Wheel Bearing Question/'76 Globetrotter

[kentuvman]

Hello Everyone,

I cleaned and greased the bearings today on my single axle A/S GT.

The brake shoes are getting to the point where after this trip, I want to get new shoes.

I'm clear about the bearing itself but attached to the hub, that covers the brake shoes, in the rear is another bearing - I'll speculate and say that's the bearing seal - am I right?

While cleaning out the old grease, a small round spring popped out - I was able to get it back in after removing all the old grease. I think the pressure against the hub should prevent it from coming out but I'm also thinking that this piece should be replaced when I get the new brake shoes.

Timkin is the name of the bearings. The front bearing is in great shape - I cleaned it up and repacked it.

I don't think I want to attack the brake shoes and replacing the rear bearing in the wheel.

Sounds like Inland can provide the new rear bearing (seals?). What do I need to let them know to get the right parts. Guessing they can sell me the brake shoes too or will Napa or O'Reilly have those here locally?

Thanks much,

Ken

[kipper]

Yes thats the wheel seal and you should not reuse the old seal , when you install the next seal , you can put some bearing grease in the gap to help hold the spring in place . Good luck , Kipper

[polarlyse]

You mention front bearing. Do you mean inner and outer ???? There should be #s on them to identify them. Once you remove the seal the inner bearing will pop out for cleaning and re-packing. Replace the seal and you're good to go. There's plenty of threads on bearings / seals. If you do a search you can get lots of info to read. An easy, but a bit messy job, suitable for the handy do it yourself'er. Just use caution and common sense when tightening them and you'll be fine. The brakes are not difficult either. Check the prices and you'll find that it's only a few bucks more to get the brakes already installed on the backing plate. You get new shoes and all springs and mounting hardware new also. Simply unbolt the old ones, cut the wires and toss. Bold on the new ones, crimp the wire connectors and do an adjustment. You can even get self adjusting brakes. I have them and they are working great after 3 years. I got mine from a local trailer parts house. Don't know if the auto houses you mentioned will carry them but they may.

All this being said. Bearing replacement adds a new dimension to the job. Cleaning / repacking is a basic job. Replacement is a new animal because you have to press out the old bearing races and press in the new. A bit challenging but not difficult. Just something to be prepared for and make sure you're up to it. The seals are part of the basic job and not difficult at all.

[azflycaster]

The only spring that I am aware of in this area is part of the grease seal. I would be very careful about putting it somewhere it does not belong. Bearings can eat these springs and it never turns out well for the bearing...

[Bill M.]

NAPA is a good source for bearings and seals for an airstream. Take an old seal. It can even still be in the drum if you are nervous about destroying it before you get a new one. The seals I just bought were around $8.50 each.

I think your are sorta messed up now. If I understand it correctly, you tried to clean and grease the inner bearing while it was still behind the seal and in the drum?
And popped the spring out of the seal?

Yes, you need to remove the old seal and put in a new one as soon as you can. And the bearing in there needs to be actually packed with gease rather than jus having grease spread on the outside of it.

[Splitrock]

This is the inside seal with the bearing behind it.



This is the bearing packing tool. The removed seal is in the pan.



Close up.



When washing the bearings, don't spin them with the air hose.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by kentuvman

Hello Everyone,

I cleaned and greased the bearings today on my single axle A/S GT.

The brake shoes are getting to the point where after this trip, I want to get new shoes.

I'm clear about the bearing itself but attached to the hub, that covers the brake shoes, in the rear is another bearing - I'll speculate and say that's the bearing seal - am I right?

While cleaning out the old grease, a small round spring popped out - I was able to get it back in after removing all the old grease. I think the pressure against the hub should prevent it from coming out but I'm also thinking that this piece should be replaced when I get the new brake shoes.

Timkin is the name of the bearings. The front bearing is in great shape - I cleaned it up and repacked it.

I don't think I want to attack the brake shoes and replacing the rear bearing in the wheel.

Sounds like Inland can provide the new rear bearing (seals?). What do I need to let them know to get the right parts. Guessing they can sell me the brake shoes too or will Napa or O'Reilly have those here locally?

Thanks much,

Ken

Ken.

The only "spring" is a part of the grease seal.

DO NOT EVER reuse grease seals. To do so is asking for a disaster.

Secondly, a complete backing plate is just a couple of dollars more than the shoes. As an added plus, the old round magnet electric brakes are now considered obsolete, which the new backing plate resolve.

Andy

[kentuvman]

Thanks so much for your replies.

It pulled great all the way out to California.

While in LA, I'll pick up some bearing seals for good measure.

We still have to get home!

If I can get to Inland RV, I'll pick up new parts over there.
(Andy - if you see my post - is it possible to bring trailer in and wait while we get new seals & brake shoes? What would the wait time be? Just one axle and two wheels.

If I end up going to Napa, do I need to remove existing bearing seal and bring with or is there a part number for mine?

As a sidenote, I'm taking my Dodge Ram 3500 to dealer in Long Beach this morning as right rear wheel developed a loud squeak - not the trailer - my son got out and listened as I rolled forward.

Definitely want to get truck & trailer handled before hitting the road again!

[polarlyse]

Those neat tools for re-packing the grease into the bearings are a nice addition to any toolbox but we did it for years without them. It just adds a degree of messiness to the job. So if you don't have one don't let that put the kabosh on doing it. It can be done very effectively with nothing but your hands. Get some rubber gloves and the cleanup will go a bit nicer. But this is a job that "MUST" be done. It sounds to me like the sooner the better.

[kentuvman]

Leaving in a few minutes to drop trailer at Inland for new seals & new brakes.

Peace of mind worth a ton!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by kentuvman

Thanks so much for your replies.

It pulled great all the way out to California.

While in LA, I'll pick up some bearing seals for good measure.

We still have to get home!

If I can get to Inland RV, I'll pick up new parts over there.
(Andy - if you see my post - is it possible to bring trailer in and wait while we get new seals & brake shoes? What would the wait time be? Just one axle and two wheels.

If I end up going to Napa, do I need to remove existing bearing seal and bring with or is there a part number for mine?

As a sidenote, I'm taking my Dodge Ram 3500 to dealer in Long Beach this morning as right rear wheel developed a loud squeak - not the trailer - my son got out and listened as I rolled forward.

Definitely want to get truck & trailer handled before hitting the road again!

We open at 7 am.

Takes a couple of hours, or less.

We suggest calling first.

800-8777311.

Andy

[kentuvman]

Had the privilege to meet Andy & his team today.

They fixed me up with new bearing seals & new brakes.

A great asset to this forum.

[polarlyse]

Hope you got your truck straight while you were at it. Nice to have peace of mind that a job is done and done right. Whether you do it yourself or have a capable shop you know it's good for the road. Just put a hand on the hubs every now and then and make sure they are warm but never hot. First sign that there's trouble " AFOOT". See ya on the road sometime

[kentuvman]

We're pushing back our departure from Los Angeles to Thursday - turns out the squeak in right rear of truck (ram 3500 TD) was a hanging tailpipe that rusted through - going to the muffler store first thing tomorrow to get it replaced or re-attached. Surprised the Dodge dealer didn't offer the service but will probably save some $$$.

Spent 3 hours R&R wheels, bearings & new brake assemblies - what a ***** getting the nuts off the original electric brake assembly - but she's off.

Very pleased I asked about this and got your replies because when I replaced the bearing seal, after cleaning rear bearing (did not realize there were two bearings on each wheel), there is a lot of movement between the new seal and where the rear bearing sits.

Going to a brake/axle shop tomorrow to see if they can re-press race - will get this right before heading back to MN.

Realize now how lucky we were not to break anything on way out - I'd made two trips to Houston & back and then out to CA in some very high temperatures. Very lucky. Very grateful.

Will post again after I hopefully get the hub issue resolved.

[polarlyse]

That sloppy fit on the inner bearing is normal. Nothing to worry about. It's all held together when assembled and tightened to spec. Glad your on the way and comfortable with the job.

[kentuvman]

Thanks much. All set with properly greased bearings, new seals & brakes.

Muffler shop welded tailpipe section back on the Dodge 3500.

Should be good to go.

[polarlyse]

LIFE IS GOOD. Time to hit the road. ENJOY

[kentuvman]

2 weeks later and almost 5,000 miles later . . . all is well.

Airstream pulled a lot nicer after the wheel bearings were properly serviced with new seals. New brakes @ $50 a side, from Inland RV are a bargain - made in the USA was a nice surprise.

One wheel has studs and the other has lug nuts. One of the lug nut bolts is stripped.

Any suggestions on where to purchase studs & tapered nuts for that wheel? How do I put them in so they won't work there way loose?

Thanks for all your help and thanks Inland RV for having the parts I needed to get my trailer ready for the journey home!