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markdoane · 05-05-2005, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 65GT

By the way Don -- that was the best wheel bearing packing site I had seen. I didn't even get close to one like that in my search and I must have spent 20+ minutes on it!

Leo

HaHa, I have a top secret search engine. I found it on the "airstreamforums.com" website. Used the 'search' feature.

Thanks, and a shout out to Bryan (Leipper)!

Here's the source thread, it's post #4.

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ead.php?t=9927

Buttercup · 05-05-2005, 08:55 PM

Yes the pads are worn unevenly and the calipers were stiff. They need a lot of work. Part of the reasons that we elected to tow her home without brakes. I will need to turn the rotors.
Surprisingly, the tech manual says that a tapered wear pattern is actually normal. But a taper of the lining greater than 1/8th of an inch (certainly my case) should be replaced.

john hd · 05-05-2005, 09:26 PM

buttercup

good site!

as for cleaning your bearings i use a small 3 gallon parts cleaner tank filled with plain kerosene that is used for cleaning just wheel bearings. harley airstream or chevy the only parts that get cleaned in it are wheel bearings.

your use of aerosol cleaner is the best way to go short of replacing everything.

napa sells a nice cone shaped wheel bearing greasing fixture with a zerk on the top, again, i have a grease gun that gets loaded with only wheel bearing grease. sometimes i load it by hand or just use cartriges of wheel bearing grease. depending on what i can find when i am ready to do a lube job.

the cone greaser is amazing because of the amount of crud that can be forced out of a set of "clean" bearings.

john

Silvertwinkie · 05-05-2005, 09:43 PM

Ok, then I have to ask...first, are you saying HD that one shoud not use an aresol brake cleaner on the bearings? It's what every grease monkey uses.

Second, you say wheel bearing grease only. I'm curious, is there a difference between say a Mobil 1 syn grease compared to a tub called wheel bearing grease? I've been repacking the wheel bearings on my boat trailer for over 10 years using normal grease the first 5 years and Mobli 1 grease the last 5 years. Now I'll admit the boat weighs about 3000lbs...maybe, while our Safari weighs upwards of 6300lbs.

So is it wrong to think I can use any other grease besides something that says wheel bearing grease specifically on the tube or tub?

BTW, nice process Buttercup...I noticed your coach has disc brakes...what's the year and model of your Airstream that has discs on it?

Buttercup · 05-05-2005, 09:51 PM

John,

Thanks for the compliment on our site. I used brake cleaner because it was small and portable. Nice for a long distance repack job and the pressure of the can helped blast most of the crud out (I hope). But I would kill for a nice parts washer in my garage! The fun I could have.
I am going to redo the bearings and use a packer of some type to document the results on the web.
I can see that my garage will have to be cleaned out a little to hold all of the tools that I will be getting to take care of our TT! I'll work on the parts bin but I wondered how an ultrasonic cleaner with a good quality solvent would work on something like this....

markdoane · 05-05-2005, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

I've been repacking the wheel bearings on my boat trailer for over 10 years using normal grease the first 5 years and Mobli 1 grease the last 5 years. Now I'll admit the boat weighs about 3000lbs...maybe, while our Safari weighs upwards of 6300lbs.

I've always used boat grease (the blue stuff) for my boat trailer. I have separate grease guns for boat grease and airstream grease. The boat grease doesn't have the same soap base as regular grease, it doesn't wash out and it keeps water out better. (I admit I use bearing buddies too)

74Argosy24MH · 05-06-2005, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buttercup

the tech manual says that a tapered wear pattern is actually normal. But a taper of the lining greater than 1/8th of an inch (certainly my case) should be replaced.

That makes me pretty nervous. 1/8" seems like a lot of tolerance on such a short piece. I like things that fit nice and tight, they move more smoothly and consistently. When the tolerance gets that large it seems the calipers are moving around too much and would start hanging. I would keep a close eye on them.

Buttercup · 05-06-2005, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 74Argosy24MH

That makes me pretty nervous. 1/8" seems like a lot of tolerance on such a short piece. I like things that fit nice and tight, they move more smoothly and consistently. When the tolerance gets that large it seems the calipers are moving around too much and would start hanging. I would keep a close eye on them.

The calipers were quite free floating - more so than on any other vehicle that I have ever worked on. But nothing seems to be missing looking at the tech manual. I expect that it will be better once I go over the brakes completely - but that is another thread and web page as I will document what I have done for that as well...

BrianWSNC · 05-06-2005, 09:48 AM

I was a machanic for over 10 years and I have packed my share of bearings. The trick is "packing" the grease into the bearing.

KISS method of explanation is:

1. left hand, glob of grease
2. Right hand, Middle finger thru bearing center with Large portion facing downward

with a patting motion, strike downward the bearing into the glob of grease till it starts oozing out the top of the bearing, THEN rotate the bearing slightly while packing the grease all the way around the bearing.

The grease needs to be pushed INSIDE the bearing and ooze out of the top for proper lubricatoiin.

I use latex gloves, NO Mess.

KISS = Keep It Simple Stup.. well you know the rest

nickcrowhurst · 05-06-2005, 10:40 AM

Am I correct that it is not feasible to inspect the inner race of these bearings, without destoying the cages? Prior to working on my Airstream, I have always serviced bearings (in the UK) that separate with a sharp blow to reveal both races for inspection, and a dirty floor covered with scattered balls or rollers.

I have regularly washed out the Airstream bearings, inspected the entire surfaces of all the rollers and the outer races, but am unable to to check the inner race, other than by feel and sound. This seems unsatisfactory to me. Is there a way to inspect the inner races? Nick

74Argosy24MH · 05-06-2005, 11:10 AM

The surface of the rollers should tell you what the inner race looks like. There isn't any way to separate the cage and inner race if you want to use them again.

john hd · 05-06-2005, 07:11 PM

twink

areosol cleaners are fine but expensive. for the cost of two cans of brakekleen i can refill my parts washer twice! kerosene is cheap, spray cans are not.

the nice thing about a parts washer is that you can let it run on a set of bearings while you are doing something else, like cleaning out the hub and spindle.

bottom line, get them as clean as you can, whatever method. then use a pressurized packing device. your vacations will be uneventful!

john

john hd · 05-06-2005, 07:16 PM

Quote:

So is it wrong to think I can use any other grease besides something that says wheel bearing grease specifically on the tube or tub?

no eric, you want to use only wheel bearing grease.

it doesn't matter if it comes from a tub or a tube. marine grease is for submerged axles, i don't think you will need that unless you expect to ford rivers with your trailer.

but with that new suburban of yours one can never tell!

john

jimmickle · 05-07-2005, 07:48 AM

One thing that has not been mentioned here is compatibility of greases. Some greases are not compatible with others, another good reason to get the bearings clean before packing with new grease. Once I have my grease in a bearing, I don't have a problem with just pressure packing.
I am fortunate enough to have a very old air powered greaser that holds over a pound of grease. All I have to do is load the bearing, give it a quick shot of 90 psi air and the old grease is forced out and new is in so firm that it is a bit hard to turn the bearing. I make sure that I tighten the nut quite hard (about 25 lb ft)while turning the hub to get everything seated before loosening and adjusting by tightening to 15 inch pounds (finger tight) and then backing off one flat. How ever you do it, roller bearings need end play (.003 to .005). Tight bearings will burn up.

overlander63 · 05-07-2005, 09:40 AM

Something no one else has touched on, is Buttercup, and others with disc brakes on their coaches, need to make sure the wheel bearing grease they are using is approved for use with disc brakes. Most of it is, but you can still buy grease that does not have a high enough temperature rating, and the grease will fail, causing bearing problems.

Buttercup · 05-07-2005, 09:46 AM

Good point and in our case we did use a synthetic blend extreme temp grease - just because we could. Can't be too careful.

Rog0525 · 05-07-2005, 06:45 PM

I may be using the wrong terminology, but bear with me a sec please.
I once had the bearings in a conventional sealed hub on a boat trailer totally disintegrate while in tow. I replaced both hubs with new bearings, new grease and Warner hubs... you know, the kind that have a grease zerc for re-packing. They served me well for as long as I owned it. All that was needed was a visual glance now and then to see if the seal cap was receding and needed more grease. A few squirts with a grease gun served the purpose, if needed.
I understand the need to periodically examine the bearings, but what is wrong with this type of hub on a travel trailer, assuming that the seal is airtight?
I can only imagine that old grease degenerates, gathers metal shavings and needs total cleansing and periodic replacement, much like an oil change in your car engine.
A Warner type of hub would at least signal if the bearings are low on grease and I would think that important. Why not put them on travel trailer wheels?
Any enlightenment appreciated.

markdoane · 05-07-2005, 07:18 PM

Rog,

I'm not sure what Warner hubs are, but they sound like Bearing Buddies.

Conventional wisdom (?) says that having the hubs completely filled with grease causes the grease to oveheat, expand, and force it's way past the seal. Then it leaks onto the brake linings.

Is this true? I don't know from my personal experience. I have BearingBuddies on my boat trailer, but not on the airstream.

My understanding is that the BearingBuddies have a small pressure relief hole that is exposed if the grease cavity is completely filled, beyond the limit of the spring loaded piston. I don't know as I have never filled mine that full.

When we have discussed this before, I think the consensus was to not use BearingBuddies on a travel trailer.

Rog0525 · 05-07-2005, 08:57 PM

Thank you Don (markdoane). Yes, Bearing Buddies are what I'm talking about.
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/
I had success with them on my boat trailer but I didn't know that they have been discussed regarding use on a travel trailer in such threads as:
http://www.airforums.com/forum...earing+buddies

Just more evidence that the proof is in the pudding.