brickboard.

My dream would be to start at Volvo AB in 1948 doing that. Writing owner manuals and factory shop green manuals and manufacturing instructions. Though illustrated press / print / typeset methods at the time would be slow. Take my own photos with Kodak Retina with Rodenstock lens. Retire in 1998, at the end of RWD Volvo. Ha-ha.

The front hub has one tapered bearing set that 'rides' on the stub axle spindle and the hub (with tire lug studs) that 'ride' on the tapered bearing race. Sealed under that dome cap on the outside and a lip seal on the inside. Haynes shows the backside of a 140 / 160 hub on page 1-26 where a ball peen hammer is show to seat the seal. Remains wrong. Bentley is correct. And you adjust the castle nut to torque. I loosely mount the tire and give it a spin to better seat the race to adjust for proper castle nut torque / bearing assmbly free play. Don't forget the cotter key!


I'm confooosed " ... there were scratch marks on the bearings that were pressed in on the brake rotors ... "

The rotor secures to the hub using two bolt size M??? where you use a 10 mm socket or wrench to free the rotor from the hub. You have the bolt and also the hub alignment pin that fits through the smal,l alignment hole in the wheel if you want to pay for an on hub spin balance that no one seems to perform anymore.
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Thank you - very helpful.

I did a bit more reading today and think I'll clean and repack the bearings. This will give me a chance to inspect things a bit closer.

I'm going to look for Mobil 1 or Red Line CV-2 synthetic grease.

Thanks again!