Trailer axle bearing / seal leaking?
Got back from the lake the other day and noticed a bunch of splatter on one of my tires. Upon further investigation, I noticed grease/oil leaking from behind the hub. Also, I have the Vault system in my trailer.
So, what's wrong and how do I go about fixing it? I'm guessing maybe a rear axle/bearing seal? Do I need to replace bearings, vault cap, etc? I've never had one of these apart so I'm not sure whats inside and/or what to replace. Also, any suggestions on where to get parts if I need them.
Thanks
Steve
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Trailer axle bearing / seal leaking?
Yep that's a leaking seal Steve, just had this problem back in April. You have to replace the seal and repack the bearing with grease. I have some pics of it al torn apart and a list of how to put back together. When I get home I will post them to help unless you are familiar. It was my first time and had guidance from my father who knows this kind of stuff.
Oh and I have a thread on this very same thing where I provided the national parts # replacement so you can just pick it up at a local auto parts store.
Trailer axle bearing / seal leaking?
The main thing that is different about the vaults vs other hubs is that there is an O ring on the inside of the hub that seals against the vault cap. Make sure this is there so water can not enter
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Trailer axle bearing / seal leaking?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ninedriver
Cigar, thanks for the great how to post!
One quick question for anyone, looking at the pics of my leaky seal, is that a bad enough leak where I need to fix it before trailering the boat to/from the lake again? The reason I'm asking is I'm sure it'll be next week before the hybrid vault grease will make it from pacific trailers and I don't know where to find it locally. Or should I pop the vault cap and just pack some standard wheel grease in the mean time. I obviously don't want to smoke a bearing but I don't want to miss this weekend at the lake... And it's almost 90 miles round trip to the lake.
Did you just notice the leak when you posted or could it have been like that for a bit?
I would at least try to pull the vault cap off and see what's what, it will give you an idea. You don't HAVE to use the vault lube, it's just recommended like everything else when you buy something.
90 miles round trip I'd say you are ok if you have reasonable grease levels when the cap is pulled and it's not all liquified. If it's liquified I'd pull the hub and regrease until I could replace the seal. I drove for a while with a leaky seal because I didn't notice it but I wouldn't tell you or anyone else to do that.
Your call.