Leak on Right Inner Drive Tire

mmanning · September 21, 2019, 09:03:45 AM

While running through a few pre-drive checklist items I noticed a leak on the right side (passenger) inner drive tire.

It seems to be some kind of lubricant. It may be tinted green a bit, or it could be my imagination..

It does not seem to be leaking very fast. After cleaning it up with a rag, I did not notice any new drops. That said though, I had not driven the bus in two weeks and the leak left the tire wet and a small amount on the ground.

Thoughts on what this could be?

I had wanted to take the bus on a 300 mile drive today, but I'm thinking it might not be a good idea. Would you take the trip?

Raymond smith · September 21, 2019, 09:07:17 AM

Looks like your axle seal is leaking

Utahclaimjumper · September 21, 2019, 09:31:50 AM

That would be the first place to look and trace it back to the sorce.>>>D

mmanning · September 21, 2019, 09:55:46 AM

That's kind of what I was thinking, but I have not had my bus long and am still learning.

I will research this, but but any tips would be great. If this is the axle seal; are the parts a specialty item for an Eagle or could the parts be found at truck part suppliers.

Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM · September 21, 2019, 10:26:38 AM

Had the same thing happen to me in El Paso last year. Had my Rear Rear Seal replaced as well as Bearings and Races too. You don't always have to replace Bearings and Races, but I decided to replace everything while I was at it because the bearings showed signs of wear.

I also bought a complete set for the opposite side and would have had those replaces, but it took them all day to chase down the bearings so I decided to wait. I like the idea of having them with me while I travel as they are not always easy to find, but there re many places that can change them for you and you can do them yourself if you have a few tools.

Gary

luvrbus · September 21, 2019, 10:30:01 AM

Quote from: mmanning on September 21, 2019, 09:55:46 AM
That's kind of what I was thinking, but I have not had my bus long and am still learning.

I will research this, but but any tips would be great. If this is the axle seal; are the parts a specialty item for an Eagle or could the parts be found at truck part suppliers.

Mike the seals are not special to a Eagle and not a huge choir to do, it is a seal leaking from sitting 7 years

Scott & Heather · September 21, 2019, 08:17:18 PM

Check the brakes. If your brakes get that oil on them, it makes them very sad.

DoubleEagle · September 22, 2019, 08:53:10 AM

In the future, when leaks appear, smell the fluid. Gear oil has a distinctive smell that is different from motor oil or transmission fluid.

Glennman · September 22, 2019, 09:03:39 PM

Same thing happened to me on my '74 MC-8. The bearings and races were perfect. I replace the seal and break shoes. I had an issue with the spot on the spindle at the bottom where the inner race sets. I had to do quite an extensive repair there, and if it leaks again, I'll probably either convert to grease, or have an "axel doctor" do a fix. The area where the race sets was worn down for some reason, so the bearing wouldn't center, and hence the seal wouldn't either. If you have any issue like that, I would suggest the two fixes mentioned above.

Glennman

mmanning · October 16, 2019, 01:00:00 PM

I thought I would follow up on this problem and report that I got it fixed. To confirm, it was the seal that was leaking.

I wasn't really sure I could do this repair myself. Time and lack of experience had a lot to do with it. I keep thinking I should have tried to tackle this myself, but if I screwed it up I didn't have a backup plan.

In the end I contacted Stan Holter via his Busboys Facebook page looking for local recommendations. He got me in contact with the shop manager of Rochester City Lines. While the bus was there I got to talk with Dan Holter and a couple others. Its good to know that I have a good local shop I can count on when something is over my head. Its also good know some of the busnuts in the area. In fact, Dan told me he has a sister Eagle to mine in his back yard, one that ran the Hanford route for the government.

Thank you to everyone that helped me figure this out.

chessie4905 · October 16, 2019, 03:12:35 PM

Glad you got it fixed. You did ensure some gear oil was put into hub before reinstalling axle?

mmanning · October 17, 2019, 07:58:10 AM

I don't actually know what steps they took to fix it unfortunately. It sounded like the mechanic that took care of it was very knowledgeable and took a lot of pride in his work. The leak was on the drive axle, I think the axles are lubed via the shared oil in the differential and miter box. As long as those are topped off, shouldn't I be good?

chessie4905 · October 17, 2019, 03:37:07 PM

It takes a while for the gear oil to migrate to the hub unless was pre-lubed or opposite side was jacked up to encourage quicker flow.