2001 Disco 2 SE7 Change Wheel Bearings
 

UGH. I just finished changing all four wheel bearings on my Disco 2, and am just now reading I should have used locktite on the splines and the big axle nuts. I didn't. I did however really tighten that nut down well with a 4' cheater bar, and pressed in the divet into the spline to keep it from moving. Hopefully this is enough? Anyone else not use locktite and experience any issues? I'm really not looking forward to pulling off the tires and nuts again.


-Mike

I've done quite a few hubs in my forty years of being a mechanic...and never once used lock-tite. If anything, I've used anti-seize...especially for vehicles that see a lot of snow, salt and water.

Personally, I believe LR engineers spent to much time smoking wacky-tabacky in their youth...instead of studying...lol.

l mean...who the heck designs a fan switch that you have to go all the way to high...before you can go to the lowest setting. Me, I like just turning my switch one setting lower when I get to warm...but hey...what do I know.

Brian.

I've read about a bunch of manufacturers specing some sort of compound on the splines, never heard of anyone explaining why. Loctite 660 is a retaining compound used to fill gaps between worn parts so maybe to fill in gaps and reduce rattle/noise? Most guys use lube on the splines as they need to move freely in the hub as the suspension articulates, and maybe a touch of anti-seize on the axle nut. That nut is supposed to be torqued to 360 lb-ft, so it's gonna be hard enough to get off without rust and dirt seizing it. Plus, staking the nut will lock it in place.

All of mine have been replaced, oldest was 28k miles ago, and didn't use anything on any of them. Haven't had a lick of trouble out of any of them.

P38/D2's can click until the slack is gone. To prevent prestigious owners from complaining LR used loctite on the splines. I've replaced a lot of axle shafts, and hubs and never re-installed the loctite or heard any clicks.

Thanks for bringing this up. I wondered the same thing when reading the rave. I assumed it was to remove any play and therefore prevent spline wear. But then I asked myself why they would engineer so much slack into the fitment when every other manufacturer on earth has managed to do slip fit axle/hub splines without a mating compound.

Definitely skipping that step when I do this job.

thanks guys! That's what I thought too... probably a case of the manual being over cautious for litigation reasons... never used locktite on any of my other cars, and honestly it seems like overkill as the nut only blocks occasional side sheer pressure on the bearing assembly when turning or off roading. And because of the bearing spline fit, its not like the nut is ever under any kind of rotational torque that could "unscrew" it. Was just a little nervous, but it's doing great and I can easily just pop off the little hub cab covers and inspect the lug for any movement every few months or so lol