Bearings ? Again!

[Lady Scamp]

Ok I admit it. I have never even changed the oil in my car so all of this talk about wheel bearings has freaked me out. If I take my 92 Scamp to a place to get this done, about how much should it cost? Also how will I know if they did it right?
Thanks for any advice and NO I don't imagine I will ever do this myself.

Linda

[floyd]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

I like the EZ lube system, but you need to be aware of how grease reacts.
If the hub is full the bearings will run hotter until the excess grease is forced out.
Personally I think you should leave the rubber plugs off for a couple of hours so that that excess can work it's way out and the temps will drop.
After the temps drop then put the plugs back on.

Bearings actually need a fairly small amount of grease.
The grease cannot actually BE in the bearing races for any length of time because the rolling elements will churn it up and that heats it up and if there is no escape for the excess it will overheat and cook the grease.
When we grease motors we remove the purge caps and let that excess grease get out.
Since we have temp sensors on the bearings we can see the spike and the temps fall off as the motors rum.
There is a small controversy on whether to grease while running or when stopped, but I prefer the have them greased (ever so slowly) while running.
Try to put the grease in fast and you will push the grease past the seals.not build up too much pressure while greasing.
Just my $0.02 worth.
The grease in the gun should be as warm as possible so that it will flow easily and

Sounds like about $0.02 worth to me!

[Darral T.]

Ok...first things first Linda....you say "I have never even changed the oil in my car..." Do you mean YOU havent changed it or you have never even HAD it changed???? If so, forget the Scamp and let's get the car (tow vehicle?) straightened out or it's not going to matter about the Scamp anyways. Is the car new? Did you buy it used? If it's used, how many miles have you put on it since you purchased it? Has the oil level ever been checked?

And the questions YOU asked are the reason I do the work myself on my Scamp- the cost and you had really better ask around if you dont know of a dependable mechanic and try to find one! If you cant, at least find a reputable "trailer" business and that'll be about as close as you can get because this work is what they do....hopefully.

Personally, unless I'm broken down, I'll never take my Scamp to a Camping World. Alot of their "techs" are like the fast food restaurants- just passing through until something better comes along! I've just heard too many nightmare tales on their service.

Let us know about the car please!

Originally Posted by Lady Scamp

Ok I admit it. I have never even changed the oil in my car so all of this talk about wheel bearings has freaked me out. If I take my 92 Scamp to a place to get this done, about how much should it cost? Also how will I know if they did it right?
Thanks for any advice and NO I don't imagine I will ever do this myself.

Linda

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't take my trailer to Camping World, but I don't repack my bearings myself either. I take it to a small garage that charges me $70 to repack the bearings and adjust the brakes. They have a lift, a solvent tank and air compressor readily at hand. I don't end up with greasy newspapers and dirty solvent to dispose of.

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by dmad1

Why do wheel bearings need to be greased or repacked so often? After owning autos, some over 150k miles and never requiring bearing service, why do trailer bearings need servicing so often? Just wondering.

There are really 2 main reasons for bearing failure, lack of grease or contaminated grease, in either of these situations the lack of proper lubrication causes heat. Just about all modern auto wheel used sealed ball bearings replaced as sealed units, the grease cannot escape and no contaminates (water dirt, etc can enter). Older vehicles with tapered roller bearings like our trailers have needed regular repacking.

[Lady Scamp]

Darral

I didn't put that right. My car IS well maintained, I just don't do the work myself. I can see how my post would be alarming and rather ridiculous.

I am thinking of having Les Schwab do the bearings if they need it. I'm leaving from Seattle to visit the desert soon and hopefully my Scamp will be ok until I get back.

Thanks SO much for your concern. It reaffirms how great this community is.

Cheers

Linda

[Lady Scamp]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't take my trailer to Camping World, but I don't repack my bearings myself either. I take it to a small garage that charges me $70 to repack the bearings and adjust the brakes. They have a lift, a solvent tank and air compressor readily at hand. I don't end up with greasy newspapers and dirty solvent to dispose of.

Thanks for the ballpark on cost.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Lady Scamp

Thanks for the ballpark on cost.

Same would be $130 at local RV shop.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Same would be $130 at local RV shop.

And less than a dollar to do it yourself!
Guess that makes the average somewhere around $70 which should be a fair price.

[Darral]

Good! (About the car) That's how easy it is to be misunderstood on here. Take your trailer where u feel is the best place and go with it.

Knowing exactly what/how the mechanic does the job is impossible to know unless someone is there watching every step of the way. SO, when you pull the trailer, at a minimum, just feel the wheel hubs when u stop. If they're too hot to touch, then you could be concerned.

Originally Posted by Lady Scamp

Darral

I didn't put that right. My car IS well maintained, I just don't do the work myself. I can see how my post would be alarming and rather ridiculous.

I am thinking of having Les Schwab do the bearings if they need it. I'm leaving from Seattle to visit the desert soon and hopefully my Scamp will be ok until I get back.

Thanks SO much for your concern. It reaffirms how great this community is.

Cheers

Linda

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by floyd

And less than a dollar to do it yourself!
Guess that makes the average somewhere around $70 which should be a fair price.

I don't know about you, but I don't work for nothing. Grease is $1, but four hours labour at $70 an hour adds up.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't know about you, but I don't work for nothing. Grease is $1, but four hours labour at $70 an hour adds up.

Actually I often do work without remuneration, but I especially don't count maintenance on my own property as paid labor!
So how do you pay yourself for work around the house?
You take four hours to repack wheel bearings?

In case I wasn't clear, I was referring to the average of $130, $70, and $1 as $70 (actually its $67) Kinda depends on where you have the work done!

[Glenn Baglo]

I hired a lawn maintenance company a couple years ago. Used to take me two days to mow front and back. That doesn't take into account maintaining the mower and trimmer.
I timed them once. Two guys took 11 minutes to mow, trim, blow and go.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by Ian G.

There are really 2 main reasons for bearing failure, lack of grease or contaminated grease, in either of these situations the lack of proper lubrication causes heat. Just about all modern auto wheel used sealed ball bearings replaced as sealed units, the grease cannot escape and no contaminates (water dirt, etc can enter). Older vehicles with tapered roller bearings like our trailers have needed regular repacking.

I think one more should be added, too loose, yes too loose, bad words around the bearings topic. I know, too tight is not right with bearings but once or twice a year I jack up each tire off the ground and firmly shake and pull on them. If I can feel them move or clunk I re-tighten the castle nut/spindle lock by hand only, WITHOUT a wrench to just snug while spinning the tire. If they are really loose I replace them soon. I always check my bearings this way whenever I go on an extended trip away from home. You have to get them off the ground for an accurate check. And I have never had a bearing failure on the road for 25 years of pulling a lot. But what do I know? Maybe this isn't why I am so lucky with bearings.

Think about it, if the bearings have enough room to come out of their cages you will chew up the whole axle as they grenade. I have had many friends have this happen to them, but it never happened again after I showed them this tip. Last spring a friend was gassing up and I went around his dual axle trailer and grabbed the wheels out of curiosity while waiting. I got to the last of the 4 wheels and it moved a good 3 inches or better! We jacked it up on the spot and re-snugged it. No problems for the last 100 miles we had to go and he is still driving it.

[varmint]

We have owned our trailer about 4 yrs now and have put about 20,000 on it, most miles were on a National parks tour of the US that lasted about 4 months. I cleaned and repacked the bearings when we bought the trailer as well as replaced the brakes.. I inspected the wheel bearings after a year and was satisfied. I just cleaned and repacked them again last fall. There was no discoloration caused by heat, no "clicking" and they turn freely. I carry spares but haven't needed them yet. I'm thinking that synthetic grease has a higher burn point and is more slippery which should help the bearings live longer.
My Scamp does only have 2 wheels and I would never want to have a failure at 65 -70 mph on a freeway.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

... but this I've written is not opinion or info off the internet. I experienced it.

Except that, now that you have posted it.. to everyone else, it is info from the internet
.
.
.
And apparently good info.. thx

[floyd]

Originally Posted by varmint

We have owned our trailer about 4 yrs now and have put about 20,000 on it, most miles were on a National parks tour of the US that lasted about 4 months. I cleaned and repacked the bearings when we bought the trailer as well as replaced the brakes.. I inspected the wheel bearings after a year and was satisfied. I just cleaned and repacked them again last fall. There was no discoloration caused by heat, no "clicking" and they turn freely. I carry spares but haven't needed them yet. I'm thinking that synthetic grease has a higher burn point and is more slippery which should help the bearings live longer.
My Scamp does only have 2 wheels and I would never want to have a failure at 65 -70 mph on a freeway.

I would rethink the use of synthetic grease for this application. Just use a good lithium based wheel bearing grease.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by floyd

I would rethink the use of synthetic grease for this application. Just use a good lithium based wheel bearing grease.

That is not enough info to make an informed decision. What is your reasoning? Whats wrong with synthetic, etc?

[redbarron55]

Without a doubt synthetic grease is better than Lithium based grease.
The thickeners are soap and clay in both, but the synthetic has much higher temperature ratings and is just overall better.
You need to be sure you completely remove the old lithium grease before you grease with the regreasing with synthetic.
Do not mix the two.
It may be a good idea to use lithium if you don't carry spare grease for the trailer.
You can get small grease guns and cartridges for either if you use the EZ Lube features.
We use Mobil EM for our motors and that would be good for trailers as well and it has good moisture resistance as well.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by floyd

I would rethink the use of synthetic grease for this application. Just use a good lithium based wheel bearing grease.

Floyd , Just a guestion . The grease I use for my trailer bearings is a lithium based grease that is listed / recommended on the Dexter website as an approved lubricant ( Mystik JT 6 #2 High Temp or Lucas #2 Red N tacky. ) I clean and repack the bearings annually .
Would I gain anything by going to synthetic grease ?
I don't object to paying for a better grease but so far the lithium grease has done the job plus I have a tub of lithium grease on hand.
I am wondering is this similar to using synthetic motor oil in your vehicle yet still changing the oil every 2500 to 3000 miles.