Got lucky with a dry wheel bearing

Azjeff

Azjeff

Well-known member
So I put off wheel bearing maintenance too long considering the recommended interval is yearly or 10,000 miles. Before our big spring trip it was at 8,000 miles since last done, meant to do it just didn't get to it. No excuse, not hard, wife helps out so it goes quickly usually around 2 hours for all 4. Finally did them today as we're going out again and might put another 1k on. It was past time, 3 of the 4 still had grease in both bearings but one had a pretty dry outer bearing that the rollers have changed color from shiny silver to dark. No spalling and the outer race is clean but the next trip probably would have had a problem. No big deal, I have spare bearings packed in grease ready to go in the toolbox. Not. Wrong size. A trip to NAPA 5 minutes away and we're back in business. I'll have correct size spares this week. It ended up around 15k miles on this grease run. Won't happen again.


Not heat colored but it's been running dry.
IMG_2007.webp
 
spasm3 said:
NIce preventative catch!! What axle is that in? Was it a dexter EZ-Lube?
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Glad I got them repacked before disaster on the road but I'm disgusted I let it go too long.


Grand Design is all in with Lippert components, it had Lippert 3500# axles that do have zerks but I haven't used them. Can't see filling up all that space in there with grease just to clean it out at some point. It's funny in the GD owner's manual it doesn't talk about using the zerks to grease the bearings.
 
Yeah, that's as close to a bearing failure as you ever want to get. Did you replace both bearings and races in that hub?
 
The inboard bearing is fine. NAPA didn't have a race and that race is smooth and not discolored so put it all back together. I have a Lippert bearing kit coming.
 
Azjeff said:
No spalling and the outer race is clean but the next trip probably would have had a problem.
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The more I think about this the more I believe that if the rollers are bad, the race is also bad. I would replace both the bearing and the race.
 
At Wayne's suggestion I took that hub back off and punched out the race and sure enough on close inspection it has imperfections. Got another race this morning and took it to my indie and he drove it in. I got a Lippert hub bearing kit and have an inexpensive bearing race driver set incoming to have in the trailer. It's not a bad job if you have the tools at hand.
 
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