Augusta Rear Wheel Bearing Retaining Nuts

[Running Board]

I have been talking to Roy Wilcock today who is currently replacing the rear wheel bearing oil/grease seals on one side of his Augusta. 

The ring nut (part 31-2557 shown in TAV.11a) was pretty badly chewed up and although we've got around this for the moment, we are thinking about having some new nuts manufactured.  To this end, Roy has been talking to his engineering contacts around Skipton and the provisional price suggested by them is in the region of £25.00 each, provided we can get an order together for twenty or so.  The internal diameter would be made suitable for a modern lip-type grease retaining seal. 

The company would also really need an M65 x 1.5 "nut" to act as a go/no-go gauge so, unless anyone has either a totally scrap axle casing end, or a similarly scrap water pump pulley, this will have to be made.  This must have a through bore (not blind) and of course it would be sacrilege to wreck a usable pulley, for example, just to make a gauge. 

Roy may well put something about this venture in "Viva Lancia", but I offered to post this on the forum as we both felt that it would be more immediate.  I would be grateful if any interested parties would contact me with an indication of numbers required. 

Morris.

[JohnMillham]

I used slightly wider than original sealed bearings on my car, which seem to be working as they should. I therefore don't need any oil seals, as the bearings stop any oil getting out onto the brakes. The only drawback I can see is that the nut has to be a tad thinner than the original, in order that the split pin hole can line up with one of the nut's cut - outs, even after leaving out the washer 31-2829. It was an easy matter to remove a few thou' from the nut. An advantage is that there's no need for the complicated oil seals, washers and springs on the inside of the bearing, so half shafts with considerable wear in that area can be used. I'm pleased to report that my car is on the road again and that second gear is no noisier than first, now it has the new gears and bearings. Regards, John

[Running Board]

Good to hear that the second gear job was successful John.

However, in terms of the rear axle I don't feel that leaving out the Belleville washers (31-2829 and there should be two!) is a good idea as this allows the half shaft to float axially in the bearing centre raceway.  I too have fitted slightly wider bearings (20.00mm rather than 19.05mm) but opted for open construction and packed them with grease as I was retaining the original inner oil seals and replacing the outers with lip seals. 

Many years ago, I had a R***r P5 which had the same basic concept of rear wheel bearing and inner oil seal arrangement as the Augusta - but with sealed bearings as a standard fitment.  I too fitted a new bearing and ignored the inner seal but after a short while the axle oil penetrated the bearing, washing all the grease into the brake drum!  The seals are really aimed at keeping the grease inside the bearings but I don't think that they are necessarily very good at holding back EP90! 

I admit to having only ever having stripped three Augusta rear axles for rebuild, but in all cases the wear on the half-shaft collar (31-2553A) was the culprit, and these are easily machined off and replaced.  In all cases also, the actual oil seal was quite usable - it simply could not do its job on the worn half shaft collar. 

Morris. 

[JohnMillham]

I had a look the othr day and there's no sign of oil escaping past the sealed bearings (yet!) I'll certainly kep an eye on it. The trouble was, my car came to me with a terribly bodged oil seal arrangement and many of the original bits were simply missing. There was oil all over the brakes and none left in the back axle! The rest of the car was much the same, but it's slowly getting better.
 Regards, John   

[chugga boom]

this is the problem with 70 yr old cars, unfortunatly you never know who's worked on them and to what standard, had a cracker on my augusta where someone had filled the front n/s damper with grease instead of oil!!! easy mistake if you dont understand the cars but made driving the car awefull as there was NO suspension travel on that corner, as i've found with my car and i'm sure your the same with yours that as you go through the car clearing it of its bugs it really makes me smile that the car has improved again, all these little or big jobs help but are soon forgotten