A leaky front wheel seal. Would this be a good time to switch to grease?

Barn Owl · March 25, 2007, 01:02:42 PM

Oh what fun! A leaky front wheel seal!

I know what I'll be doing soon.

You guessed it, lots more questions.

1. How long does it take to do this, and how hard on a scale of 1 to 10 is this job?
2. To get a replacement seal do I need to take the old one with me or do the GM part #'s work at the seal distributor?
3. Would this be a good time to switch to grease? And if so what is the procedure?

Thanks

Ross · March 25, 2007, 05:54:53 PM

It's an easy job, the parts involved are just big and heavy. Remove the wheel, drum and hub...and your there. Inspect the bearings real good. A bad or loose bearing can cause a seal to go out. I'm not a fan of using grease. These rigs are made to go millions of miles. If grease was better, the factory would not have used oil.

Ross

Sojourner · March 25, 2007, 07:29:55 PM

From my past fleet trucking experience.....If we have any trailer setting in yard a long time....it get a little coat of rust stain on seal's ring to cause wearing seal's lip to leaking after been road.

So we had all idle vehicle been change to grease verion.

Otherword if your motorhome or bus is not moving within a month...go for grease.

You can have sit still for years with no leak but soon it been on road it usually will leak.

You'll be glad you did.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

D+C4106 · March 25, 2007, 07:44:22 PM

My local mechanic really thought I should go to grease, I was not totally sold on changing to grease, he suggested grease with oil added. Would there be any reason not to mix them? On our recent trip I found a small leak on one of the front wheels. Our 4106 has not made much movement for the last 3 months, maybe that is the reason ? Denis

NJT 5573 · March 25, 2007, 09:34:39 PM

Denis, to each his own, but I would not use anything but boat trailer wheel bearing grease. Note the hubs are completely filled to the bearing level. Boat trailer wheel bearing grease repels water so if you can't find a seal or don't change the seal it will still run forever

JackConrad · March 26, 2007, 05:46:37 AM

Just "my way", but I use grease. Less chance of a leak, grease seals are not near as expensive as oil seals, and most inportant, if our bus sits for a spell, the bearings will not develop any rust spots because the oil drained off the rollers at the top of the bearings. YMMV Jack

Ross · March 26, 2007, 07:21:28 AM

I'm reminded of the recent debate on using lube on wheel studs, and the legal issues. The engineers do not support using grease in the front wheel bearings. Not that this matters a whole lot. Just further evidence that people will do what they will regardless of what the "engineers" say. If I were a lawyer and I was prosecuting a case where a locked up front wheel caused an accident, and that wheel had some form of lubrication other than what was factory approved...well, I think I just won my case.

Ross

NJT 5573 · March 26, 2007, 08:57:10 PM

Ross, these bearings ran with grease before the oil bath was invented! However as a mechanic I know better than to argue with an attorney. There are always people of little faith that are afraid of this or that and this one borders on stupid. Grease is better than oil in everyway except time. We use oil because its fast and easy. It takes time to pack a hub full of grease and pack a set of bearings but when your done, you are good for a million miles. If some engineer really said that its probably because some fool packed the bearings only and not the hub and smoked a set of bearings. I'm not afraid of attorneys. I have a rather large insurance policy and they can take exactly as much as they can get, but my insurance company ain't gonna make it easy. If you are running without insurance you need to get some and stop living in fear. Name one car/SUV that runs oil bath. Engineers figured out how to sell more wheel studs and now they are selling more bearings. My Freightliner manual has 2 pages on packing steer hubs with grease. Maybe Freightliner can't afford "Engineers". Sorry this is harsh but Jesus Christ....

Stan · March 27, 2007, 05:32:56 AM

I have always used packed bearings to avoid the leakage problem. On one bus that I bought with oil filled hubs, I had to replace all the bearings because of rust, before I used it.

I never worry about the lawyers since converting a bus automatically makes you liable for the changes you make. I suppose taking the seats out changes the engineer's design and the weight shift would make you liable, in a lawyer's eyes. For all those worried about the lawyers, use common sense and do proper maintenance to protect your own life as well as others using the road.

The converters who run every tire until they fail, run with leaking wheel seals, don't do brake maintenance, etc., etc., etc., are the legal liability. Some do it out of ignorance (read some of the questions on the board) and some are running a vehicle that they can't afford to maintain.

Every potential bus buyer should be told A BUS IS NOT A CHEAP MOTORHOME

Ross · March 27, 2007, 06:09:09 AM

Quote from: NJT 5573 on March 26, 2007, 08:57:10 PM
Ross, these bearings ran with grease before the oil bath was invented! However as a mechanic I know better than to argue with an attorney. There are always people of little faith that are afraid of this or that and this one borders on stupid. Grease is better than oil in everyway except time. We use oil because its fast and easy. It takes time to pack a hub full of grease and pack a set of bearings but when your done, you are good for a million miles. If some engineer really said that its probably because some fool packed the bearings only and not the hub and smoked a set of bearings. I'm not afraid of attorneys. I have a rather large insurance policy and they can take exactly as much as they can get, but my insurance company ain't gonna make it easy. If you are running without insurance you need to get some and stop living in fear. Name one car/SUV that runs oil bath. Engineers figured out how to sell more wheel studs and now they are selling more bearings. My Freightliner manual has 2 pages on packing steer hubs with grease. Maybe Freightliner can't afford "Engineers". Sorry this is harsh but Jesus Christ....

I have plenty of insurance...and I'm not afraid at all of being sued. I was commenting on the fact that in the wheel stud lube thread people were chastized for "second guessing" the engineers. In this case, however, it seem most are in agreement that the engineers are wrong. I agree that bearings have been greased for many, many years, but that doesn't change the fact that these buses were designed to use oil. MCI tech support stated that they are aware that people do use grease, but they will only support what is stated in the manual....oil.

That said, I could care less what everyone else uses. I've never had a problem with a wheel bearing so I use what the manual says to use....oil. If I have a leaking seal, I fix it.

Ross

Len Silva · March 27, 2007, 06:11:30 AM

I'm guessing that your 4106 was probably born with grease bearings and later converted to oil. That was a popular idea who's time has passed.
Personally, I would go back to grease for our type of service. Be sure to check the brake linings for contamination when you have it apart. I think I might change them out anyway.

Len

A leaky front wheel seal. Would this be a good time to switch to grease?

Sojourner