Grease blow-out

[Flynny]

I recently pulled the aluminum trailer my for 18' Wellcraft down to a storage facility for the rest of the season. The trailer was empty and it was about a 12 mile highway trip where I probably averaged 65MPH. Other than temperatures being in the mid 90s, these didn't seem like very extreme conditions to me. But when I showed up, the driver's side wheel had lost it's rubber bearing cap, there was a blob of grease on the rim, and a lot of grease was being squeezed out from behind the bearing buddy seal.

I replaced the stock hubs and drum brakes last year with brand new Tie Down Engineering Hubs and disk brakes. I re-used the bearing buddies, but the hubs probably have less than a 100 miles on them. So what happened here? Did I just overfill the bearing buddies and they just just got hot and pushed grease out? Or is this a sign of more serious trouble. We're taking the boat from Boston to Maine in a week so I want to make sure the trailer is ok to go.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Grease blow-out

Sounds like you are overfilling the hubs with grease to me. Excessive grease means it will come out the cap. That is how they are designed... that way they don't blow out the inner seal.

Make sure you are filling them correctly...

Welcome to BearingBuddy.com

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: Grease blow-out

I agree with 90stingray...sounds like a little too much grease. I would check the bearings to make sure they are ok. I had it happen to me before.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Grease blow-out

Happened to me when I brought a used StarCraft a few years ago. The PO pumped in to much grease. Made a mess but that's about it.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Grease blow-out

BB are known for that.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Grease blow-out

So which tie-down disc brakes do you have? Another possible issue is you have a hanging caliper that overheated your brakes and forced out the grease. I always check my hub temps when I stop for gas or food to make sure I don't have an issue.

 

[jkust]

Re: Grease blow-out

So which tie-down disc brakes do you have? Another possible issue is you have a hanging caliper that overheated your brakes and forced out the grease. I always check my hub temps when I stop for gas or food to make sure I don't have an issue.

Just a check with your hand or something else?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Grease blow-out

yes, i just do a hand check to make sure they are all around the same. I just feel the hubs. If you want to get more scientific, use an IR meter but the idea is to find one that is abnormal compared to the others.

 

[Flynny]

Re: Grease blow-out

So which tie-down disc brakes do you have? Another possible issue is you have a hanging caliper that overheated your brakes and forced out the grease. I always check my hub temps when I stop for gas or food to make sure I don't have an issue.

Bruce, unfortunately, was right. I took the whole thing apart today and the calipers are not opening after I pump the master cylinder. They close just fine, but it take a few knocks with a hammer to get them to open. They wouldn't even open when I put a screw driver between them and pried. Luckily, this must have just started happening because I don't see any heat damage. The bearings look brand new and have almost no play.

Upon inspection, I noticed a rubber seal around the cylinder on the brake shoe was broken and falling apart. Maybe this let in water and destroyed it? Warranty issue with Tie Down? I'll give you guys a pic tomorrow when I have daylight. Working on trailer brakes with a headlamp is fun. :facepalm:

Also, this trailer needs to get to Maine on Saturday. I'm going to try flushing the brakes first, but if that doesn't work, I was thinking I could just drain the system of brake fluid and go with no brakes on the trailer? I'll have to be careful of course, but at least the hubs won't overheat.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Grease blow-out

I had Tie-Down brakes. HAD is the important word. I wouldn't put those hunks of junk on a trailer ever again. Sticky calipers, warped rotors after less than a year.

I have Kodiaks now. No problems for 5 years.

 

[lrak]

Re: Grease blow-out

Warranty issue with Tie Down?

Ha Hahahahhahahahaahh Tie Down warranty. LoL. :flypig:.

 

[Flynny]

Re: Grease blow-out

Ha Hahahahhahahahaahh Tie Down warranty. LoL. :flypig:.

Wouldn't you know it, they're 10 days out of warranty. 10 days. I can't believe it.

I'm going with Kodiak's integral dacromat rotors with the stainless calipers (There goes another $600 into the bottomless pit called a boat). The tech guy at Kodiak was very helpful and says the exact same issue I encountered happens all the time if you dunk non-stainless calipers into saltwater, even if you give them a good rinse. Water gets trapped behind the dust seal of the piston and prevents the piston from going back in. No such problem with stainless calipers I hope. They have a 3 year warranty to back that up.


Let this be a lesson, don't buy Tie Down brakes if you're using your trailer in saltwater. Maybe just don't buy them at all.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Grease blow-out

I don't have stainless calipers and I have been ok so far...knock on wood!