Oil on rim....should I be concerned

[nellie1289]

Halfway into our trip this weekend and as I was setting up trailer I noticed a little oil on the left front rim of my cougar. I tried to take some pics. It looks like there was some on the inside rim too. I took the best pics I could. I wiped it clean and when I got home tonight I saw it had returned. The other side of coach has no such issues. Should I be concerned ? I was thinking I maybe picked something up from road but am not sure. Wheel rolls fine and no noises.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202910_0_1dd5a4aaf82804337145536c74322d32.jpeg

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202910_1_cb5e0959ccf4acbf7aa6cf6c8fcedf11.jpeg

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202910_2_92812c5a470c5422c8b2cb24ca63f0da.jpeg

[rjsurfer]

It might be worthwhile to pull that wheel off to see exactly where it's coming from. Remember these axles are notorious for leaking grease seals.

If it's the seals and the shoes are lightly wet with grease you can clean them off with brake cleaner, if badly soaked get new shoes or swapout the wheel assemblies. Over the last ten years pollution and environmental concerns have neutered most degreasers making it impossible to clean deeply soiled brake shoe material.

Every time you take the drums off swap the seal by the way.

Ron W.

[FlyingChief]

As rjsurfer said, I would put my money on a leaking grease seal.

[mcintoshs]

I would say the dust cap fell off,
there doesn't seem to be any oil on the back side.

[nellie1289]

Thanks for the replies so far, so it looks like consensus is something is leaking, I am past my 1 year warranty but have 5 year warranty so I guess I should take this thing in for repairs? I hate going to the dealer, they hold the damn thing forever.

[slow]

I suggest you pop the small cap at the center of the decorative wheel hub cover and check if your dust cap has worked loose as mcintoshs suggested may be the problem. If a seal was leaking, more evidence would be visible on the brake assembly and inside of the wheel IMO.

The fix may be very simple and a DIYer.

[Dave W]

Buy some 10-36 seals - etrailer have them for about 4 bucks for two in a package vs the ridiculous Dexter or NAPA price. I've found that they are every bit as good on 2 different 5ers so far - zero leaks. But I do inspect and hand pack the bearings yearly (~12,000 miles), never using the E-Z Lube zerks that may blow out the seal.

https://www.etrailer.com/Seals-for-Trailer-Bearings/TruRyde/RG06-070.html#prod-acc-onlyreviews

As far as your extended warranty - I wouldn't take any RV back to a dealer for him to stick in his back yard until you harassed him often enough to do that low/no pay job when I could do it in a couple hours and very few dollars with only a couple hand tools.

[nellie1289]

where do you guys learn how to do all this stuff yourselves? lol. I guess I will just never be a mechanic!

[slow]

We just do it on faith, and do not let anyone know of our mistakes along the way, LOL!

[WaltBennett]

IF you've a leaky seal and your brakes aren't ruined, replacement seals are only a couple of bucks. IF your brakes are saturated and you go to an RV dealer you'd better be prepared to spend some bucks. I just replaced all four brake assemblies (one was ruined by a failed seal) and got them from eTrailer for under $90 each. These were Dexter assemblies, not aftermarket. They were the complete backing plate, shoes, magnet and all associated hardware. Only thing missing was the little rubber plugs for the adjusting holes. The job wasn't that difficult. I'm 72 and it only took me two days (between TV and nap times!).

[Desert185]

That oil being thrown is often when either the grease used is a cheap one that separates the oil out over time or a mixture of incompatible greases, like when the zerk is used to grease a bearing without removing the grease that is already there. The best method is to remove the drum, clean and repack the bearings with a good grease and install new seals.

I use Texas Refinery 880, C&C, NLGI2 grease, which has a high Timken load rating...FWIW.

http://www.texasrefinery.com/assets/880-crown--chassis.pdf

[Dave W]

where do you guys learn how to do all this stuff yourselves? lol. I guess I will just never be a mechanic!


It's because some of us went to school for it, some because Uncle Sam taught us and some just because we are 'gearheads'/'tinkerers' and dive in just because we can"bouncey:.

This is really a very easy job (though it is greasy-dirty) that we can talk you through. As far as tools - you will need a few and we can give you advice on that too.

[gearhead]

Yeah, some of us pulled on wrenches for a long time, for fun and "professionally". After 20 years of pulling. I jumped to the dark side and watched others pull.
But, sometimes it's like the cobblers kids have no shoes. After years of doing it, I just don't want to anymore. I packed my bearings last year, not sure if I will do it or pay someone else next time. Not much to it though. No, it won't be the dealer. I have a trusted shop that only sells parts and does repairs.

[roadglide]

If thats grease your hub got hot. I check my hubs at every stop for heat. You need to secure the brake wires rubbing on the spring could wear the coating off and cause brake failure on that wheel.

[chuckster57]

where do you guys learn how to do all this stuff yourselves? lol. I guess I will just never be a mechanic!


I did my own stuff YEARS before I became a tech, and way before the WWW and forums. Some people have an innate ability to figure things out and haven't got enough sense not to try LOL.

Now with knowledge bases like this forum, I am surprised at the number of people who bring stuff in.. But I'm not complaining, it keeps the pay checks coming.

[denverpilot]

where do you guys learn how to do all this stuff yourselves? lol. I guess I will just never be a mechanic!



Grandpa and dad.

But nowadays, honestly it's hard not to find a YouTube video or three on DIYing just about any project. I always check.

Sometimes there's a tip or a special use of a tool or whatever that someone much more experienced shares, and you slap your forehead and think, "That's brilliant!"

[LittleJoe]

Trouble with Utube is this.......If you truly a noob and learning for the first time, you can not differentiate between the correct way to do something and the many instances of incorrect information on the interweb.:eek::D

[Desert185]

Trouble with Utube is this.......If you truly a noob and learning for the first time, you can not differentiate between the correct way to do something and the many instances of incorrect information on the interweb.:eek::D

Even though true, there is still a wealth of info available. Obviously, the more informed or experienced one is the more accurate or false the info can be. Wish I had the web when I was in school instead of the library or Encyclopedia Brittanica.

[denverpilot]

Trouble with Utube is this.......If you truly a noob and learning for the first time, you can not differentiate between the correct way to do something and the many instances of incorrect information on the interweb.:eek::D



Yeah, but unless you're doing something really oddball, there's three or four videos. It's pretty easy to figure out who's the idiot out of the four, for most things.

And there's always those dead tree things at the library, as quaint as it may seem. Funny how numerous generations have learned things from those... :-)

[nellie1289]

So took the rig to dealer and it was a blown grease seal. they fixed that, repacked all four bearings. cleaned the brakes, $250. I can live with that since the bearings were gong to be due for repacking anyway. Oh and my hands are nice and clean. lol

[Dave W]

So took the rig to dealer and it was a blown grease seal. they fixed that, repacked all four bearings. cleaned the brakes, $250. I can live with that since the bearings were gong to be due for repacking anyway. Oh and my hands are nice and clean. lol


Let's see, my wheel bearing pack cost ~$8.00 for four seals and ~$4.00 for a tube of grease and maybe two hours of my time. Greasy hands were cleaned with few cents worth of hand cleaner leaving me $238 bucks to do something more interesting with that money plus my knowing that it was done correctly. Additionally our 5er never had to be towed miles somewhere, left for however long when we had no use of it then towed those miles back at whatever expense for fuel and time.

Of course, that was your choice for your RV and how you spend your discretionary dollars:D"bouncey::D.

[therink]

If you don't want to fix it yourself and don't want to take to dealer (can't blame you), Google or look uup trailer repair shops in your area.. Out trailer shops specialize in axles, brakes, bearings and anything below your rv sidewalls. They will likely be cheaper and provide same dsay service for any trailer chasis service you need.

[chuckster57]

$250.00 is a very fair price, that's what we charge. There is a growing number of RV owners that have no interest in doing anything other than camping. We have done double or triple the number of axle services we did last year.

[vampress_me]

Another idea that goes along with a suggestion already posted is a local car repair shop that you trust. I don't know if it's because we live in a small town or I'm just lucky, but last week the mechanic I take our vehicles to for work did our 5er bearings. I had asked if he would do this type of work on a trailer and he said they would do it no problem.

So, $200 and two hours later the camper had repacked bearings, adjusted brakes, and one brake wiring re-attached that had mysteriously lost its wire nuts sometime in the past summer. My father gave me the stink eye when he heard that part since I grew up in his tractor repair shop and should know to check all that. I'm still not sure how the loose wiring got past me when I'd check everything over... And for me, the $200 was well worth it, there are many other things I will do and like to do, repacking bearings is not one of them.

[nellie1289]

SO further information they ended up replacing the brakes on the side with the blown grease seal too and since my trailer is just past one year they covered it under warranty. They also insisted on replacing the brakes on the other side even though they were at 85%. I was not going to argue with them since they covered it but they said the bearing pack from the factory looked "highly suspect". So I am glad I just have a reputable dealer at least willing to stand by the product. I don't have the time or the knowledge to do it myself, don't own a jack, and think of the jobs I'm creating for some fine American to help me out!

[nellie1289]

and yet another update:

Took a trip to southern California this last week, and guess what happened, looks like I blew another grease seal 1 week after the full repair and repack and new brakes all the way around.. Cant wait to see what happens this time around with the dealer. Stay tuned

[JRTJH]

and yet another update:

Took a trip to southern California this last week, and guess what happened, looks like I blew another grease seal 1 week after the full repair and repack and new brakes all the way around.. Cant wait to see what happens this time around with the dealer. Stay tuned

Is this "grease seal" in the same location (same side/same axle) as the one that you had problems with last time?

[nellie1289]

Is this "grease seal" in the same location (same side/same axle) as the one that you had problems with last time?

Yep, it sure is. it was fine the first 1000 miles, I checked all the wheels multiple times on way down, so it must of let go on way back when I checked less frequently. I don't think its remnant grease from the old blown seal or I would of seen it in the first 1000 miles I think.

[Dave W]

If the 'mechanic' that did yours hit the Zerk with a pressurized grease gun instead of hand pumping it in as noted in the Dexter/AL-KO/LCI instructions, didn't bother replacing the seal, or checking the hub or spindle for a bad area you may again have a leak. My guess is that the 'mechanic' didn't bother with the 200 or so grease gun pump strokes per wheel to fill the hub and took the quick and easy way out. Then there is the possibility he didn't use the correct spec grease with not enough flow resistance i.e. partially viscosity as well as how it is formulated

[Desert185]

Yeah. Most of the times that I have seen that was because of the grease separating the oil out, i.e. cheap grease, but it could also be a number of other factors. Who knows what the mech did? Pull it and look.

If you need a tip on good grease. Available on Amazon. Get the NLGI 2 version.

http://www.texasrefinery.com/assets/880-crown--chassis.pdf

[JRTJH]

Since the "purpose of rebuilding" nellie1289's axles was because of grease contamination on the brake shoes (leaking past the grease seal), it doesn't seem probable that the mechanic "used a pneumatic grease gun to fill the hub", although much "stranger things" have happened in the past. I guess only the mechanic "really knows what he did" and we'll probably never get the answer to his actions.

But, as to why it happened again ??? I've got two "good guesses":

First: There is a burr (or other damage) on the spindle that damaged the seal. Per nellie1289, it was the same axle, same side both times. My first inclination would be to disassemble the spindle/hub and closely look for a reason that spindle keeps tearing the grease seal.

Second: As Desert185 said, it's possible the dealership used "cheap grease" that doesn't maintain viscosity. Although it is "possible", I'd suspect that the dealership uses "approved, good quality" grease. Doing otherwise may save them a buck or two, but would likely risk their reputation with Dexter, AlKo and Lippert, the manufacturers of the axles for which they are a "certified repair center". My guess is they probably used "approved grease", which makes the probability that the spindle is damaged (somehow) even more likely.

Hopefully, we'll all learn the "real reason" once nellie1289 gets this resolved. It might be a "lesson on something else to inspect" for the rest of us.

[nellie1289]

John as usual you are dead on the money. I dropped it at the dealer today, there first though is bad spindle, but I am awaiting for confirmation. I will definitely post a follow up message when this disaster is resolved. I have a larger issue on the trailer which is the roof membrane tore away from the front cap, which the dealer is calling keystone about and "checking to see" if the extended warranty I have covers such an item. I will be ballistic if it does not. Given the massive amount of problems I have had with this trailer they are going to Keystone first for warranty coverage because its is only 15 months old. I have also asked for a "rebate" of my prior costs to service all the hubs and brakes if the spindle is the problem and they can turn that in on warranty too.

One more point of clarification, I actually had two blown grease seals the last time out, both on the left (drivers" side) but right now only the front one is blown. They are going to check all four again. More to follow.

Appreciate everyone's responses.

[Outback 325BH]

For those of us that wrench on our rigs, cost is only part of it. For me, knowing it got done right is 90% of it.

It may consume my time, however I am not hauling my rig to the dealer all the time either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Campy]

If it's like mine is a oil coating on the outside hub where the studs are running off. I took off my wheels and cleaned the oil film off and it has not returned. Don't look like a leaking grease seal to me as it would be coming out of the drum area.

[nellie1289]

Ok, so just heard from the dealer on my brakes/grease seals: for what it is worth, at least they acknowledge it and they are in good operational condition. now on to the roof problems.

I have had the technician go through your all your wheels, bearings and brakes- What we found was that it was just residual grease from the bearing pack and failure of the that grease seal from your last visit-So basically the technician left the inside of your wheel dirty with grease from when it failed, and it got hot as wheels do and the grease liquefied and started running outward as the wheel spun, then dirt collected on it making it look a lot worse. - I had a long talk with our technician that did the job, about why he did not clean that off the inside of the wheel- Not only has this given you a bad experience, but it is costing us labor time and in turn is costing him production. He has since cleaned and adjusted your brakes, Cleaned all of the dirt off of the inside if your wheels, re set your tire pressure and torqued the lugs- This job is complete and there is no charge for this!

[notanlines]

Give 'em credit for this much: They owned up to the problem, and then fixed it!

[mike95776]

Ron, I need some advise.... I bought a new Springdale 2x axle and have about 500 miles on it... The brakes were not working well and took it in to Camping World... They tell me that the bearing seals leaked and they want to "Clean" the magnets and pads and reinstall them under warranty.... I have worked on cars and we never would do this... we always replaced brakes if we got grease on them... your advise?

[flybouy]

I'm not Ron but I can tell you that you cannot clean oil or grease from a brake surface and reuse it. At least I'm not aware of any chemical or process that's acceptable to do that.

[chuckster57]

You can clean the drum and magnets, you’ll never get the shoes clean. If it’s warranty, they should replace the entire backing plate assembly.

[gearhead]

I'd be looking at what caused the seals to leak. Have a discussion with them about taking a close look at the seal areas on the spindle. Wouldn't be the first time there was weld splatter on the seal area.

[mike95776]

Thanks for all of the great advise. Keystone is going to replace all of the seals. backing plates brakes and magnets.... I asked about what could have cause the problem and got nothing.... I agree that something has to be wrong with the spindles...

[chuckster57]

If the axles are LCI, there was an ongoing issue with seals.

[flybouy]

Maybe someone at the dealership saw the zerk fitting and decided to practice using a pneumatic grease gun on it. After they correct it I'd recommend keeping a close eye on it. Good to hear they agreed to do the repair correctly.