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Still think grease is grease? I used to pack wheel bearings with whatever was on the shelf
For 10 years I just grabbed the tub of multipurpose grease at the auto parts store and called it good. Then last summer I rebuilt a customer's hubs on a vintage Peugeot and had to replace the bearings again inside 6 months because the grease broke down. Switched over to a proper marine grade lithium grease and those same hubs came back for a tuneup last week with zero play. Anyone else have a grease fail on them or am I the only one who learned this the hard way?
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dakotawood12d ago
Wait, only 6 months and the bearings were already toasted? That's wild. I've been lucky I guess but I've definitely had some cheap grease turn into liquid when the hubs got hot.
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jordanc3212d ago
Six months before grease failure, that's insane, something had to be off with the seals or packing.
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Did you ever stop to think that maybe the Peugeot's bearings were just worn out already? I mean, you rebuilt them with new parts and the grease failed, but if the hub itself had some old wear or a slight misalignment, that could chew up bearings no matter what grease you use. I get that marine grade stuff is thicker and handles heat better, but multipurpose grease works fine for most cars if you pack it right and check it every couple years. The real issue might be how you packed the hub or if the seals were shot letting dirt in. I've used cheap grease for decades on my own trucks and never had a bearing go in six months. Something else was probably going on there.
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