Wheel bearing seals

Bisjoe · 09-20-2019, 08:48 AM

Our Springdale is in the shop for an annual service and inspection, which to me is worth the $129 for peace of mind. Unfortunately they found a problem. On one side, the wheel bearing seal failed, and the grease has contaminated the brake pads. Since they have to replace both sides the total comes out to about $600. I asked about the likelihood of this happening when the trailer is only 2 years old, with only about 1,000 miles on it.

His response was that when sitting all winter in the cold the seals get hard, and allow moisture from the air to penetrate into the grease, which then becomes thin like oil. When you first take it out in the spring, that gets by the seal and onto the brake pads. His only solution is to keep it in a heated storage space.

Has anyone else had this problem? It seems like everyone would if this was true.

travelin texans · 09-20-2019, 09:34 AM

His explanation is a boat load of BS!!!!
Someone somewhere, probably your last annual visit, used the EZ lube bearing grease zerks on the spindle to "pack" your bearings & also packed your brake drums full of grease. If they charged you $600 last time & did it this way you got royally shafted, they didn't remove any wheels to do this so therefore didn't inspect any brakes.
Next time I'd either learn to do it yourself or find a different shop that won't blow smoke up your a## to cover up their mistake.
If you've only traveled 1000 miles in 2 years you won't need this done again for several years if you're don't plan on any more use the next couple years. This provided the shop doing your work actually does what they're charging you for this time.....

Bisjoe · 09-20-2019, 10:40 AM

No, they didn't pull the wheels last year, and didn't charge more than the $129. They just inspected from the outside, same as this year, but this time they saw the grease
on the outside. I have done this kind of work myself on many cars over the years, and could have saved the labor if I had known, but it's not like I could tell them not to fix it and tow it home that way. What I should probably do though is look for another shop to do the inspection or find the time to do it myself.

**chuckster57** · 09-20-2019, 12:16 PM

I too call BS!! What brand of axles? We have had LCI goodwill some in the past. There was a known issue for a while. Worth a call.

**JRTJH** · 09-20-2019, 01:19 PM

^^^ What they said. If they are LCI axles, they're warrantied for 6 years, if Dexter axles, 5 years. If (you may need to prove to LCI/Dexter) the axles have not been disassembled for inspection/maintenance (as you stated) then the seals should be covered and the grease damaged brakes should be repaired under the axle warranty.

As Chuckster stated, there was a problem with some seals on some LCI axles a couple years ago and they have covered repairs/replacements for a lot of customers.

If "your dealer" (I won't call them a "serviceman") doesn't contact LCI for you, and he probably won't because they'll reimburse him around $300 for the work and he can charge you $600 for the same work, then why would he want to take care of your problems under warranty?????

It sure sounds to me like you're being "dangled on the end of a money stick" by a dealer that's far too greedy and not nearly honest enough...... YMMV

gearhead · 09-20-2019, 01:31 PM

100% BS says gearhead, the Machinery Specialist 40 year veteran of the largest international oil company in the world, who has traveled nation wide trouble shooting all kinds of machinery issues.
BS

Customer1 · 09-20-2019, 04:20 PM

$600 is awful high for 2 brake assemblies, seals, and labor. You're being hosed.

Last year at a local shop, I got 4 brake assemblies, 4 drums, 4 full bearing sets, all new wet bolts, new shackles, and 2 new equalizers for $1,000 including labor.

tech740 · 09-20-2019, 07:54 PM

I have to agree with Texans. If that were the case every trailer in the north would need new brakes every year. Someone greased your bearings by using the ez lube not by taking the bearings out and doing it correctly. If the brakes are covered in grease then they do need replaced. But I don’t know that the same shop would be doing it.

**flybouy** · 09-21-2019, 05:38 AM

I'd suspect the shop used a pneumatic grease gun on the EZlubes. Their cost to rectify what they did is high. MHO

**chuckster57** · 09-21-2019, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flybouy

I'd suspect the shop used a pneumatic grease gun on the EZlubes. Their cost to rectify what they did is high. MHO

None of the 3 dealerships I have worked at spent the money for a pneumatic grease gun. All of them did have the good old hand pumper, I only use it on wet bolts.

**flybouy** · 09-21-2019, 07:06 AM

And the other mistake is that when using the EZ lube zerks you're supposed to jack the wheel off the ground and rotate the wheel while pumping grease in according to their directions. Personally, I believe that following their directions to the "T" will result in a blown seal the "majority" of the time. Repacking by hand will result in a cut and failed seal if you don't know what you're doing. Bottom line, to me, is if someone isn't mechanically inclined, firt time wrenching, pay someone to do it for you.

**JRTJH** · 09-21-2019, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

None of the 3 dealerships I have worked at spent the money for a pneumatic grease gun. All of them did have the good old hand pumper, I only use it on wet bolts.

Not to get into the pros/cons of pneumatic vs manual grease guns, but Harbor Freight has a pneumatic grease gun for $30. With the 20% off coupon, even cheaper. While it's not the "professional model with all the bells and whistles", mine is probably 10 years old and still going strong. It seems to not leak grease like my manual guns do so it's much less messy to use.

If you're looking for a pneumatic gun, no need to wait for the boss to buy one, "HF to the rescue" (again) https://www.harborfreight.com/air-gr...ose-68293.html

HF has cheaper ones, but I opted for the 12" hose rather than the 6" style.

ChuckS · 09-21-2019, 07:34 AM

Pure BS regarding cold weather and those trailer grease seals. My fifth wheel sits from Oct until mid May every year. Our temps are down to -10 sometimes. Never had a rear grease seal on any of the 4 hubs leak.

$600 is just Hiway robbery and if you had basic mechanical skill sets, basic tools you could do all of this yourself for under $100.

I do not own and will not use a pneumatic grease gun. If the zerk won’t take grease with my 45 year old grease gun then there is an issue with either the zerk or the item itself.

I’d find somewhere else to get my work done after this ... the individual that told you that cold weather sitting hogwash is a disgrace to all the competent skilled mechanics out there

**flybouy** · 09-21-2019, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Not to get into the pros/cons of pneumatic vs manual grease guns, but Harbor Freight has a pneumatic grease gun for $30. With the 20% off coupon, even cheaper. While it's not the "professional model with all the bells and whistles", mine is probably 10 years old and still going strong. It seems to not leak grease like my manual guns do so it's much less messy to use.

If you're looking for a pneumatic gun, no need to wait for the boss to buy one, "HF to the rescue" (again) https://www.harborfreight.com/air-gr...ose-68293.html

HF has cheaper ones, but I opted for the 12" hose rather than the 6" style.

I bought the same one (probably the same sale) around the same time. After all the shoulder/cervical spine surgeries it's a lot less painful to pull the trigger.

Hitsman3 · 09-22-2019, 01:05 PM

Where did you get the work done? We live in Shelton,Wa. & are looking at buying a 22’ Cougar.

Bisjoe · 09-23-2019, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitsman3

Where did you get the work done? We live in Shelton,Wa. & are looking at buying a 22’ Cougar.

Tacoma RV in Fife.

I didn't argue with the service guy because we did have a nasty snowstorm in February with 12" and drifts that covered the wheels for close to a week on that side that failed. It seemed to make sense when I thought about it, with the rubber seals freezing hard and then due to illness not moving the trailer until September. I have since bought wheel covers and will remove any snow that is in contact with them this winter.

I looked in my warranty binder and the brake parts were only covered for one year, and it's been two.

bobbecky · 09-23-2019, 08:41 AM

Maybe the brakes are only covered by Keystone for one year, but if they are Dexter axles and brakes, they should be covered for two years. http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/fil...nformation.pdf

**flybouy** · 09-23-2019, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bisjoe

Tacoma RV in Fife.

I didn't argue with the service guy because we did have a nasty snowstorm in February with 12" and drifts that covered the wheels for close to a week on that side that failed. It seemed to make sense when I thought about it, with the rubber seals freezing hard and then due to illness not moving the trailer until September. I have since bought wheel covers and will remove any snow that is in contact with them this winter.

I looked in my warranty binder and the brake parts were only covered for one year, and it's been two.

If you think about it the wheel assembly (brakes,bearings, seals, etc.) are engineered to be used in all types of weather. The rear seal is the one that typically fails from improper greasing and is the only seal that can leak and contaminate the brakes. The outer seal will leak out of the hub and onto the wheel if it fails. Having snow drifted against the tires will not be enough to get inside the drum and hub. Snow doesn't make metal any colder than the air temp. Tire covers are used to keep UV rays from deteriorating the tires. Hope this helps.

travelin texans · 09-23-2019, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitsman3

Where did you get the work done? We live in Shelton,Wa. & are looking at buying a 22’ Cougar.

If physically able, know which way to tighten/loosen bolts & enough tools to change a flat you could/should do it yourself. There's plenty of videos out there to show you or ask here, wish I had a dollar (use to be a nickel, but retired now & could use the $$$) for every time I've packed bearings. With a box of nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight you won't even get your hands dirty.

ChuckS · 09-24-2019, 06:23 AM

Dexter axle made this video on how to properly lube their EZ lube axle... while the EZ lube is a novel concept it also often leads to other issues...such as blown grease seals and brakes that don’t work because they are loaded with grease....

So... if the EZ lube system is so great then why does Dexters own how to video in an EZ lube setup show the “old school” method ? Simple.

Because it IS the proper way.....

https://youtu.be/GnH-h3W9XvI

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