1/2 SHAFT GASKETS?

[ZL1BBW]

Got the car turned round now, so the back comes out of the garage first and is more prone to be warm in the sun.

The half shafts, have a rubber O ring and a paper gasket, do people just rely on those with a wipe of grease on the paper gasket, or do you put some jointing compound into the equation?

Want to get it right the first time, rather than have oil all over the floor.

Comments opinions all gratefully received.

Thanks Gavin

[svenedin]

The earlier arrangement was just the gasket and that does tend to leak especially with the clamping force of the wheel removed such as when doing the brakes. Due to the leaks the hub was updated with the o-ring as well and that should not leak. The hub also has a lip seal that creates the seal around the axle. That leaks when the seal wears out and occasionally even with a new lip seal due to wear on the axle rubbing surface. Just greasing the gasket is sufficient but some people like to use Stag Wellseal. As with any sealant it's great until you have to struggle to separate the joint and spend ages cleaning off the goo. Then you wish you hadn't used a sealant......

Stephen

[philthehill]

Greasing of the gasket is sufficient.
Make sure that you have the correct thickness paper gasket as the thickness of the gasket determines the nip of the bearing in the hub. See wksp manual for details.

[mike1864]

My SII's nearside hub was always leaking onto the shoes. So I replaced it with a S/H groovy one. Strangely the offside was always OK.
If the wheel/drum are off for any length of time, it may help to bolt (nut?) the half shaft up (with spacers) to keep the pressure on.
And don't forget to occasionally unblock the tiny drain hole behind the back plate.

[jaekl]

To secure the joint when the drum is off, nip up the half shaft secure when the drum is still secure. The brake drum should be installed so the extra hole is aligned with the half shaft screw. Most important with a new O-ring.