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Author Topic:   Trailer: Blown Grease Seals

grosseile88 posted 05-28-2014 10:32 AM ET (US)
I cleaned hubs, replaced bearings, races, and seals, lubed everything up, reinstalled Bearing Buddies and added more lube per instructions. I took the boat and trailer on 40-mile trip to lake and noticed some grease escaping from one of the inside hub seals and splattering on inside of wheel.
Did I put too much grease in Bearing Buddy allowing pressure to build up and blow through seal. Kind of thought bearing buddy would expand and release excess pressure. Only filled bearing buddy to the point were it barely expanded against spring. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
jimh posted 05-28-2014 11:58 AM ET (US)
When you write "Any thought?" I read that as "Any thoughts why the grease escaped past the seals?"
The grease escaped past the seal because there was too much pressure for the seal to contain the grease. This condition could occur for two reasons:
--the seal was working properly, but there was too much pressure from the grease; or,
--the grease pressure was not excessive, the grease should have been contained by the seal, and the seal had a defect which permitted the grease to escape.
A fellow who runs a very large trailer repair and rental service near me once told me that the most common problem they see with boat trailer bearings that have Bearing Buddy accessories is a blown seal from too much pressure because too much grease was pumped into the Bearing Buddy.
The notion that the grease in the bearing has to be kept under some sort of pressure is something introduced by Bearing Buddy, not by the wheel bearing makers. The wheel bearings are fine with just having some grease on, in, and around them; they do not require the grease to be constantly pushing on the bearing with pressure. If the space in the hub is filled with grease, the grease should be pushed out by centrifugal force toward the bearings.
Not all seals are equivalent in their ability to maintain a seal against a pressure. For use with Bearing Buddy accessories, it is suggested that a special seal be used, which can withstand more pressure. These seals are sometimes configured with double rubber seal surfaces or have some sort of spring tensioner to help maintain the seal in contact with the spindle.
The portion of the spindle where the seal will be in contact should be free from any rough spots or irregularities.
I don't know:
--what kind of seals were used
--how much pressure was applied by the Bearing Buddy
so I can't deduce the cause of the grease escaping past the seals. My recommendations:
--check the spindle surfaces where the seals will be running to see if they are clean and free of any irregularities;
--use a double-lip seal or a special seal with a spring tensioner on the seal or use the special Bearing Buddy branded seals;
--don't load up the Bearing Buddy with too much grease; add grease until you just see the diaphragm of the Bearing Buddy begin to move; do not add so much grease you start to compress the Bearing Buddy springs.
deepwater posted 05-28-2014 05:31 PM ET (US)
As with most things exposed to high temps it expands,,The rear seal being the weakest place lets it out,,Check the amount of axel nut pressure your putting on your races
andygere posted 05-28-2014 11:51 PM ET (US)
The Bearing Buddy Spindle Seals noted in the link provided by jimh are the key ingredient. Get a set of them, install them and use a good double lip axle seal. When you have it apart, check for any minor nicks on the axle that could be chewing up your seals.
grosseile88 posted 05-29-2014 08:47 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the input. I was using double-lip seals, but I am sure there are minor imperfections on the spindle coupled with too much grease pumped in that are causing the [leak of grease past the seal]. The Bearing Buddy spindle seal kit looks like the perfect solution. Thanks.

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Author	Topic: Trailer: Blown Grease Seals
grosseile88	posted 05-28-2014 10:32 AM ET (US) I cleaned hubs, replaced bearings, races, and seals, lubed everything up, reinstalled Bearing Buddies and added more lube per instructions. I took the boat and trailer on 40-mile trip to lake and noticed some grease escaping from one of the inside hub seals and splattering on inside of wheel. Did I put too much grease in Bearing Buddy allowing pressure to build up and blow through seal. Kind of thought bearing buddy would expand and release excess pressure. Only filled bearing buddy to the point were it barely expanded against spring. Any thoughts? Thanks!
jimh	posted 05-28-2014 11:58 AM ET (US) When you write "Any thought?" I read that as "Any thoughts why the grease escaped past the seals?" The grease escaped past the seal because there was too much pressure for the seal to contain the grease. This condition could occur for two reasons: --the seal was working properly, but there was too much pressure from the grease; or, --the grease pressure was not excessive, the grease should have been contained by the seal, and the seal had a defect which permitted the grease to escape. A fellow who runs a very large trailer repair and rental service near me once told me that the most common problem they see with boat trailer bearings that have Bearing Buddy accessories is a blown seal from too much pressure because too much grease was pumped into the Bearing Buddy. The notion that the grease in the bearing has to be kept under some sort of pressure is something introduced by Bearing Buddy, not by the wheel bearing makers. The wheel bearings are fine with just having some grease on, in, and around them; they do not require the grease to be constantly pushing on the bearing with pressure. If the space in the hub is filled with grease, the grease should be pushed out by centrifugal force toward the bearings. Not all seals are equivalent in their ability to maintain a seal against a pressure. For use with Bearing Buddy accessories, it is suggested that a special seal be used, which can withstand more pressure. These seals are sometimes configured with double rubber seal surfaces or have some sort of spring tensioner to help maintain the seal in contact with the spindle. The portion of the spindle where the seal will be in contact should be free from any rough spots or irregularities. I don't know: --what kind of seals were used --how much pressure was applied by the Bearing Buddy so I can't deduce the cause of the grease escaping past the seals. My recommendations: --check the spindle surfaces where the seals will be running to see if they are clean and free of any irregularities; --use a double-lip seal or a special seal with a spring tensioner on the seal or use the special Bearing Buddy branded seals; --don't load up the Bearing Buddy with too much grease; add grease until you just see the diaphragm of the Bearing Buddy begin to move; do not add so much grease you start to compress the Bearing Buddy springs.
deepwater	posted 05-28-2014 05:31 PM ET (US) As with most things exposed to high temps it expands,,The rear seal being the weakest place lets it out,,Check the amount of axel nut pressure your putting on your races
andygere	posted 05-28-2014 11:51 PM ET (US) The Bearing Buddy Spindle Seals noted in the link provided by jimh are the key ingredient. Get a set of them, install them and use a good double lip axle seal. When you have it apart, check for any minor nicks on the axle that could be chewing up your seals.
grosseile88	posted 05-29-2014 08:47 AM ET (US) Thanks for the input. I was using double-lip seals, but I am sure there are minor imperfections on the spindle coupled with too much grease pumped in that are causing the [leak of grease past the seal]. The Bearing Buddy spindle seal kit looks like the perfect solution. Thanks.