Bearing Repack, Am I being paranoid?

bergger

So I've been wanting to learn to do my own wheel bearing repack for sometime.  I wanted to do it myself because in the past I've not had great experiences and in general I am just not trusting of Dealer service, especially on a trailer that means a lot to us.  This is the reason I did my own Century flush and Rhomar replacement two years ago.  However, life got in the way this year so I scheduled an appointment at our local T@b Dealer, about an hour south of us, to get the job done.  I figured it is a very common maintenance issue that is not T@b specific so they should be able to handle it.   And I actually do like this dealer as they are always very responsive to any questions or messages I leave them.  

So about a month ago the service was done and I drove home and all seemed fine.  Last week we then went on a trip with only about 180 miles of driving.  All seemed fine.  However when I got home I immediately noticed the axle wheel center cap was gone and the bearing dust cap was missing!  The hub was still cool to the touch so I felt good about that.  But I instantly regretted having the dealer do the work!  Anyway I called them and they told me to bring it down and they would fix the issue.  Credit to them I drove it down the next morning the the manager was waiting for me and immediately pulled the trailer into the shop and got to work on it.  They pulled both bearings, cleaning them, repacked them with new seals.  She told me that the last tech improperly installed the seals, pushing them in way too far or something to that effect.  I guess the one was forced out which blew out the dust cap and center cap.  They are also ordering a new T@b center cap for me. Temporarily I just have black duct tape over the dust cap.  

Anyway I got the trailer home and decided to pop off the center cap on the one wheel and it looked good.  It had a dexter ez lube dust cap on it.



I pulled off the duct tape and it also looked good but it has a different dust cap on it.  It looks generic?



So after my long winded post I guess I'm asking if this is okay?  I assume it is as long as the cover is install correctly but in my current Dealer service paranoid state I just wanted another opinion.

Grumpy_G

There's nothing special about the Dexter dustcap or any other hub or brake part for that matter. These commonly used electric trailer brakes are sort of standardized and parts from different manufacturers are interchangeable.

ColleenD2

Sorry this happened to you. I really admire people that can take care of Maintenance on their own. We have a dealer that we love and trust, Missouri Teardrop near Kansas City and it's a 3 Hour drive if we need something. We just aren't fixer people.

bergger

@Grumpy_G well that makes me feel better and kind of what I figured.  Just paranoid with poor service and the one time I let someone work on it they screw it up!  But it just motivates me more to learn how to repack the bearings on my own. 

ScottG

That's really odd, @bergger. Was that hub space all filled with grease when you discovered it without the caps? I'm having a hard time visualizing how those caps would have blown off--even with an improperly seated rear seal.

qhumberd

@bergger I am like you calling BS on the reason for the loss of the cover and the rubber cap over the zerk. Here is why:



This cross section of the axle and bearing shows that the rear seal, which I have replaced on my 400 during the last repack, literally has no way to make contact with the metal end cap on the other side of the assembly. Yes, you can push the inner seal down below flush, but how it could apply force to the front dust cap is beyond me.

Second, the rear seal and bearing must be in place when you reassemble the whole thing and put it together with the loose front bearing followed by the slotted washer and the nut. The dust cap goes on after the whole thing is torqued down and retaining ring in place. 

I think you were given a made up explanation for what really happened. The tech forgot to replace the end cap and rubber plug and left it on the shop floor. I wish folks could just tell the truth and say they are sorry. We are all human.

How I know this is the first time I did a repack I put it all back together and thought that it all looked good until I noticed the dust cap laying on the ground. It was my first time doing the service.

bergger

The hub space was not filled with grease when I found it.  Wish I had taken a photo but did not.  There was a good amount of grease though.  Some of it ended up on the side of the trailer which needs to be cleaned off.  Who knows the real reason.  Maybe the cap was never put on in the first place or maybe they used a cap that was too small and it did not get seated properly.  The fact that the plastic hub cap got popped out makes me think a dust cap was in there but not properly and it forced off the hub cap.  But I guess we will really never know.  I just hope it was done properly this time.  And next time I will learn to do it myself.

tabiphile

Yes, they failed to complete the job the first time. It is possible to lose the metal end cap, if it's open and exposed...they need to be completely seated to stay in place. That would allow grease to splatter all over the place. 
Now that it is being properly assembled, make sure that you re-torque your wheel lugs after your first 50 and 100 or so miles. Don't go around the hub in order. Skip to opposite nuts as you go. That ensures that the wheel and nuts seat properly. 

bergger

@tabiphile thanks for the reminder.  I'll check the torque before our next trip this Wednesday.  

manyman297

Check into mobile trailer (not RV) techs. I hear they’re much better at this stuff than the guys at RV service centers. They come to your house and do the service. 

bergger

I can check for the future but probably not an option where I live.