I was told this is normal. The right side is more greasier while the left side is pretty dry and nowhere near like the right side.

Any advice ?

 

I have added 30mm spacers about 6k miles ago. Could they cause this premature wear? I would think to take those off before going for warranty work so they dont blame them?

 

How many miles are on your G? That can be a factor in what to suspect.

It is somewhat hard for me to tell from the video (on my laptop at least) whether to call it "excessive" in your case, but for a G in general, excessive grease on the swipe seals is indicative of one of three things - a cracked/leaking CV joint boot on that side, worn or damaged king pin swivel bearings, or the wrong grease used inside the ball hub. While the incorrect grease could have been added at anytime, the first two items usually occur at 80K+ miles. An exception to this could be the king pin bearings and the use of spacers. Spacers significantly increase the loads on these bearings and therefore can cause early failure. By all means, remove the spacers before you take it in!

One other possibility is that the other hub could have too little grease in in and thus looks drier. An easy check/fix for this.

Please post what is ultimately determined.

 

This is normal.

I just re-greased my 08 G55 and the new grease is coming out. This is how it works, that grease keeps water and other contaminants out of the swivel joint.

Like Flooby said, how many miles do you have on your truck, have you had that grease repacked?

I upgraded to Mobil Synthetic grease a few weeks back. Super easy job.

 

this isn’t bad. Mine Is thick black grease. Like mud, there’s more on my driver side than passenger. last year a Mercedes Mechanic at Mercedes Manhattan told me its normal and that not to worry about it.

 

Some grease on the swipe seals is normal as that is indeed the waterproofing mechanism, however, excessive runny black grease on the seals is indicative of a CV boot failure. MB specifies a green colored grease for the hub internals so that normal weeping can be differentiated from the black CV joint grease.

 

@Floobydust Agreed, that's why I went for a red grease in the Mobil Synthetic, so I can keep an eye on what's making it out. If the grease coming out is extremely viscous, then water is getting in the seals, if it comes out thick like it went in then you should be fine.

 

this is how mine look like. Should I be worried?

 

No, mine looked like a murder scene. I just went down and cleaned them up, I don't think the previous owner ever bothered to look at them..... took a ton of heavy duty paper towels.

I would recommend having the grease checked, or filling it yourself.... super easy and rewarding job.

 

thanks for the reply and video. So it’s normal for the grease to sneak through the seal? there’s actually nothing to replace as in parts? Just refilling?

 

Yup, if the grease leaking out looked like a chocolate milkshake then you would be in trouble, as the seal and grease are letting water in.

If it's just grease like you posted everything is working fine it just needs to be cleaned so it doesn't cake up on other parts and eventually checked for level.

For maintenance all you do is use a grease gun and add grease until it comes out the fill hole.

 

oh boy. The picture I attached was my passenger side. My driver side has more grease Like a milkshake all over just as you said. Should I just clean and refill? Or some parts need to be replaced?

 

Post a pic if you can.

Here's what I bought to do the job:

Grease Gun:

Mobil 1 Grease, I think I bought 3, only used 1.


Also wear gloves and have paper towels or rags on you.

I believe the recessed plug is just a standard 14mm hex head and you will need some extensions to reach.

 

you the man! Thanks !

 

The grease seepage in your first picture is normal - all part of keeping water out. If your other side looks more like this, then that is a sign the the CV boot is ruptured (as long as the correct grease has been used in the ball hub). Indeed, a big differential in seepage between sides is also a sign that something may be amiss.

 

If you look at the video I posted. The passenger side has a chocolate milk type grease leaking out vs passenger side which is normal no chocolate milk.

I’ll try to get more pics but do you guys think mines leaking?

the dealer has
told me its
normal

 

I wouldn't be alarmed by that at all.

When was the last time the truck saw rain?

I'd suggest cleaning it up checking level and refilling and just keep an eye on it.

The Mobil1 Grease I linked above is red, so you can tell when it's coming out and how it's working w the seals.

The pic that Flooby posted is a catastrophic failure a lot of liquid mixing w the grease and seeping out.

 

this is how my driver side looks. Compared to my passenger side which looked more neat & “normal”

 

this is how my driver side looks like. More chocolate grease than the passenger side which looks “normal”.

should I be worried or this is normal too?

 

Compared to what I inherited w my truck, I'd consider that a table you could eat off of.

Looks fine, just clean it and check the levels. I doubt there's much grease missing but worth the look.

Also you can use a foaming degreaser to help dislodge all the old caked up stuff on the steering components as well while you're down there.

Also one more word of caution, that stuff will stain an unsealed driveway, so maybe lay some cardboard down first to avoid any scolding from your significant others, or an eyesore on your driveway.

 

Thx

 

lol that was funny. I will def have the levels checked and/or topped off my next brake. Thanks man

 

I think it’s leaking more everyday just took a look day.

Also see oil leaking from the back now. Really get me frustrated it seems there’s a new leak everyday now. It reminds me of the under carriage of my bmws that would be POS leak galore everyday. I have two Range Rovers that get driven daily and have double the miles and one has triple the miles of my G and they are dry as the Sahara underneath.

now what is this leaking? It’s on both sides it was not there last week when I noticed the axle leaking. I also can’t understand how terrible Mercedes service is, you’d think they would want to identify all the issues and make money of the warranty but each time everything is “normal” and or “in my head” and they send me on my way. When I don’t have a warranty it’s always a couple thousand dollar bill. Funny how that works.

attsched is new pics of the axle and whatever the new leak is



Passenger side visible runny

Drivers side seems Good

New leak discovers what is thisn

 

Just compared the pic from yesterday and today and it’s much more chocolate milk.

looks like it needs replacement.

what is the exact part here that needs to be replaced ? What’s it called

thx

 

Yea there's definitely condensation (water) getting in that Swivel, I hate to say it, but the seal may be shot. It's a bit of work to get that puppy off to.

There are seals that go behind that retaining ring, that's the ring with all the all the bolts on it.

Here's a good video on a Land Rover to give you an idea:


Regarding that oil that's showing up on the railm did it come from the opposite side through the pipe? Is your Diff leaking?

With Land Rovers if the seal blows it can sometimes leak past the wheel bearings and go into the xfercase.

I think to avoid any additional damage, it may be worth taking it to a shop for them to assess.

If you go about it yourself, you can pop open the fill plug on the axle and stick your finger in there and see if it is indeed compromised with water and to check the level.

If its low and there is no water inside, get grease, fill it up and keep an eye on it.

Not the end of the world, but better to get ahead of it.