Embarrassing Question - Hub Cover

[BobM]

Let me preface this by admitting that I am NOT very handy on doing my own maintenance - I barely know which end of a screwdriver to hold. However, I'm experiencing a moment of confidence and have decided to try to re-grease my Dexter EZ Lube bearings.

OK, I'm all set - got my bottle jack, 4 tubes of grease, a new grease gun with a whip hose, watched a couple YouTube how-to vids. Yep, alllllll set.

Now then - HOW DO I GET THE *&#^ING DOMED HUB COVER OFF?!?!? It's the type that just covers the hub, not the lugs. There's no notch for a screwdriver to pry, I can't pull it off with my hands. Thought I'd better check-in with you guys before I get my hammer out!!!



Help?

Please?

[2011 keystone]

I f you are talking about the silver cap. Go ahead and get your hammer out and just tap on it until you see a gap open up between the cap and the hub then you can use a flat head screwdriver and pop it off.

[raytronx]

While rotating the wheel a little tap it with a rubber mallet but not hard enough to dent or misform it. They usually work loose enough to get a screw driver in there to finish getting it off.

[Ayotte]

Are you talking about the cromed cover that covers the center of the hub? If so the should be a round cap in the center that you can pop out with a screw driver to expose the greese zerk in the center of the hub.

[hankpage]

There should be a rubber cap in the center that pops off with your fingers. (at least mine does. FOUR tubes of grease???????????? Although not the preferred method of greasing bearings EZ lube is better than nothing. That said ....... If you read the instructions, you only need a few GENTLE pumps on each until old grease starts to come out. (in cold weather the grease is more likely to take the easier route and just blow the seal and contaminate your brakes) This is only my perhaps old fashioned opinion but, Bearings should be inspected and packed by hand with quality grease. Bearing buddies were a great invention for boat trailers to keep water from getting into hubs but I feel have no place on RVs. Again .... this is just my old-fashioned opinion, Hank

[X-Treme]

Not sure which cap you are talking about, but do you have the wheel off? Because there's a chrome cap that covers the entire hub that comes through from the back side of the wheel...

[BobM]

Wow, 5 replies in under 30 minutes - thanks everyone! Yeah, I'm referring to the chromed cover that covers the entire axle hub - not the rubber seal over the grease zerk. Well, it looks like my idea of "tapping it with a hammer" wasn't too far off base. I'll use the rubber mallet to tip it to create a pry-space for the screwdriver.

Thanks again!

[Mighty Ming]

Wait. There is a cap that goes on the end of the hub. It fits in the hub so to speak. Does not cover the whole "axle hub" as you stated. That could be just the rims center cap. Which as mentioned may require removal of the whole tire/rim first! If not the small cap that covers only the tip of the hub n grease fitting will come off with small taps. Can you take pic n post it?


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[Ayotte]

If it is the crome cap that you are trying to remove you can't remove it without taking the rim off. It goes through the center hole from the back-if you try to tap it it will break-only crome plated plastic. Ours has a snapin plug in the outer end that will snap out giving you access to the rubber cap and the greese zerk.

[BobM]

OK, so I went to visit the fiver today and tapped his knees...that is, his domed chromed hub cover. It didn't budge. Soooo....I'm thinking that I have to take the whole &*%#ing wheel off to do the "EZ" Lube? Are you kidding me? So now I've bought grease, a grease gun, and a bottle jack and now have to buy a torque wrench and socket, and do all the work myself. I think I'd be better off paying my service center $65 per axle for the repack. "EZ" my #$%! Whatever.

[labs4life]

That center cap has a lip behind it that is held in place by the rim. I think you have already figured that out though!

[Ayotte]

In your picture above-mine is exactly the same. Take a small straight screwdriver and pry the round cap off-the cromed round circle on the end of the hub cover. It will pry off but be careful it is only plastic. After you have it removed you should see a round rubber cap in the end of the wheel hub. Remove it and this will expose the grease zerk. You do not have to remove the complete rim to grease the bearings through the zerk! If you don't understand what I am saying-pm me and I will see if I can explain it better.

[ktmracer]

Originally Posted by Ayotte

In your picture above-mine is exactly the same. Take a small straight screwdriver and pry the round cap off-the cromed round circle on the end of the hub cover. It will pry off but be careful it is only plastic. After you have it removed you should see a round rubber cap in the end of the wheel hub. Remove it and this will expose the grease zerk. You do not have to remove the complete rim to grease the bearings through the zerk! If you don't understand what I am saying-pm me and I will see if I can explain it better.

x2. mine pop off reasonably easy, just work your way around the circle and they should pop off. I've done mine probably a dozen times, haven't broken the cap yet.

[Ayotte]

not sure how to attach photo-if it worked, I circled the cap that pops off.

[BobM]

OHHHHhhhhhhhhh .....THAT cap!!!! I didn't even know that little cap was even there! Thanks Ayotte! I always say, "draw me a picture". Now, once this #%$&ing SNOW stops, I'll go back to the storage place and give it a try!

[JRTJH]

Bob,

When you go back out to "give it a try", realize that if you just start pumping grease into that zerk fitting, you're going to blow the rear seal and have to disassemble the hub to replace it....

There is a specific way to grease using the zerk fitting. First, I'd suggest waiting for warmer weather. The grease now is cold and thick and won't flow easily. When you do get around to it, the instructions state to jack the wheel off the ground, rotate the hub while greasing so the grease is evenly distributed and to SLOWLY pump the grease into the hub until the clean grease flows out of the overflow ports.

Since you indicated a picture helps you understand better, go to the Dexter website and view the video, It's the top row middle video and will explain everything with pictures....

http://www.dexteraxle.com/video_gallery

[BobM]

Will do, thanks JRTJH. I've watched a few on YouTube, too, and they're doing what you describe. Thanks for the advice about the warmer weather, too - NOOOoooo problem, waiting for warmer weather!! While I'm at it, it looks like I need to something about that rusty patina, too.

And, sorry to everyone else who tried to explain about the cap on the chrome dome thing. I just wasn't getting it. It took Ayotte to modify my pic to circle the danged thing - but hey, he didn't have to put 16 arrows all over the place pointing to it with big exclamation marks, LOL.

You folks are the greatest. Thanks!