[VAC] Re: wheel bearings

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Scott,
 Get the numbers from the old bearings and seals; you can get them at
your local NAPA store.

In my experience, the wheel hubs do NOT get even slightly warm, let
alone "quite warm". They might be adjusted too tight, but it's hard to
tell from here.

I do know that proper periodic maintenance (every 10 -> 12,000 miles) is
very important, especially on a single-axle trailer. Things get very
nasty if a bearing goes to hell on the road. It'll sieze up, spin the
inner race on the axle stub, maybe even destroy the axle stub. I once
let the rear wheel bearings on my VW go too long without maintenance and
it took a lot of fooling around to get all the galling filed off the
axle stub before I could install the new bearing. That wasn't so bad
because I heard the noise from the bearing as it disintigrated and was
able to stop for repairs. Had it been on a trailer, I wouldn't have
heard it and it would have been a REAL mess.

I usually disassemble the brakes, clean up the wear surfaces and put a
TINY bit of grease on them. The adjusters get disassembled, cleaned, and
the screws coated with grease. It's a good idea to replace them so you
always adjust in the same direction to "tighten"; reversing them will
reverse that action and confuse you if they're not all the same. FWIW: I
set mine so that pushing the adjuster spoon "up" (towards the center of
the axle) tightens the brakes, but it's unimportant as to which way you
go as long as they're all the same.

You should always use new seals so as to keep the bearings free of dirt
and grease out of the brakes. Besides, you usually destroy them when you
remove 'em.

This is a too-important issue to ignore and there's little excuse to let
it go, as easy as it is to repack the bearings and adjust the brakes. I
spend about 30 minutes/wheel total, so it's not a big deal. Although you
don't need any special tools, a universal brake spring tool and
adjusting spoon are helpful. Vice-Grip pliers and a large screwdriver
will serve in a pinch.

                                           <<Jim>>