Axle Seal/Hub Thoughts - SteelSoldiers

So i'm in the boat other confused Deuce owners (newbies) but had some thoughts on what others are doing in the world of 4x4's, wondering about their application to these 6x6's.

I was out and about in the Deuce when I did what every responsible owner does and felt my hubs. The right rear passenger was a touch too warm for my liking. This is the same hub that the prior owner replaced a leaky seal on before he sold it to me.

When I popped the hub out, I had a nice glob (4oz) of Diff Fluid also come out - along with it turds of grease that used to be in the bearings - hence the likely issue that its the inner axle seal that has the issue.

This brings me to my questions/thoughts:
1. His Uncle (who replaced the seal) said "you need to park it on a hill overnight to make sure that the fluid gets into the axle housing after you swap it out." This seems a little lunatic to me, but what does everyone else think about this?

2. Obviously I need to replace the inner seal.

3. What others have been doing with full floating Toyota axles (like the deuce's) is putting a grease fitting outside their hub, and loading the hub/bearing area with grease as needed. My thought is that this would work to keep the bearings nice and lubed, heat low, and even if a little diff fluid mixed, it wouldn't be as big an issue (until time passed of course). I know it would take a lot of grease, but better than something catastrophic!

Everyone else's thoughts? Thanks! any full floater axle has the same design, take a chevy 14b for example, do you put grease in the hub bearings, nope, the oil from the diff housing will spill into the axle tubes, spilling to the hubs thus lubing your bearings, 2.5 ton toploader in theory the gear oil should be pulled up with the bull gear lubing it and the pinion setup, oil will travel down the axle shafts going through the spindle against the wiper oil will get into the bearings, but you have to heavy grease the bearings to keep that oil out, what can you say it was a old design While we are on the subject of rear axle seals I remember sombody here on SS posting somwhere about updating the rear outer seal( the one against the plate that the brake shoes mount to) with a seal that allows you to run with oil filed hubs.
I have used the serch but cannot find any info on what PN# the seal was or anything. Has anybody else tried this mod?
To me it seems like a darn good idea if you could seal the back of the hub so you could run with oil filled hubs and not have to worry about that seal under the spindle nut failing and washing the grease out all over your brakes,,,

Function, Fail Detection and How to Replace

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What You Need to Know About Wheel Seals

The wheel ends of your truck or trailer are critical to optimal operation and have several components. One of the key components is the wheel seal. Because seals aren’t readily visible, you usually don’t know when one is damaged until you see oil leaking, hear grinding or sense steering difficulty when you’re driving. Following is a bit of general information about seals, tips for installing them and a link to step-by-step instructions for specific STEMCO seals.

What is a wheel seal?

Wheel seals are designed to keep the wheel bearing lubricant within the wheel end. They also keep all dirt, dust and other contaminants from entering the wheel end and damaging the bearings which are vital to keeping your wheels rotating smoothly.

What should a wheel seal be checked for?

Wheel seals can fail if they are improperly installed. Because the main job of the wheel seal is to keep the lubricant in the wheel end and on the bearings, wheel seals should be checked for leaking. It’s important to note that not all visible lubricant equates to a leak. Slight seepage can be the result of grease pre-lube escaping from a newly installed seal. But if the visible seepage extends well onto the hub or ABS tone ring, and is quite damp, the seal may be leaking and should be replaced as soon as possible.

How long can you drive with a leaking wheel seal?

There is no advisable safe distance you can drive with a leaking wheel seal. Should leaking lubricant get on your brakes, stopping ability is impaired. Always change a seal as soon as you detect leaking.

Is a leaking wheel seal a DOT violation?

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the lead federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles, a leaking wheel seal is a DOT violation and can result in having your vehicle labeled as out of service. Although they are small, wheel seals are flagged often. In fact, leaking wheel seal violations are on the FMCSA’s list of most common repair and maintenance-related violations. Please see TMC’s RP 631C which provides additional details on leaking seals.

Wheel seal replacement cost

Wheel end systems should be inspected pre-trip and post-trip to ensure optimal operation of the vehicle. Catching problems early is the key to containing maintenance costs because a semi truck wheel seal replacement will cost far less than a major job such as a spindle repair or axle replacement.

Can you reuse a wheel seal?

Sometimes wheel seals leak because they are improperly installed. If this is the case, you will need to remove that wheel seal and install a new seal. Once a wheel seal is installed, it can never be re-used and must be replaced with a new wheel seal.

Where do I start when replacing wheel seals?

The process for replacing wheel seals starts with finding the right part. The Hub Seal Reference Chart makes it easy.

What’s involved in replacing a wheel seal?

The process for replacing a wheel seal varies depending on the type of seal. Improper installation of wheel seals is a common cause of wheel seal failure so you’ll want to make sure you get it right. At the end of this blog, you’ll find a link to detailed step-by-step instructions for the installation of specific STEMCO seals. In general however, you’ll want to:

• Check the seal for fit — For spindle mount, slide the seal onto the spindle shoulder and check for gaps. For hub mount, put the seal over the hub and check for gaps.
• Confirm the direction of the seal — Some seals have text indicating which side goes toward the oil. If no text, put the side with the lip toward the oil.
• Select the right tool — Most wheel seal boxes indicate the tool needed.
• Lubricate if necessary — Check the packaging for lubrication needs.
• Drive the seal in place — Take care not to crush the seal as it can lead to leakage.
• Check for fit — For spindle mount, run your finger along the inside to double-check the seal is flat. For hub mount, move your finger along the outside of the new seal to make sure it’s flat and installed properly.

Step-by-step directions for replacing STEMCO seals

STEMCO has been providing the trucking industry with reliable wheel seals for more than 70 years. The STEMCO portfolio of seals includes tougher, longer-life seals to meet the performance, design and price requirements for any fleet. If you have selected STEMCO seals for your wheel ends, simply follow the step-by-step installation directions on pages 12-14 of the STEMCO Manual.

If you need to fix a leaking wheel hub on your trailer, I hope the job is as simple as ours was. One of our first rules to follow for any RVer is to investigate all leaks, immediately! We wrote that post our first year on the road. That time is was only a leaky water line. It is even more important to investigate a leaking wheel hub. Whether on your trailer or truck, a leaking wheel hub can be life threatening. That’s why it was scary to discover the leaking wheel hub on our trailer.

Brake dust or grease from leaking wheel hub?

First, I noticed what I thought was brake dust on one of our trailer wheels. Then I discovered it was only happening on one wheel. Then it got worse. With a simple swipe of my finger I quickly determined this was grease. At least that’s what I hoped. I certainly didn’t want it to be brake fluid from our hydraulic trailer brakes.

Rear view of grease from leaking wheel hub.

I had a feeling I knew what was happening. At least I hoped I knew! As a big fan of Ockham’s razor, I knew getting unnecessary information out of the way was the fastest way to the truth or to the best explanation. The best explanation for our leaking wheel hub would be the one with the easiest solution. Thank Dog it was!

The company is the world’s best Hub Oil Seal supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

…it’s the scientific principle that, all things being equal, the simplest answer is usually the right one.

Jodie Foster, As Dr. Arroway
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Most Common Cause for Leaking Wheel Hub

The first step to determine if my simplest explanation for our leaking wheel hub was correct, was to remove the trailer wheel. this is always a scary step. Not because you have to remove the wheel, that’s simple. the scary part is opening that can of worms. What if the simplest solution is not what’s causing your leaking wheel hub? There’s only one way to find out.

Remove wheel to determine cause of leaking wheel hub.

The most common cause for a leaking wheel hub is a loosened hub cap. I do not mean the decorative cap in the center of your wheel. Yes, that’s technically a hub cap. But it does not leak. While the visible cap does cover your hub assembly, it is Primarily decorative. Sure, it keeps dust rocks and road grime our of your wheels. Bit it does not function as any sort of seal.

Step 1: Remove the trailer wheel to expose hub cap and seal.

Leaking Wheel Hub Seal

Phew! Ockham was right once again. Notice the gap under the hub cap sealing axle grease inside our wheel hub. The hub sealing cap on this wheel had come loose. That was allowing grease to get out. Centrifugal force of the spinning wheels was forcing grease out through the small gap. thankfully, I investigated the issue quickly. We had lost very little grease.

Repair leaking wheel hub to prevent loss of axle grease.

Left unattended, the cap could have come off altogether. Ignored, a major grease loss can occur. That would be hard to overlook. But the damage could be very severe. Friction from the loss of grease could cause an expensive repair, or much worse.

Simple Fix: Inspect wheel hub seal and replace cap.

Inspect leaking wheel hub for damage.

Simple Steps to Repair Leaking Wheel Hub

Remove the inner rubber seal to expose your axle hub. Check for any sign of wear or looseness on the castellated bearing nut. Ours was in good shape, as ample grease was present around the nut crown. the hub should not be filled with grease. This may indicate a broken seal. If your hub has a zerk fitting (aka: grease nipple, grease fitting), and you have a grease gun, you may want to top off. But just how much grease should you add?

Our hubs do have zerk fittings. But I don’t have a good compact grease gun. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas. Hint, hint, Rene. Then, as usual, my gift will entail another RV maintenance project of some sort.

TIP: Over-greasing the hub pushes grease out the hub seals. Accumulated grease attracts dust and dirt. As a result, contaminated grease can damage moving parts. Too much grease also causes churning and higher temperatures.

Ensure good seal around hub cap to prevent leaks.

Replace the rubber seal and use a rubber mallet to firmly seat the hub cap around the wheel hub. (Clean all components before replacing the wheel. Make sure you do not have any grease on the brake disc or pads.) You will notice from my photos, that someone at some point used a hammer. You want to use a rubber mallet to re-seat the cap. Using a hammer can dent the cap. This may have been the reason ours came loose, causing the leaking wheel hub.

No more leaking wheel hub!

But Wait, There’s More!

Once you’ve re-seated the inner hub cap and cleaned everything up, you’re almost done. Replace the wheel and hand tighten all the lug nuts. Then lower the trailer axle off your jack stand. You did use jack stands, right!? ????

Re-torque your wheels whenever you remove them!

One More Step: It is good practice to torque your wheels every time you put them back on. In fact, check the torque on all wheels while your at it. Use the torque specification for your wheels. I keep ours at 100 lbfâ‹…ft.

There’s not much I enjoy more than a simple fix!

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