According to the Companion, early axles had a mixture of oil and grease (up to about 1931?) whereas the later ones were oil only. Does the oil/grease mixture make for a quieter axle - even if it does take forever to drain out?

Hi Norman. If you look back through previous pages on this site you'll see this subject has been done to death. A quick answer - don't use a grease/oil mixture,don't use a detergent oil, use something like Penrite Trans Oil 140. Good Luck, Cheers Bill in Oz

EP140 can be tricky to find. Castrol are meant to do it, but when I needed some they were waiting for enough orders to justify doing a batch. I ended up getting mine directly from Millers, and they posted a five litre can to me (glad the postman didn't drop that one!). Wasn't expensive and 5 litres should last you forever. Best to put it in an oil can before trying to get it into the axle, there's not much space down there!

I find that the seal on the drain plug weeps a bit, and since "Uncle Mac" dealt with the leaky nut on the front of my engine, I put the drip tray under the back axle instead.

Norman , use EP140.. if you can't get I will send you some,or Tony leslie will have it, so should the 7 workshop. The grease oil mixture is a "no no" The grease in practice does not mix readily with the oil and is "spun" out by centrifugal force. I surmise this mixture was put in the early axles as EP oils were in their infancy.

many thanks for the tips. I had seen the previous posts but couldnt find much info on the do's and dont's about the oil/grease mixture. (glad I dont now have to mix up the ruddy stuff!)

my car having been standing 2 1/2 years and now just done 300 - 400 miles iv'e just dumped all the oils out for a change, so I'll be off the the motor factor in Shrewsbury to get some GL4 spec EP140, I'll let you know what I can get.

.

You may be better of with GL1. GL4 is probably over specified for a Seven axle.

Mike

Funny you should say that Mike, a friend of mine is into what I call tupperware cars - Reliants. He has amongst them a 60's Scabre 4, it has a rear axle developed from their van axle (according to him), and looking at it, and his spare bits it is clear that it has seven parentage. He assures me he only uses Castrol D140 in it, on the basis that it has yellow metal components. Furthermore that is what was specified by the manufacturers. My understanding is that Castrol D140 is basically a straight SAE140 gear oil with no EP adatives, or in other words a GL1 spec as you recommend.

However today I have rung Morris's oil, just down the road from work, and a fairly well known supplier of 'heritage' oils. I told him of my requirements.... back axle..... yellow metals etc etc, and he said GL4 EP140.

Now last time I wanted some straight gear oil, by shopping around Northamptonshire I got a 5 gallon drum for £22 from a oil supplier in Northampton itself, that was SAE220 for bearing lubrication on a steam Roller.

So my question is having done a search here, some say straight 140 (GL1), some say EP140 (GL4) , who is correct?

Oil is cheap, but gears are expensive!

Hedd, I think in todays world both may well be correct as I understand the concerns about 'yellow metal' bearings and EP oils was down to the sulphur compounds that were originally used in EP oils had a habit of eating the 'yellow metal'. However in todays EP oil the additives do not eat the bearings (so I am told )

If you use an EP oil then if you ever accelerate from 0 - 60mph in less than a hour then the oil will stand the extra pressure generated in the back axle.

Happy Motoring !

Hedd

As Malcolm says it probably doesnt matter. Many people have used a particular type for years and although they all disagree on the spec , they all claim trouble free motoring so it probably doesnt matter?

If you are fussy, then the Austin handbook I have published in 1954 843/B by the Austin Motor Co Ltd clearly recomends an EP oil, as does I believe the Pitmans series of books.

Mine is so worn out it probably makes no difference!!

Steve.
p.s I have heard tales of people filling up axles with metal polish to "bed in" different crownwheels and pinions so a slighty different spec oil should be OK!!!

okey dokey, GL1 spec SAE140 it is then,
5 litres 12.49+VAT over the counter 'Bennetts' in Shrewsbury. Morris's AG140 straight mineral oil.

More money for Edward!