Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

[Antichrist]

4. I want to replace all bearings and seals. Are there any suggestions on improved bearings? The bearings in the third member are new. One thing about rover axles is that the seals always leak. Mine are starting to weep a bit. I do remember someone mentioning a better replacement axle seal. Does anyone know the part number?

I missed the bit in your post.
Are you talking hub bearings, diff bearings, or all of the above? I don't have the diff bearing #'s but can look in the garage if you need them. Hubs are Timken Set37, SKF BR37, ****** KIT38 or National A37
Clean out your breathers is the first thing to do for leaking axles. Is it the hub oil seal you're asking after? That's the one I mentioned, RTC3511

edit to add National PN.

 

[jeepfreak]

You're trapped in a time warp, Tom. The Neapco joints have been out-sourced to China; even the PDQ part. They're not made or lasting nearly as well as they once were.

But the 5-4x joint did have the zirk in the end cap. Rookie.

As far as the needle bearings being a different size, you are correct. As far as the cap's being the same size, you are correct there, too. As for one having a 1/4" longer cap, yes, that's 25% more grease.

The real difference lies here in this pic below. A u-joint is just a u-joint, right? Pfff.

 

[muskyman]

Scott

so why the dislike for the sewer cap?

they are total bomber, they increase the oil volume without having to over fill the diff and they make the housing look like a baby unimog housing.

whats not to like?

 

[Scott Brady]

am scared to own one

Run away

 

[Scott Brady]

Ditch that idea from France. Have the French ever made anything good? Even their wine is so-so.

If that French product kept the diff pan looking totally stock, that would be killer. But it doesn't. You may as well install those sewer caps.

LOL.

That was just an FYI. I do not intend to install the French product, or the sewer caps. I just cannot bring myself to it. I am not saying that my choice is right, or even close to it, but the Mantec makes sense for this truck - to me.

Do the D-90 set-up.

Sold.
I am going to call Tim. I am unimpressed with the braking of the Disco, which is pretty light overall (over stock). I hate the ABS on this truck, and will remove the whole thing.

Just do it. Great Basin is high as a Graffias's a** when it comes to.......anything. Take Bill's number out of your speed-dial.

Lucky 8 has Ashcroft rear axles, with a warranty, for $388.00. You can't beat that.

Up front, Lucky 8 also has the Ashcroft kit, but the price is less attractive. $1,100 (ouch!). But help is on the way. Rover Track's has a "new" product with a lifetime warranty for the front. I do not know the price of the Rover Track's front end kit, but rumor has it under $800.00. Just a rumor. I spoke with Keith recently and his new kit is about to be released very soon (if not already?).

Interesting comment about GBR. I have always found Bill to be enjoyable and he was right on it with the third members. The pattern looks really good. GBR has several new axles out, but they are too new to have a reputation yet, either way.

I do want the upgraded axles. With a manual trans., heavy truck and lockers, it is just asking for it, like in the middle of Baja.

Ditch the 3.90 gears.

If I had done diesel, it was perfect. Now that I am likely going to keep the V8, you are right. The 4.11 or 4.14 would be better. I always gear my trucks really low, and never regret it. At least the 3.90s are strong. . .

One more thing. Drill out your diff breather vent lines to 1/2" and run your lines into the top of the engine compartment. No one makes an off-the-shelf manifold (that I know if), but have one made and run all of your diff breather lines into the manifold. Transmission vent line and all. Then run a single breather line even higher.

Sweet. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Scott Brady]

I missed the bit in your post.
Are you talking hub bearings, diff bearings, or all of the above? I don't have the diff bearing #'s but can look in the garage if you need them. Hubs are Timken Set37, SKF BR37 or ****** KIT38.
Clean out your breathers is the first thing to do for leaking axles. Is it the hub oil seal you're asking after? That's the one I mentioned, RTC3511.

Thanks. I am set on the diff bearings (with the new thirds), but want to swap out the rear axle bearings and front hub bearings.

I will check the breathers, but the bigger breather and longer/higher line idea seems like the ticket.

 

[Scott Brady]

Scott

so why the dislike for the sewer cap?

they are total bomber, they increase the oil volume without having to over fill the diff and they make the housing look like a baby unimog housing.

whats not to like?

I just can't do it.

Just being honest. . .

 

[hochung]

Please, no sewer cap.

 

[JSQ]

Here are the items I think we need to finish the axles up: Any help or feedback would be appreciated!

A stock u-joint driveshaft will be more than fine.
Don't even bother yourself with this semantic u-joint discussion. The only people who need to spend their time with such things are those who are prone to having a tractor pull with a dualie late at night outside a bar.

Get whatever rear halfshafts you like. Any of them should be good enough. It's just a matter of who you like and want to give your money to.
In the front I'd be careful with that ARB. If you put in really tough halfshafts and CVs you're going to be stressing that 3.91 R&P which doesn't have a reputation for being the strongest. (It's the Santana made gearset from Bill, right?) I'd rather upgrade the CVs and keep the halfshafts stock and carry spares so they can act as the fuse as LR intended.


Mantec diff guards do look nice. I have SafariGard covers on the disco but I like the Mantec on the front of the 110 much better. You'll need to tether the rear guard or you'll lose it (the front is captured by the panhard rod). After a lot of time under the rear of the disco banging the cowbell back on I finally RTVed the diff guards in place. They haven't gotten knocked off since. It works surprisingly well.

Go ahead and do the D-90 caliper and rotor swap. It's worth it.
I'm not sure why you want to pull the ABS block so badly. One of the nice thing about the Disco1 is that all you have to do to disable the ABS is pull one 15amp fuse and the system functions as it should. I wouldn't even mess with it. It's just not worth the hassle.

I don't know about all this big bore breather business.
You either have fresh open breathers or they're old and clogged. It's not really a CFM issue. I don't know why you need some large diameter tubing to properly vent the diffs. In fact if you want you can eliminate the tubing altogether and switch to the early pressure relief valve breather.

 

[Antichrist]

You're trapped in a time warp, Tom. The Neapco joints have been out-sourced to China; even the PDQ part. They're not made or lasting nearly as well as they once were.

Odd, considering that they have "Made in USA" stamped on the u-joint itself. Including the ones I bought just a few weeks ago.

But the 5-4x joint did have the zirk in the end cap. Rookie.

Spicer out-sources the 5-4x u-joints, they still list them and sell them. The 5-4x's I bought many years ago when Spicer was still making them didn't have the zerk in the end cap. I expect any you've seen with zerks in the end cap were actually made by Neapco.

As for one having a 1/4" longer cap, yes, that's 25% more grease.

I didn't say the caps were .25" longer, I said the u-joint was. But I was wrong, the 1310 is 0.281" longer. But even if it did hold 25% more grease I stand by my statement that the most important lube related factor in u-joint longevity is greasing them properly.

A u-joint is just a u-joint, right? Pfff.

Who said that?
Here's the side by side you asked for. The 1310 is on the left.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Scott, have you considered the QT diff guards? They're a little less elegant looking than the Mantec, but I like the design, helps slide over obstacles. I know you're not *supposed* be hitting things with them anyway, but out east you can't see what's hiding in the mud and water anyway.

You could paint them black before putting them on and they'd be less noticable.

 

[traveltoad]

Scott, have you considered the QT diff guards? They're a little less elegant looking than the Mantec, but I like the design, helps slide over obstacles. I know you're not *supposed* be hitting things with them anyway, but out east you can't see what's hiding in the mud and water anyway.

You could paint them black before putting them on and they'd be less noticable.

I had the QT and had problems with leaks at the 3rd member/axle housing joint. I got rid of the QT and have not had a leak since.

 

[Antichrist]

From a longevity and maintenance perspective, a pipe cap is defiintely the better choice.
Level of protection can't be beat.
Never a worry about knocking it off.
Never a worry about crud being wedged between a guard and diff pan causing the diff pan to rust out.
Easier access to the filler plug than on most diff covers I've seen.

 

[muskyman]

I don't know about all this big bore breather business.
You either have fresh open breathers or they're old and clogged. It's not really a CFM issue. I don't know why you need some large diameter tubing to properly vent the diffs. In fact if you want you can eliminate the tubing altogether and switch to the early pressure relief valve breather.

The bigger breather improves the operation of ARB's by a huge amount. The factory breathers are really undersized and gear oil will get pushed into them and clog up. once they do get clogged the seals will leak and gear oil will get pushed back up the high pressure line and slow the activation of the locker.

In cold weather the locker can stop working because the compressor can not clear the line.

If a truck is going to be used in wet conditions all this becomes even more important because as the housing and the gear oil heat up if the breather is plugged it will then draw moisture back in past the seals when it cools. Having the breather high in the engine compartment gives it a much better chance of drawing back in dry air.

 

[Mike_rupp]

I wonder if the pipe cap naysayers don't like it because they lack the skills to install one? I surely don't have the skills, but I still think they are the cats ***.