cleaning grease from hubs

andrew honychurch · #1 07-02-11, 18:36

Being a rather lazy individual and trying to minimise the ingrained oil that gets on ones hand I am looking for an easy way to clean the thick grease from the wheel hubs on my Carrier. I need to send the wheels off to be blasted but the insides are stacked full of grease and its a time consuming and filfthy job. Can anyone think of a really easy way to do this please? I have thought of using a gentle blowtorch to melt it out, or cover it with solvent and jet wash. The latter will make an enormous ammount of mess where I steam clean. Maybe its just good old fashioned hard work, but worth asking the experts!

rob love · #2 07-02-11, 18:46

Remove the bulk of it with a putty knife. To get deeper into the hub recess, you can notch the side edge of the knife so the knife forms a bit of an L shape so you can scrape a bit deeper.

Then just use rags on the remaining grease, with some solvent on it to finish it all off.

You can wear gloves if you want to keep the grease from the hands. In my last stint in Kandahar, we would hand out the latex surgical gloves by the box for the mechanics to use.

Things seemed to change from my days as a mechanic. We weren't afraid to get out hands dirty.

You will want to watch for sand getting trapped in the grease nipple holes. It won't help your bearings down the road if you pump grease through the tacelamite fittings and force the sand towards the bearings.

andrew honychurch · #3 07-02-11, 21:27

not a bad solution! I was obviously going to take out the grease nipples and blow through with an air line afterwards. I shall pick up a putty knife at the weekend and try that. I have the surgical gloves but I must say the break very easily. Maybe I should try wearing two at a time? Anyway good advice. If anyone has an even easier solution please let me know as it still sounds like a fairly mucly job!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob Carriere · #4 07-02-11, 21:38

At the barn we let the other guy do it..... tell a friend of the trememdous sense of accomplishmnet he will have after cleaning out your hubs.....

Seriously disposable latex or blue nitrile gloves covered with the cheapest cotton gloves will work wonders...... the cotton will keep the rubber gloves from ripping or punctures........ cotton gloves can be purchased in bundles of 10 or 12..... if you use latex and some solvents/degreaser they may make the latex go soft and your gloves fingers will stretch to twice the size... then fall apart.

Caution.... some solvents....like chloroform for degreasing .....will migrate right through the gloves to your skin....then stay longer in contact with your skin under the glove ....... in a way you are better to not use gloves and have it evaporate quicker.....

While scrapping away at 60 years of hardened old grease/sand keep repeating to your self.....I do this for fun....I do this for fun....I do ......

Bob C

andrew honychurch · #5 07-02-11, 21:45

thanks Bob...I did one wheel this afternoon and was saying " I am doing this for fun" but actually I dont. I enjoy the fit up and the cleanish restoration stuff, but this is horrible. Its a plain old mucky discusting job and I felt sure there must be an easy way of doing it. Maybe the latex gloves within ghe cotton gloves will do. I like the idea of the putty knife to get the worst out and then MK1 finger to get out the rest before a solvent wash. I keep thinking I have done the most horrible job on this restoration and then I find another. Its a sort of masochism that I enjoy, but mainly I enjoy the finshed result!

Hanno Spoelstra · #6 07-02-11, 22:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew honychurch

I like the idea of the putty knife to get the worst out and then MK1 finger to get out the rest before a solvent wash.

Andrew,

I used wooden paint stirrers (the ones you get for free when you buy paint) to scrape out the grease. Set up the drum over a plastic oil changing tray. Use a spray can with brake cleaner/degreaser and an old brush to clean off the remains, this drips into the tray. If you take your time, your hands will not get that dirty.

HTH,
Hanno

Richard Farrant · #7 07-02-11, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew honychurch

Maybe the latex gloves within ghe cotton gloves will do. I like the idea of the putty knife to get the worst out and then MK1 finger to get out the rest before a solvent wash.

Hi Andrew,

Forget latex gloves, the best to use are vinyl, a lot stronger and will last longer, I use them for jobs such as yours and when painting.

Phil Waterman · #8 08-02-11, 00:17

Hi

While cleaning the grease out of what are basically wheel hubs is a nasty job, look at the issue of cleaning the grease out of the front ball drive units of CMPs packed with grease and gear oil is even nastier. As these units according to the book should be repacked every 5000 miles (who does that) are more of a challenge.

I've tried all the methods suggested and they all work but all are nasty, here are a couple of others, steam cleaning fast and but blows the old grease all over the place. Standing the whole thing in a 15 gallon drum of gasoline not bad but smokey the bear shows up as soon as you dispose of the gas grease combination by lighting it off, to much smoke.

Hot tank, this one works good as setting the whole ball unit in a tank of 180 degree degreaser works pretty good. Engine rebuild shops generally have these units for cleaning engines before they start rebuilding. Last time I went this route think it cost me $25 + a $5 dollar charge to dispose of the grease they skim of the tank.

Another approach that I use is a small hot water heater in my shop which I kick the thermostat up to about 140 F works pretty good. I actually use the water system in my C60S BEAUTY which provides hot water for the shower. At the end of the camping season I turn the thermostat on the 2.5 gallon instant hot heater up to 140 F then through a hose and spray head I have really hot water at about 2 gallons a minute which cuts through grease well.

I suspect that the grease in your Carrier is that really nasty dried out time of wheel bearing grease, in which case to really get it clean getting the unit warm is going to make all the difference in the world to getting it clean. Question are you leaving the bearing races you plan to use in the hubs while they are being sand blasted? If so be sure to cover them well with several layers of duct tape. One quick blast on a bearing race from a sand blasting nozzle and you will need to replace the bearings.

Cheers Phil