Rear Wheel - Dry Drive Splines

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Its probably best to put a small dab (emphasis on small) of silicone paste on the O-rings. As a general rule, oil on rubber is not a good idea, but most O-rings are be made of buna-N which is fuel and oil resistant, so whatever you want to use will be fine. I would think installing them dry is not a good idea because they will wear quickly if dry until some lube hits them.
 
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I would think installing them dry is not a good idea because they will wear quickly if dry until some lube hits them.
It is pretty hard to not get some Moly on those o-rings during installation and the lubing of the splines and hub area, so adding something extra, or even coating them with Moly, is really a moot point. Twenty two years of not specifically lubing the o-rings has not caused me to replace them often. Matter of fact, the only one that needs replacing usually, is the thin one on the hub and I'm pretty sure that even that one is not designed to have heavy contact with the spider. JMHO.
 
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RobbieAG

RobbieAG

Robert
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Its probably best to put a small dab (emphasis on small) of silicone paste on the O-rings. As a general rule, oil on rubber is not a good idea, but most O-rings are be made of buna-N which is fuel and oil resistant, so whatever you want to use will be fine. I would think installing them dry is not a good idea because they will wear quickly if dry until some lube hits them.
My understanding is that you always want to lube to o-rings to promote sealing and prevent binding upon reassembly. A similar scenario is why you always coat the rubber o-ring on an oil filter with oil. I've always used oil on my o-rings with no problem, but I imagine silicone would be even better. In this case, I'm sure the moly paste will work too.
 
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Robbie, Won't hurt to put the lube on, for sure, but I am sure you will find that if you use too much Moly on the splines and other designated areas, those o-rings will not seal anything.
 
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RobbieAG

RobbieAG

Robert
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I got the tires mounted and wheels back on the bike. I used new o-rings and plenty of moly lube. Hopefully things will look better next time I need a new rear tire. Thanks everyone for the replies and advice.
 
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If you have rusty splines, you aren't using enough Moly. If you have Moly flung out all over the inside of the hub, you are using too much. Practice makes perfect.
Either that, or you need to replace those O-rings ;-)

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RobbieAG

RobbieAG

Robert
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Apr 4, 2014
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Greensboro NC
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Might get a little messy back there.
It's possible, we'll see. I definitely used more paste than last time, but not because I piled it on - I put it on places that I didn't previously. I'm pretty sure last time I didn't replace the o-rings or remove the flange from the wheel to put paste on the hub and thrust washer etc.
 
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