I had a feeling you would say that re the seals Glyn, I am gradually getting my head around lubricants, but there is a lot (and I mean a lot) that I don't know, it is one of those things that like Chemistry to me just don't seem to gel in my head, I have read the thread and it is very informative, the more I read and from different well based explanations the more I think I understand.

 

Excuse that Audi **** at the end of the thread. I could not be bothered to respond. He simply does not get it.

The basics of lubrication are not that difficult but a face to face meeting with a large Powerpoint presentation with lots of good pictures would make it a lot easier. I desperately try not to use industry jargon but the acronyms used are daunting. We all have our mental blocks & then suddenly you grasp it & it's like turning on a light bulb. As I used to say to my staff. Anything is easy when you know how. "We will get you there" ~ and we usually did. My personal block to learning some things in my youth was a reluctance to ask questions lest I make a fool of myself in my own eyes in front of others ~ how stupid! Who cares what others think if you are learning. I still suffer from it to a degree but today I'm not as shy to ask those vital questions.

 

TJ ~ another thing that irritates me is that the so called "classic oils", blended by these boutique blenders are ultra cheap to formulate 20W-50's & 20W-60's using ancient cheap additive technology at low treat, bags of VI Improver (Viscosity Modifier in US speak) that is cheap milled polymer & cheap Group 1 mineral Base Oils & have the nerve to charge a premium price for a product that should be cheaper than a nasty cheerful parts store house brand made with line wash.

 

Me too Glyn, but that's not classic oils alone, that surely applies to many oils and additives, I think the only reason the manufacturers don't get pulled by Tradings Standards (not sure what they would be called around the world) is that most people do not understand and read the labels and buy by wording, there must be Millions of pounds/dollars made from the sale of "Myth" Oils and Additives that cannot do what is proclaimed on the label.

One cannot even go by price alone, as you say companies charge a premium for these "snake oil" blends, with the price based on the wording and not on the quality of the contents !

For my edification, what are you opinions on the Moly additives, they have been around for years, I have a couple of older vans that are a little noisy on the rear axle and have been considering chucking in some Moly to help them see some more miles before they see the scrap yard, they are not worth investing in rebuilding the rear diffs so this is a case of sticking on a plaster, but if it helps I would do it.

 

Indeed TJ ~ there is an entire "Mouse Milk" industry/trade out there selling expensive additions that do nothing but screw up researched, proven & balanced formulations & take them out of spec. Caveat Emptor.

Good old MoS2 is still a good & viable lubricant or additive. It is more suitable as an addition to grease than lubricating oil. Trouble in oil is keeping it in suspension. It will ultimately dump out & end up in the bottom of the casing. One possible solution is one of our developments that we have dropped exclusivity on & now sell to others in the industry is Potassium Borate technology where the additive is held in suspension by powerful dispersants. It will actually allow some controlled wear/plastic deformation of the wear scars on a crownwheel & pinion or any gear set due to it's large film thickness. An axle would become quieter over time with it's use. Problem is I have no idea of availability in the UK & smallest pack would be 20 litres. Most Borate sales go to heavy industry. Another possible route is a GL6 SAE 140. (GL6 products are rare today because the test axle is no longer manufactured.)

However once pinion bearing preload is lost usually due to bearing damage by wear debris coming off the CW & P these things are bandaids as you say. That said a howling axle can go a long way.

 

Thanks Glyn, I fitted a new pinion and bearings, but not the crown wheel as this was not too bad at all and too expensive to justify the cost on the truck, pre load set and CW set up, it's pretty good, but was looking for some extra help, the Potassium Borate tech looks really good, but cannot find any product searching Google for it, I can find Redline GL5 75/140 gear oil which they state meets GL6, can you give me a product name or link to help me start searching, or do I just chuck in some Moly and STFU ?

The truck does not do many miles, but is a very handy hauler just a workhorse that gets pretty abused.

 

Hi TJ ~ I have a policy of not promoting my old firm on forums. All the majors make fine products & have strengths in certain areas. I note our Ultragear is withdrawn from Europe. (bean counters again!)

I'm no great fan of Redline because they weasel word their way around things in much of their literature.

That said ~ this should hold that axle together for a while longer.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-1023-re...l-75w-140.aspx

 

Thanks Glyn, I'll order some