alko chassis greasing

[charliesgrandad]

Auto trail motorhome on alko chassis with twin rear axles , on applying grease via the nipples underneath on one the grease can be seen coming out at the end of the axle tube next to the swinging arm is this normal or is the axle in need of replacement/repair

 

[bobandjanie]

Make sure you jack it up to grease, yes ours came out, you know you have it in there then. Bob.

 

[Clarky]

Seem to recall someone saying that you only know there is enough grease in there when it starts oozing out of the end.

I wonder how many owners have their axles greased?
It's a problem because the motorhome dealers don't do it as part of a hab service, they don't have things like grease guns.
Most garages that deal with the engine/chassis service also don't use grease guns these days and wouldn't know about Al-Ko axles anyway.
I take my van to Simpsons at Great Yarmouth for engine/chassis service as they are motorhome as well as Fiat Professional dealers so they understand what needs doing.

Richard.

 

[Sheddy]

Our local Fiat Motorhome workshop in Swansea grease the axles as part of the major service, well that's what they tell me!
Cheers
Ed

 

[tboy]

I understand jack up , leave wheels on dropping down suspension,then grease.
terry

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Speve]

Premier Motorhomes, Birdham, Chichester. Grease the back axle in their service schedule.

 

[pappajohn]

I believe ALKO recommend X number of pumps on a manual grease gun for each nipple.
It shouldn't leak out the end, it has a rubber oil seal.

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

Auto trail motorhome on alko chassis with twin rear axles , on applying grease via the nipples underneath on one the grease can be seen coming out at the end of the axle tube next to the swinging arm is this normal or is the axle in need of replacement/repair

Unless the wheels are hanging with no load on the axle, the grease cannot get to the parts under load and therefore the important bits.
Only 2 pumps each side or you will damage the seals which not only keep the grease in but the grit out.
Also needs to be moly grease ie the black stuff.

 

[icantremember]

Another advantage of HPC hydraulic jacking system (other inferior systems are available ) greasing AlKo axle is a doddle.

 

[Lenny HB]

I believe ALKO recommend X number of pumps on a manual grease gun for each nipple.
It shouldn't leak out the end, it has a rubber oil seal.

Yep, 5-6 pumps any more and you can pop the seal out. Sounds like that may have happened.
I got my dealer to do it with the annual damp check, didn't even charge me

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Offagaingr8]

Another advantage of HPC hydraulic jacking system (other inferior systems are available ) greasing AlKo axle is a doddle.

Yes used my HPC hydraulics, with wooden blocks under the wheels, with a 1/2 inch gap (you never know) so no load on rear axles. 4 to 5 pumps like you say a doddle.

 

[charliesgrandad]

Make sure you jack it up to grease, yes ours came out, you know you have it in there then. Bob.

As it appears from various sources that the grease should not come out does it not cause you any concern that it has on yours, how long have you been running the van since it first came out?
I have emailed Alko for there advice

 

[bobandjanie]

That was in 2007, we have 3 more motorhomes since then.
It wouldn't concern me, because we were in haulage when we worked, and when greasing trucks and trailers the grease always came out.
Lack of grease would concern me. Bob.

 

[gus-lopez]

It starts to get harder to pump in when it is full. If they have never been done 30 pumps won't fill them or pop the seals out.

 

[mitzimad]

popping the seal with grease will not allow dirt in the seal will move back in time and theres nowhere for dirt to enter as its full of grease

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[charliesgrandad]

I had a very long conversation with a very pleasant and informative guy at https://www.fraserbrowneng.co.uk/ (They amongst other things remanufacture Alko axles) today and he said it was not a lot to worry about and the seal can be replaced very easy without stripping anything down and he even offered to send me the seal free of charge.
The thing he was most keen to point out that the greasing points that Alko provide are not fit for purpose and when they have axles in to rebuild they always fit 2 grease points to each end of the axle that get the grease to where it should be, he went to great lengths to explain with detailed measurements how easy it is for a competent diy'er to fit them themselves
Very impressed with this company did not try to sell me anything and had the time to give free advice and free seals

 

[Hettie's Crew]

he went to great lengths to explain with detailed measurements how easy it is for a competent

diy'er to fit them themselves


That would be useful to share with us all.

 

[charliesgrandad]

The idea is to put 2 grease nipples at each end of the axle by drilling a 5mm hole and cutting thread for new grease nipple the new nipples do not have to be on the underside like they are originally they can be front rear or top whichever is the easiest to reach with the grease gun. the axle is about 6mm thick. drill through this then slowly keep drilling another 2.5mm checking till you get a yellow shaving on the end of the drill bit.
The first hole should be drilled 50mm from the end of the axle tube, that is the end that shows on the outside of the chassis and the second one 260mm from the same end. Thread the holes and screw in the nipples
If you watch this video the above is part of what they are doing

I am sure that if you wanted it from the horses mouth the man from Fraser brown would be only too happy to talk to you

 

[SIFTA SAM]

The idea is to put 2 grease nipples at each end of the axle by drilling a 5mm hole and cutting thread for new grease nipple the new nipples do not have to be on the underside like they are originally they can be front rear or top whichever is the easiest to reach with the grease gun. the axle is about 6mm thick. drill through this then slowly keep drilling another 2.5mm checking till you get a yellow shaving on the end of the drill bit.
The first hole should be drilled 50mm from the end of the axle tube, that is the end that shows on the outside of the chassis and the second one 260mm from the same end. Thread the holes and screw in the nipples
If you watch this video the above is part of what they are doing

I am sure that if you wanted it from the horses mouth the man from Fraser brown would be only too happy to talk to you

I would not attempt this modification as a DIY project for the simple reason that any drilling or tapping for the additional nipple could introduce some metal particles/dust into the axle which would then be circulated with the grease around the internal bushes during use.
The video shows the drilling being done with the outer ends of the axle 'open', and thereby enabling the inside of the axle to be cleaned and any metal particles to be removed prior to assembly, as is normal.