wheel bearings

[Rwnielsen]

I went for a drive yesterday, the first in over a year. The wheel bearing cover on the driver's side is leaking (oil)? My questions are:
Can I clean this and replace the gasket?
How would I put oil in there? (tip the bus on it's side?)
The one on the driver's side was leaking when I got the bus and the passenger side (pictured) looks as though this has been a problem before.

If I need to also replace the inner seal I'll have to have it done.
By the way...$1300 for two front tires

 

[magnakansas]

Cups

I do not think you have oil in there. Because there are no fill plugs in the cups. I think you have bearings that use grease. When was the last time anyone saw the bearings?

I dig the alloys! Have you considered doing the inner seals yourself?

William

 

[dbsoundman]

Are you sure those bearings take oil? My front wheels have the same kind of plastic covers but they're for grease, not oil, it actually says so specifically on the cover itself.

 

[Rwnielsen]

Are you sure those bearings take oil? My front wheels have the same kind of plastic covers but they're for grease, not oil, it actually says so specifically on the cover itself.

I saw a little of, what looked like, oil on the ground on the passenger side. I agree completely with the grease and cover. I'll pull one apart and give it a look, I have a couple 20 ton jacks.

 

[Rwnielsen]

I do not think you have oil in there. Because there are no fill plugs in the cups. I think you have bearings that use grease. When was the last time anyone saw the bearings?

I dig the alloys! Have you considered doing the inner seals yourself?

William

Those are huge tires and I don't have any way of loosening those lug nuts.
I agree with the grease thing...oil filled bearings have a window and fill plug.
If I get the inner seals done they will retorque the bearings right? I watched a really good video of wheel bearing replacement and I'm not sure I have the correct tools to torque the correctly.

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

if you are paying to have it done then definitely they should torque them properly.
it might be able to be done without removing the tire?

 

[HamSkoolie]

To get the wheels off, and everyone should have the capability to do so as well as a spare unless you're willing to pay for roadside service (and roadside tire prices).
For about $100 or less you can get a "Torque multiplier" set designed for bus and truck tires. You can't use it to torque nuts on install but it WILL break loose your wheel nuts with little effort. Got ours off Amazon with a bunch of sockets.

 

[Rwnielsen]

To get the wheels off, and everyone should have the capability to do so as well as a spare unless you're willing to pay for roadside service (and roadside tire prices).
For about $100 or less you can get a "Torque multiplier" set designed for bus and truck tires. You can't use it to torque nuts on install but it WILL break loose your wheel nuts with little effort. Got ours off Amazon with a bunch of sockets.

I bought a torque multiplier when I first got the bus, I had forgotten about it. Between you and William and everyone else, I think I might give this a try. I've always loved mechanical thing and I watched a video the Ross made showing how to get a tire off. My tires are huge but I think I can manage it.
What do you guys think of these?

https://a.co/d/0ZopDEA

That coupled with a 4' breaker bar?

 

[magnakansas]

Torque meter

Harbor freight - Quinn. Same thing shows to be $69 before tax without any coupon.

Also bus grease monkey videos.

Yea I would buy one. PROJECT FARM on you tube did I a torque wrench comparison. I now own three of them in different sizes.

William

 

[Iceni John]

T
For about $100 or less you can get a "Torque multiplier" set designed for bus and truck tires. You can't use it to torque nuts on install but it WILL break loose your wheel nuts with little effort. Got ours off Amazon with a bunch of sockets.

Whatever you do, I suggest you do not buy one from Vevor. I bought one from there, and it was proof that Vevor is staffed by idiots and run by crooks. Caveat emptor, big time.

John

 

[Rwnielsen]

This is when I first got the bus after a 2200-mile trip. Maybe someone used a low temp grease. Something is going on and I need to find out what it is.

 

[magnakansas]

When grease goes liquid

There is a condition when you mix grease with the wrong - incompatible- kind. The grease will go to oil. The term is “saponification”. This is why you are supposed to clean ALL the grease off all parts when you regrease bearings. The exception is when you absolutely know what grease was used before and you are about to use the same grease again. However, put in the boonies and emergency repairs voids all wisdom till you get back to people and parts.

Looks to me you just have gone past the due date for the bearing inspection.

Mine should be done this year.

William

 

[Rwnielsen]

I'm on it starting tomorrow. I might just go ahead and replace both sides, adjust the slack adjusters and clean everything up. Fix it once and move on.

 

[Rwnielsen]

I opened up the passenger side and this is what it looked like...sealed with black RTV everywhere

I cleaned it out a bit, cut a new gasket and put the cover back on, finger tight, so I could clean the wheel.

It looks like centrifugal force was causing the seepage on this side but I'm not sure about the type of grease that is in there.

Tomorrow I'll open the driver's side up...it's leaking much worse

 

[Rwnielsen]

Duplicate post

 

[incubus]

Thats awesome. Ive seen grease do that but did not know why. Makes sense

 

[LargeMarge-TC]

You might ask around about 'oil-bath' hubs.
.
With a screw-off plug, oil-bath covers are engineered to be filled and dumped, dumped and filled, simply by rotating the tire by driving a couple-three feet forward or backward.
We have them on our rig; I can't imagine disassembling the entire guts just to lubricate the bearings.
.
A big 'plus' is their availability; every truck supply has versions.
.
Another 'plus':
The covers for oil-bath hubs are translucent so I can verify the oil level during each walk-around.

 

[HamSkoolie]

I bought a torque multiplier when I first got the bus, I had forgotten about it. Between you and William and everyone else, I think I might give this a try. I've always loved mechanical thing and I watched a video the Ross made showing how to get a tire off. My tires are huge but I think I can manage it.
What do you guys think of these?

https://a.co/d/0ZopDEA

That coupled with a 4' breaker bar?

So what I was referring to is a torque multiplier for REMOVAL (breaking them loose) of lug nuts. It's a mechanical advantage device that lets you spin a short handle which works through gearing to increase the amount of torque applied to the nut.
I'm not even sure what the proper torque would be for a bus lug nut but will determine that before hitting the road.

 

[Rwnielsen]

So what I was referring to is a torque multiplier for REMOVAL (breaking them loose) of lug nuts. It's a mechanical advantage device that lets you spin a short handle which works through gearing to increase the amount of torque applied to the nut.
I'm not even sure what the proper torque would be for a bus lug nut but will determine that before hitting the road.

Sorry I confused the issue...I bought a torque multiplier to loosen and was looking at that torque device for tightening lug nuts. I should have been more clear

 

[LargeMarge-TC]

Generally, 22.5 heavy truck wheels are torqued to about 450 ft-#.