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Old 04-26-2018, 12:19 AM   #1
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EZ-Lube axle tear-down for bearing job

This is for those that may want to check their wheel bearings for the amount of grease in/on the wheel bearings applied at the factory, or to check if TOO MUCH grease has been applied using the EZ-Lube system. You should be at least comfortable with mechanical tools and willing to get your hands dirty.

DISCLAIMERS

I offer this picture tutorial to help you become familiar with the LIGHT DUTY EZ-Lube axle from Dexter and DO NOT consider this to be a TOTAL PACKAGE for bearing greasing and grease seal replacment. I am not a trained mechanic. I picked up this knowledge as many of us old guys have done, by watching others do it then doing it ourselves for many years.

This is NOT a tutorial on how to repack bearings as this is covered in some great YOUtube videos which you should have watched before you look at this.

This tutorial is DESIGNED to familiarize yourself with the inner parts of the EZ-Lube axle (AT LEAST AS THEY WERE IN 2013), which is just a wee bit different from many other axles. This post should allow you to be able to do a quick check on the condition of your wheel bearings and the condition of your brakes.

ALSO

This was photographed using my 2014 Shamrock 183 with the Dexter 2,300 - 4,000 lb dual axles (I believe). MY GVW for this trailer is about 4800# and I have two axles. Heavier duty axles MAY BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.

LET'S GET TO IT

I have broken this down into 15 Steps... please comment about a particular Step if you believe you can add to this tutorial.


Make sure your wheel is jacked off the ground and your trailer is stabilized so you can remove one wheel and tire.

Here are some things that you need to accomplish this...

TOOLS
very thin flat blade screwdriver
larger flat blade screwdriver
hammer... medium size... any kind will do
large crescent wrench or large pliers
shallow plastic dish
PLUS...
a can or TUBE of your favorite wheel bearing grease

PLUS these pictured items or equivalent










Gloves are not absolutely necessary but it is smart that you have them. Paper towels or LOTS of old small rags will do also.

START

Step 1

Take your fine bladed screwdriver and hammer and gently but firmly pound at the edge of the cap where shown until the cap begins to pull away from the brake drum. Work your way around the drum tapping and twisting your screwdriver until the bearing cap begins to and finally pulls away from the brake drum. You may also use the larger screwdriver to finally get the bearing cap off.

I found this part to be much more difficult to accomplish than other NON-EZ-lube axles.



You will finally expose the spindle nut (covered in grease). Set aside the removed cover in a clean area. Use a towel to wipe away some grease.



Step 2

You now have the nut retainer, which keeps the spindle nut from spinning off the axle while driving. Work your small screwdriver between the retainer and the nut until you can pry off the retainer.



Use a shallow plastic dish filled with a little BBQ lighter fluid ( or gasoline if you feel like PLAYING WITH FIRE... NO not a good idea and be sure to have gloves on) and drop in the retainer. My pan shows the large flat washer, the spindle nut and the outer bearing in the pan. I had already cleaned the retainer and it was NOT in the pan.



Step 3

Next you will unscrew the large spindle nut from the axle. NOTE before starting about how tight/loose the nut is applied and how much force it takes to screw ON then OFF this nut. This will be important to know when we re-assemble.

This may or may not require the crescent wrench or pliers to get it started. Once started it should come off smoothly. Unscrew the nut, wipe it off and drop into the pan.

Step 4

Now, probe with your finger and small screwdriver as there is a large flat washer next to the outer bearing that will easily pull off the spindle. Toss that into the pan.



Step 5

Finally grab hold of the brake drum and start pulling and wiggling it toward you until the bearing is visible. Push the drum back on a bit and the outer bearing is then easy to grab. Pull off the outer bearing , wipe off the excess grease and throw it into the pan.




At this point if you do not have any gloves on you will wish that you did.


Step 6

Dampen a rag in the solvent of your choice and proceed to clean off the old grease from the parts in the pan. Be careful not to contaminate those parts with dirt or old grease. This is where plenty of rags comes in handy.

Continued on next post...
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Old 04-26-2018, 12:38 AM   #2
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Part two

PART TWO of EZ-Lube axle disassembly.

Step 7

Grab the brake drum and wiggle and pull toward you. The brake shoes may be binding some against the inner part of the drum.... this is normal. Just turn the drum and keep wiggling and pulling and the drum will pull free.

Step 8

Turn the drum rusty side down. You are looking at the inner part of the brake drum. If there is any grease on the inside of the drum use CLEAN rags and spray brake cleaner to remove all traces of grease from the drum. Maybe you needed to get two cans of cleaner spray?

The inner most center part of the drum is the grease seal. For purposes of this illustration we are not removing/replacing it. Looking into the center you will see the inner bearing and lots of grease in the hub near and around the bearing.




Step 9

Wipe with solvent and a clean rag the wheel spindle.

If you see any signs of pitting or rust or a discoloration on the spindle you may have damage to the spindle and bearing that needs to be professionally repaired.

I put a grease gun on the outer grease nipple and applied some grease. You can see a small "worm" of grease come out of the axle. This is the EZ-Lube part of the spindle, which would apply grease into the brake drum center and eventually push out old grease.

Some have complained that this does not work correctly and instead pushes grease past the grease seal and into the brake region, ruining the brakes. I do not think anyone knows why this happens to some and not for others, but this procedure has shown me that I have not had a problem after using the EZ-Lube method twice during my 5 years of ownership. Make sure you adhere to the EZ-Lube videos found on YOUtube if you choose to routinely use the built-in EZ-Lube system, and maybe at least once pull your drums to verify you do not have a greased up mess in the brakes.



Step 10

Now is the time where what you have learned on YOUTube will come in handy... the part about pulling out the seal, pulling out the inner bearing, cleaning and repacking the hub with grease, etc, etc.

I will quickly put the brake drum back on, after I added a little grease into the drum center.


Step 11

Push on the brake drum while making sure not to contaminate the inner drum with any grease.

Push the drum on and insert the outer bearing after it has been repacked with grease. Push on the large washer next.

Step 12

Then screw the spindle nut on hand tight. Spin the brake drum while hand tightening the nut until the drum becomes slightly harder to turn.



Step 13

THX to babock for this great information on properly adjusted bearings just below

Quote:
Pre-Loading Trailer Wheel Bearings


Whenever you install new hubs or new bearings and races into an old hub, you should pre-load the bearings. Pre-loading the bearings assures that the races in the hubs are 100% in place against their machined stop points and keeps the hub from wobbling after a few miles.

To pre-load the bearings, install the spindle washer and spindle nut onto the spindle with the hub and bearings in place.

Tighten the spindle nut finger tight (until snug) and then with channel-lock pliers or a crescent wrench, tighten the spindle nut another 1/4 turn or about 15 to 20 ft pounds of torque.

Now turn the hub ten revolutions. This will fully seat the races.
Now loosen the spindle nut very loose, then re-snug to finger tight, and engage the nut retaining device (some reverse lubricating spindles use a tab washer for the retaining device).
The procedure above is pretty accurate as it comes from a reliable source... But for further emphasis on how important this last step is... how tight is too tight or too loose?

I quote below from a googled document...

Quote:
The difference between too loose or too tight is between one thousandth and five thousandths (0.001 - 0.005) of an inch, according to the Technology & Maintenance Council's standards for wheel bearing adjustment,
If you have done this procedure a number of times you will probably get it right.

Step 14

Add the nut retainer on top of the nut. Smear a little more grease onto the assembly then make sure to put the cap on square and tap it back into place with the hammer.



Step 15

Continue to spin the brake drum and everything should turn smoothly. Remount the wheel and let the jack down to torque the wheel nuts correctly.
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Old 04-26-2018, 02:53 PM   #3
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Great posts. Thanks much for doing this. I'm sure it'll help someone in the future.

My 5200 lb axles are about the same procedure and setup as yours.
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Old 04-26-2018, 03:02 PM   #4
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Thanks.
Should clear up questions from those who have never see the spindle or wheel bearing components on an axle.
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Old 04-26-2018, 03:40 PM   #5
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Thanks for the auto shop refresher course. It's been about 50 years since I repacked a bearing.
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:00 PM   #6
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Yeah. Good job. I know how and it helped.
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:36 PM   #7
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I've been greasing my own bearing for years and still appreciate your willingness to take the time to share your expertise. GOOD JOB and thank you!!!
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Old 04-26-2018, 06:56 PM   #8
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Thanks people for the thx...

I did this tutorial to also help me get into posting pictures linked to a hosted picture site instead of just attaching pics from my own computer with the paperclip thumbnail...

certainly not as easy to do it that way, but that technique allowed me to print text between the pictures which you cannot do when just attaching pics
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Old 04-26-2018, 08:56 PM   #9
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Thanks. Been allot of talk about hubs, lately. Happy Travels.
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Old 04-26-2018, 09:36 PM   #10
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Nice information... maybe we can get this made into a Sticky?
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Old 04-27-2018, 10:39 AM   #11
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This is the procedure I use to preload the bearings.

https://www.championtrailers.com/pre...heel-bearings/
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Old 04-27-2018, 11:01 AM   #12
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babock...
about as easy of a written procedure as I have seen...

MODS have allowed me to edit and include the reference you posted...

thx for making MY post better and more informative
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Old 04-27-2018, 12:37 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rsdata View Post

but that technique allowed me to print text between the pictures which you cannot do when just attaching pics
You "can" do such with attached pics, and do not need to link to them off-site. This thread will explain how to insert attached pics anywhere you like into your posts:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1346282

Let me know if you need more help on it.
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Old 04-27-2018, 01:09 PM   #14
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Quote:
Thanks for the auto shop refresher course. It's been about 50 years since I repacked a bearing.
as a retired vocational high school teacher I appreciate your comment... when I stepped away from my "Cisco Inter-Networking" computer vocational classroom in 2005, my district was slowly but surely shutting down our district's vocational classes like welding, auto body and auto shop; all closed by 2010 INCLUDING HOME EC classes. I suspected the Bd of ED did not want anyone with a HS education to be able to do anything with their "hands" and "brains". I am now glad to see at least a partial revival of vocational schools aimed at HS students in our public education system.
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Old 04-27-2018, 02:19 PM   #15
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Great tutorial! As a retired master tech, I can honestly say you got it spot on. ESPECIALLY the final adjustment of the bearings. All to often I saw bearings destroyed by the 'if snug is good, reefed down must be better' mentality. I'm glad that went in bold type!
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Old 04-27-2018, 02:29 PM   #16
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Thanks rsdata......I need to do this and this will be a great help.

Thanks again.
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Old 04-27-2018, 08:00 PM   #17
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Your tutorial was spot on, and I have plenty of experience with taking hubs/bearing/seals apart for inspection and/or replacement. Two things I do a little different: 1) I use a mixture of diesel fuel and transmission fluid to clean bearings, hubs, brake parts, etc. Five gallons of diesel fuel to one quart of transmission fluid. I have a metal pan that will hold that amount of fuel/fluid and I just drop the parts in there to soak while doing another task. When I get the outer bearing cover off I loosen the spindle nut and unscrew it almost all the way off, then I grab the brake drum and snatch it towards me a few times to loosen the outer bearing from the spindle. Leaving the spindle nut on keeps me from pulling the brake drum/hub off using too much force and I wind up flat of my back, been there many times. I do appreciate you taking the time to help others. One more thing: I cannot stress enough how important it is to adequately cock the tires/wheel on the opposite side of the wheels you will be working on. Another thing is to properly support under the axles when jacking them up. Many times I have read of people stating that they put a dent on the bottom of their camper axles just by placing a bottle jack directly under the tube of the axle. I do use a 20 ton bottle jack but I have a special board to place on top of the jack. I have a 2x6 board that spans both axles at the same time and has holes drilled in it to align with the bottom of the "U" bolts so as not to damage the threads. This places the board onto the bottom plate of the axle/U bolts.
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Old 04-27-2018, 08:37 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thurman View Post
I do use a 20 ton bottle jack but I have a special board to place on top of the jack. I have a 2x6 board that spans both axles at the same time and has holes drilled in it to align with the bottom of the "U" bolts so as not to damage the threads. This places the board onto the bottom plate of the axle/U bolts.
This just seems dangerous. Jacking on a 2x6 board that is spanning two axles is just asking for to snap board in half.

I would use ZEP heavy duty degreaser (tractor supply) for cleaning bearings and races. It is still harmful (wear gloves) but non flammable and no harmful vapors. Works extremely fast and very well. Regardless of cleaner used always rinse very well with brake cleaner and allow to air dry before repacking bearing.
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Old 04-27-2018, 09:02 PM   #19
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How do you...

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Originally Posted by uhduh camping View Post
This just seems dangerous. Jacking on a 2x6 board that is spanning two axles is just asking for to snap board in half.

I would use ZEP heavy duty degreaser (tractor supply) for cleaning bearings and races. It is still harmful (wear gloves) but non flammable and no harmful vapors. Works extremely fast and very well. Regardless of cleaner used always rinse very well with brake cleaner and allow to air dry before repacking bearing.
How do you dispose of the ZEP?

Larry
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Old 04-27-2018, 09:40 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uhduh camping View Post
This just seems dangerous. Jacking on a 2x6 board that is spanning two axles is just asking for to snap board in half.

I would use ZEP heavy duty degreaser (tractor supply) for cleaning bearings and races. It is still harmful (wear gloves) but non flammable and no harmful vapors. Works extremely fast and very well. Regardless of cleaner used always rinse very well with brake cleaner and allow to air dry before repacking bearing.
I agree. Super dangerous.
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