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03-07-2010, 08:30 AM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
2002 27' Safari
College Station
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 62
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Time to repack bearings?
First off, I admit that I'm not very mechanically oriented. I was replacing my two right-side tires yesterday, and while the trailer was jacked up, I noticed that one of the wheels makes a slight squeaking noise when it rotates. Is this most likely the bearings? Or could it be the brakes or something else?
__________________
Mike & Diane
"The written word will soon disappear, and we'll no longer be able to read good prose like we used to could." - James Thurber
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03-07-2010, 08:53 AM
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#2
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 20,000
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Sump'n drag'n in there, pull apart and inspect!!
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
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03-07-2010, 08:53 AM
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#3
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Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
Corona
, California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mddsmith
First off, I admit that I'm not very mechanically oriented. I was replacing my two right-side tires yesterday, and while the trailer was jacked up, I noticed that one of the wheels makes a slight squeaking noise when it rotates. Is this most likely the bearings? Or could it be the brakes or something else?
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Assuming your trailer has electric brakes, that sound is one of the magnets slightly dragging.
Or, it could be a broken adjuster spring floating around.
Remove the hub and drum, and give it a visual inspection.
Bearing repack should be done every 10,000 miles or once a year, which ever comes "FIRST".
Always replace the grease seals when doing a repack.
There are 2 types seals available, a single lip and a double lip, that also has a spring in it. The double is far superior.
Andy
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03-07-2010, 11:07 AM
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#4
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3 Rivet Member
1980 31' Excella II
Drummond Island
, Michigan
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 140
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Bearings never squeak. With out grease bearings will break down very quickly and what you generally hear will be a rumbling or grinding type noise when that happens. As Andy said it probably is the brakes. When you pull the hubs you might have to back the brake adjusters off in order for the brake shoes to clear the drums. As part of repacking the bearings and reassembling everything you should also adjust the brakes. There is a star wheel adjuster on each wheel located behind a little slot in the backing plate. Insert a flat bladed screwdriver in the slot. (There is also a drum brake adjusting tool that looks like a bent flat blade screw driver made for this purpose which can be bought at most auto parts stores for a coupe of bucks) The blade will contact a wheel that has little sharp studs like a star around its circumferance that you can turn by either pushing up or pulling down on the adjusting tool. With the wheel and tire mounted on the hub and the trailer jacked up securely turn the star wheel and then spin the tire on the axle. You want to adjust the brake shoes to just stop the wheel from spinning and then back off the adjuster until there is little or no drag when you spin the tire. Do all four and your brakes are now adjusted.
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03-07-2010, 04:16 PM
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#5
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2 Rivet Member
2002 27' Safari
College Station
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 62
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Thanks for the replies! I've listened to it again, and I really didn't describe it very well. It's more like a scraping noise, and it is not constant. In other words, as the wheel turns, it scrapes, then gets silent, then scrapes again. Sorry, but I told you I'm not mechanically oriented.
__________________
Mike & Diane
"The written word will soon disappear, and we'll no longer be able to read good prose like we used to could." - James Thurber
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03-07-2010, 04:24 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
Corona
, California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mddsmith
Thanks for the replies! I've listened to it again, and I really didn't describe it very well. It's more like a scraping noise, and it is not constant. In other words, as the wheel turns, it scrapes, then gets silent, then scrapes again. Sorry, but I told you I'm not mechanically oriented.
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Don't fuss with it.
PULL THE HUB AND DRUM.
To assume what might be wrong, is flirting with possible danger.
DON'T DO THAT.
Be safe, not sorry.
Andy
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03-07-2010, 04:41 PM
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#7
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2 Rivet Member
1976 Argosy 20
Peralta
, New Mexico
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 62
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Sounds like it's time for a brake job, new shoes, drums turned, bearings the whole nine yards.
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TAC # NM-2
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03-07-2010, 05:15 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
1968 30' Sovereign
1959 18' "Footer"
1954 22' Flying Cloud
Brussels
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 615
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Pull them
Every year I pull the drums and grease caps to look. Every year I grease the bearings and feel much better doing that. Its like replacing the tires every 5 years! Peace of mind!
__________________
I'm NOT an old man.............
Ed
54 Flying Cloud
59 Traveler
68 Sovereign
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03-07-2010, 05:39 PM
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#9
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 20,000
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What Ed said...
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
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03-07-2010, 06:03 PM
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#10
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,711
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Mike and Diane, if you are not mechanically inclined, perhaps you should have a reputable mechanic do it. There are a number of threads on brake jobs and wheel bearing greasing—look them up, read and decide whether you feel up to this.
It's not terribly difficult if you are mechanically inclined, but it's also not something you want to screw up. It is time consuming for those of us who don't do this every day, but a lot cheaper than having someone else doing it. There are also threads about how RV shops and Airstream dealers did a bad job with brakes and wheel bearings, so you have to be careful. Even if you don't want to do it, it is a good idea to learn about it so you have a better idea about whether it's done right.
A scraping sound probably means something is touching something it shouldn't and it didn't do it before, so something is out of whack. Note that if you are going to replace the brake shoes, you might as well buy new brake plates—they have all the brakes parts with them, and cost much less than buying the parts separately. Dexter now makes self adjusting brakes and then you won't have to adjust them as often.
Gene
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03-07-2010, 07:49 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
2002 27' Safari
College Station
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 62
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I appreciate all of this good advice. I need to get this checked and not take any chances. Gene, I have looked at some of the threads and online photos and videos, and I've decided I shouldn't attempt to check and fix this myself. I know it's not all that hard, and when I see it being done by someone who knows what he's doing it looks positively easy. But I know from experience it would be different for me. I would be sitting on my butt on a gravel parking lot, with an aching back, thirty minutes from my house (unfortunately we don't have room to store the trailer at home) and no matter how many tools I took with me, a necessary one would be missing. And if I bought all the seals and whatever else ahead of time, they would turn out to be the wrong size. There would be more trips to the store, and more stress, and then when I got it on the road a couple of weeks later, I'd be a nervous wreck, waiting to see if the wheel was going to fall off.
__________________
Mike & Diane
"The written word will soon disappear, and we'll no longer be able to read good prose like we used to could." - James Thurber
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03-07-2010, 08:05 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
Corona
, California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mddsmith
I appreciate all of this good advice. I need to get this checked and not take any chances. Gene, I have looked at some of the threads and online photos and videos, and I've decided I shouldn't attempt to check and fix this myself. I know it's not all that hard, and when I see it being done by someone who knows what he's doing it looks positively easy. But I know from experience it would be different for me. I would be sitting on my butt on a gravel parking lot, with an aching back, thirty minutes from my house (unfortunately we don't have room to store the trailer at home) and no matter how many tools I took with me, a necessary one would be missing. And if I bought all the seals and whatever else ahead of time, they would turn out to be the wrong size. There would be more trips to the store, and more stress, and then when I got it on the road a couple of weeks later, I'd be a nervous wreck, waiting to see if the wheel was going to fall off.
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All of us have limitations.
Recognizing them, and moving forward in a safe positive way, always gets that person the "Blue Ribbon" award.
Great call.
Andy
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03-08-2010, 08:11 AM
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#13
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,711
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Mike and Diane, best to recognize our limits. That's true wisdom. Don't ever ask me to figure out depreciation on a tax form or get on a steeply pitched roof.
Gene
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03-08-2010, 10:16 AM
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#14
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Moderator
Vintage Kin Owner
...
, ...
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,696
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mddsmith
I appreciate all of this good advice. I need to get this checked and not take any chances.
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It definitely pays to check things out. While it sounds like yours may be a magnet dragging there's comfort in knowing you're in good shape for the upcoming camping season.
I found this when we repacked our bearings last Fall..
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f437...tml#post755431
__________________
"One of the best lessons I've learned is that you don't worry about criticism from people you wouldn't seek advice from."
William C. Swinney
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