Cleaning out factory grease...

[gamefoo21]

I have sealed on one side hub assembling... How do I get the factory grease out, so I can stuff it full of some better stuff?

It can't destroy rubber though, as it does need to keep the seal intact.

 

[tom slick]

what are you working on? what type of bearings does it have?

 

[gamefoo21]

It's a car, they are ball bearings, and they are in the suspension/drivetrain.

 

[Kestas]

Only with copious amounts of solvent using strong turbulent flow and flushing for a long time.

I don't think you'd be able to properly and completely wash out the factory grease on a practical level.

I have trouble cleaning them even when they're all apart, especially the seal grooves.

 

[gamefoo21]

That's what I was figuring...

So something like a varsol parts washer, with a spray nozzle, and maybe a warming unit, something to keep the solvent around 30-40c.

?

 

[Kestas]

You'll never get all of it out of the nooks and crannies in the bearing cavity.

 

[gamefoo21]

Well... it'll have to do, because this particular unit is a Hub, and it's not even supposed to be user servicable. It goes bad, it goes in the trash, and then you have to hunt down another, and pay through the nose if you can find it.

Better than nothing I suppose.

 

[Kestas]

No, it's not better than nothing. You'll mix solvent with the remaining grease that you won't be able to get out. Once you pack in the new grease, the solvent will change the lubrication properties of the grease, making it worse than before.

Manufacturers use rather good grease in their bearings. The original grease charge can easily last a long time (the life of the vehicle), as long as the seals keep the water and contaminants out, and the grease in.

It's not the grease you should be worried about, it's the seals.

 

[Howard]

I like the solvent idea. After all the grease is flushed out I would flush with alcohol and then let it dry. There should not be any remaining residue to contaminate the new grease.