closed knuckle lube

[citizendick]

on my d44 hd there is no sign of leakage, probably leaked out long ago but assuming there is oil in the knuckles can it be drained or do i pump it out? also found the axle tag still in place but i can't seem to decipher it,but i'll bet some of you guys can help me. 4:09 d3ta-ha 603396-1 thanks dick

[heep70]

It is a Dana 44 open 4.09 gear. More then likely a light duty (small ball). These are most common.

There has been a few different opinions on lube. Some use gear lube others pack with bearing grease and even some use a mix of the two. The problem is that the seals and wipers leak. I just pack mine with bearing grease.

[citizendick]

i was thinking the 140w grease mix through the fill hole, do i pump out any old lube? mine has 12 bolts holding the retainers on does that make it hd? thanks for the tag deciphering your good dick

[tomsrod]

When you remove the bottom retainer bolts on the wiper seals, the fluid will drain out. You will need to put new seals in and then refill with 85w-90 or wheel bearing grease.

[heep70]

12 bolt is the HD style . Take care of it. If you see any selector knobs get them. They are hard to find.

Also the seals and wipers for the back of the knuckle are really hard to locate. You might be forced to pack the ball with grease until you find new wipers. Good luck

[tomsrod]

The bottom bolts are the drain plugs. If you unscrew one of them, any fluid that is in there will start to drain out. You would not need to remove the seals. You may want to call Jeff's Bronco Graveyard to see if they have them or will be getting any soon. I do see them on ebay from time to time.

[tomsrod]

Bronco Graveyard does show they have them. In the search box type in part #21701 for the small 8 bolt wiper seal kit or #21702 for the large 12 bolt kit.

[fomocoguy]

You really need to pull that bottom bolt and drain them first, as when I did mine a bunch of water came out. The theory goes that when they are not in use condensation builds up in there and eventually you have a bunch of water in the knuckle. It won't hurt the seal to pull the one bolt and drain them. The factory recommended gear lube is 140w for the knuckles.

[mljjones67]

Will someone post some pics of what is being discussed here? Thanks

[tomsrod]

I think I figured out how to post a photo here. Photo of the smaller wiper seal from Bronco Graveyard.

[citizendick]

thanks for all the info, i feel better knowing i can drain them, i was sure pumping them out wasn't going to work that well.don't know what kind of service this truck has had so i want make sure all the lubes are good. thanks citizendick