4x4 axle knuckles

[DANNY COLE]

I have a 1963 f250 4x4. Can anyone tell me how the knuckle on the front axles stays lubed and how to check the lube to see if it is low. I do not want to damage them while driving.

[slick4x4]

Here's a video a guy made on utube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S-nup1fqthc

[DANNY COLE]

Thanks for the youtube link. This told me what I needed to know

[tomsrod]

When I first read this post and watched the video, I thought 140wt couldn't be right since my Ford manual calls for 80/90wt and it would get mixed with the front differential 80/90wt. I checked the Dana manuals and found 140wt is indeed correct for the knuckles and that there is an oil seal on the axle shafts near the differential. So when the weather gets a little better, I'm going to drain the knuckles of the 80/90wt and put 140wt in. Thanks for the post, it seems you can learn something new every day.

Pat

[ICEMAN6166]

interesting, i knew the later fronts had seals at the diff but i did not know the closed ones had them
learning after many years too

heres a diagram

[tomsrod]

I'm not finding 140wt locally. I even checked John Deere and TSC, but no luck. Not much on a Google search so I'll probably go with a 50/50 mix of Lucas 85w140 and STP.

[slick4x4]

My "recipe" for extra thick oil....
This stuff won't hardly go thru a loose seal
But it will "flow" to bearings
Take your grease gun and pump the device
(Steering box) (knuckles) about 1/3 - 1/2 full
Then fill the rest with 90w
It will mix up with use and turn into a gooey consitancy of ...
Thick oil !

[ICEMAN6166]

bear in mid there is no pressure lubing happening, the hole for the unused fitting and the lack of rubbers on the caps is the only way for lube to get to the roller pins inside so , especially in cold temps the thicker the oil, the longer it takes to flow.

i guarantee that at the extreme below 0 temps the u joint in 140w lube is similar to trying to stir a 5 gallon bucket of ice cream with a boat oar.

thought about this post for a while and decided a few things

never in all my years of running these axles i never had any issues with the normal 80-90 oil

the only place it can actually come out of the axle is at the outer knuckle seals,the felt and rubbers on the ball so leaking from the diff thru the tubes to the knuckles is not a big deal to me at all and as long as they stay full not a problem unless your on an extreme sideways almost rollover angle they are not going to run dry

lot of work to replace those inner seals, unless your tearing down an entire front end for diff bearings or changing ring and pinion i dont think i would worry much about those