Ford Escort / Capri Wheel Shaft Bearing Leaks, why?

This is a question that we are asked regularly, and even more and more often.

There is a very limited choice of suppliers for these wheel shaft bearings and the forums are full of different opinions depending on the quality of the various suppliers.

It's certain that the bearings supplied by one of these brands are substandard, purely due to their flawed design (we won't name names and we obviously don't sell these bearings…), but before concluding that the leak in your wheel shafts is the result of a poor-quality bearing, here's a short list of reasons that can cause a leak:

1: Bearing mounted backwards. This may seem "obvious" but bearings are too often mounted backwards and inevitably leaks.

2: Bearing seal damaged during assembly

3: Warped wheel shaft.

4: Warped bridge tulip or damaged/deformed bearing surface in the tulip

5: Rear disc brake conversion kit

6: Wheel shaft damaged during disassembly/assembly.

7; poor quality bearing

So, regarding the installation of your bearing.

In the photo above, the visible face of the bearing is the inner face, the one that faces the differential. Don't make a mistake (you wouldn't be the first). If you look closely at the outer edge of the seal, it's slightly higher than the outer metal cage. This is very important, and make sure there are no defects, cuts, or tears on this part before mounting the bearing on the shaft. We check ours before shipping them to our customers…

The bearings are fitted onto the axle shaft using a press, and here too, precautions must be taken. It is crucial that the press does not press against the bearing seal, otherwise it will no longer seal properly in the axle housing when you bolt the axle shaft.

Make sure your wheel shafts are perfectly straight!!! Check with a ruler, gauges or any other tools you can find to check.

Now, a quick question for you: How did you remove the old bearings?

In 90% of cases, the bearing and its housing cannot be removed with a simple puller, so you have to get out the good old angle grinder to cut them in half. This isn't a problem, but you have to be very careful because the slightest mark or nick (even tiny) on the shaft will be a potential source of leakage and allow oil to reach your brake shoes.

Finally, disc brake conversions, which in 90% of cases result in leaks. The reason is simple. These conversion kits are generally sold with, or require the installation of, a "conversion flange" (photo 1) that replaces the original metal flange (photo 2). The problem is that this new flange is often too thicker than the original. And that's where the problem lies, because the role of this flange is to press the bearing into the tulip joint, and a thicker flange means less pressure and therefore a potential leak.

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

There you have it, hopefully this short article will help you identify the potential cause of your leaks and if you wish to replace them with quality bearings that do not leak, visit our site.