Wheel bearing with seal spring lodged in it

[leemo]

Hey mechanics out there... I am repacking the bearings on my tandem axle 2021 Shorelander trailer for the first time. Both inner bearings on the rear (disc brake) axle had the grease seal spring lodged in the rollers. See picture.

200 miles ago I pumped up the bearing buddies, as the hubs were running 30-40degrees warmer than the front (non disc hubs).

Has anyone seen the spring lodged in the bearing before? Could it be from too much grease pressure in the bearing buddy? There wasn't any damage to the spindle.

 

[RobbieO]

Hey mechanics out there... Repacking the bearings on my tandem axle 2020 Shorelander trailer for the first time. Both inner bearings on the rear (disc brake) axle had the grease seal spring lodged in the rollers. See picture.

200 miles ago I pumped up the bearing buddies, as the hubs were running 30-40degrees warmer than the front (non disc hubs) and had spewed grease everywhere on a trip.

Has anyone seen the spring lodged in the bearing before? Could it be from too much grease pressure in the bearing buddy? There wasn't any damage to the spindle.

View attachment 189675View attachment 189676

If you applied to much pressure the seals expand and release the pressure on the garter springs and they will pop out. In addition, I always pack the new seals with grease so the seal doesn't pop out during installation. If you install new seals without a seal installer, the springs can pop out rather easily. A seal installer will keep a slight pressure on the lip of the seal keeping the spring in place. Also before installing, make sure the spring is fully seated.

 

[dgfreeze]

What he said, but I'd also add that you can expect a brake hub to run a little hotter than an idle hub due to friction heat generated by the brakes. Chances are, there were no issues until the grease cavity was over pressurized, popping the garter spring off the seals. The bearing buddies are spring loaded, and you want to grease them until the spring is about halfway compressed. This leaves room for expansion as the grease heats up.

 

[leemo]

Makes sense. I had those bearing buddies pumped up, trying to daylight the grease.

Last newbie question... Is it typical for the wheel with the disc brake to have a slight rub when turned by hand? They just dont spin as freely as the non-brake hubs. I was going to bleed the brakes to try and fix this, because the dealer recently installed a new master cylinder.

 

[dgfreeze]

Yes, brakes will gently drag, causing the wheel to not completely “free wheel”. As long as it turns relatively easily by hand, they’re not dragging more than normal.

 

[dgfreeze]

FWIW, I don’t believe air in the lines will cause brakes to drag. I’ve not encountered any case where it was the cause for that, and while I’ve not seen everything, I would think I would’ve seen that by now, after selling and servicing trailers for about 25 years.

 

[Neutron]

Air will compress, brake fluid which is water based wont compress, so air in lines will not drag on the brake. A sticking or hung tongue slide/ master cylinder will cause a brake drag. A sticking caliper also can be a probem too. I had to replace my factory calipers on my trailer after 3 years old because they were dragging

 

[leemo]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your help. The trailer worked flawlessly this weekend.