Packing Wheel Bearings on a 4X4

"If I use my 4 wheel drive when running the risk of driving in high water will this help?"

It may get out of the water, but it won't get the water out of the hubs.

(Brucie, I really can't believe some of the questions you ask. It's not at all surprising that you break stuff left and right.)

I dunno, but this free factory manual can tell you:

I'd be really skeptical about Haynes and Chilton service recommendations because it can be generic information that may be wrong for your vehicle. The Haynes maintenance schedule for my Nissan sure differed from Nissan's recommendations.

Does anybody know if it's better to use aluminum-based grease rather than the usual lithium-based grease on bearings that are subject to submersion?

The inaccurate information in Hanes and Chiltons manuals is why I prefer to use the factory repair manual.

Note that if you drive in water up to the hubs often, you will be checking the wheel bearings often, like every time you drive in water up to the hubs. If you drive in water over the top of the differential, you should also check the differential fluid for water.

When you check the bearings, look for water, bearing discoloration, pitting on the bearings and races, and excessive play.

Using 4 wheel drive when running the risk of driving in high water will not make any difference to the wheel bearings.

I'm surprised no one mentioned in this thread, about checking the rear axle, especially if the OP hasn't made provisions to raise the vent hole level. If the OP is getting the hubs below water level, I'm pretty sure water will be getting into the rear axle vent, unless the vent were extended with a long section of vacuum hose.

Thanks for the replies. I haven't checked the bearings since I bought my vehicle. It was previously owned by a wild group of White Russian men in their twenties (with a young American gal in the middle). Although they were rather technically savvy, there's no telling what they did with the vehicle except put some miles on it. As to the manuals, I use the factory manual for the vehicle along with the others for reference.