frozen bearing please help **update**

[BillZ]

Used the kind neighbors grinding wheel and got it off!
Thanks for the help everyone!



I went ahead and installed new bearings+ seals and packed them good with grease. I am going out of town tomorrow and wanted everything put back together since it is out in the open air.




I do, however, have a few concerns and will likely need to open them up again.

First, the grease I had was sold to me some years ago when I planned on doing the bearings in my Toyota. I never did the Toyota and still had the grease, unopened.

Upon looking at it today, It didn't actually say that it was for bearings. It says that it is for trucks and heavy machinery. It seemed to be similar consistency and it was sold to me as bearing grease but here is a pic in case any of you think that it is the wrong stuff.



The spindle where the bearing was stuck is a little rough, but not bad,-just not smooth. I don't think it is gouged but rather some of the metal from the bearing fused on it. Is this something that needs immediate attention or can I just keep an eye on it?

Also, when I put the hub from that bad bearing side on, the wheel wobbles when it is turned. The tightness of the castle nut is correct. There is no side-to-side movement and the wheel turns freely-it just wobbles. Would that be the race in the hub that is likely off and needs to be replaced or could it be something else?

[starleen2]

Take the wheel off and clean the spindle up and dress it with some fine emery cloth - it'll take off some of the surface roughness, but not grind away excess material, just a good polish is what you're after. . . and yes - you'll need to replace the inner bearing race- just a good practice with a seized bearing - then you'll have piece of mind

[Dale M.]

After cleaning up spindle and making sure everything (spindle - hub - bearings) is correct, and if there is still a wobble, swap tires and wheel from side to side, if wobble moves you have bad WHEEL, if wobble says in same side you have a bad HUB...

Also the grease you have is probably ok.....

Dale

[parnold]

Don't worry about the grease, it is wheel bearing grease.. formulated for trucks that are exposed to a lot of wet conditions.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/datasheetsearch.do

You can look at the data sheet for yourself.

[eamarquardt]

As far as the wobble goes, try switching the rims from one side of the trailer to the other. If the wobble moves with the rim the rim is the problem. If it stays on the same side, you've got a problem with the hub.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

[BillZ]

As far as the wobble goes, try switching the rims from one side of the trailer to the other. If the wobble moves with the rim the rim is the problem. If it stays on the same side, you've got a problem with the hub.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

I am 90% sure it is the hub but will do the wheel switch after I return next week from my trip.

[Corwin C]

If the old race in the hub is distorted or even slightly out of place, that could cause a wobble. As hot as it looks like that bearing got, it would be suspect. I would check the wheel first though, it's easy to check and could save you a lot of looking.

[bobhenry]

Bearings and their races come together in the package for a reason....

They are a matched set.....

Do not attempt to use the old races with a new bearing which I am all but certain is your problem.

That old race went thru hell when the bearing siezed up and is fried and will destroy the new bearing in very short order if it is dragged around more than a few city blocks. Change the race now .
If you are not sure ask your car guy with the grinder he will show ya.

And pray that is all it is because the next step is a new axle.

[Larwyn]

Don't take this the wrong way, I do not want to bicker, but; how can a defective axle cause a wheel to wobble? Short of the spindle being loose and flopping around I cannot picture a trailer axle as being the cause of wheel wobble. The axle shaft on a differential is a different story as it rotates, but the trailer axle and spindle do not rotate so if they are bent they will affect alignment but not cause a wobble the way I see it. It just seems to me that the defect would have to be in a rotating component of the system. If I am wrong, please explain.

[teardrop_focus]

Do not attempt to use the old races with a new bearing

...how can a defective axle cause a wheel to wobble?

Exactly.

It's more than likely a damaged drum/hub or cocked bearing race.




The old races can be removed at a local auto parts house (the old-school kind) -and- the drum/hub can be inspected by an experienced pair of eyes to determine warping or other damage...

But ALWAYS use bearings as a complete set. Never use new rollers on old races.

[bobhenry]

My initial thought was that if enough parent metal of the axle shaft had been moved or removed by the seizure of the bearing it would allow the inner bearing to rock but upon rethinking the outer bearing which was not damaged would help to stabilize the hub. After rereading previous posts "there is no side to side play" so bearings must be seated on the axle shaft securely. Could this be cause and effect. trailer slams sideways into a curb or other immovable object flat spotting the mashed inner bearing and bending rim and/or hub flange, perhaps just a broken belt in a tire. This wiggle beats the hell out of the bearings until final failure and seizure. No one mentioned broken belts in the tire yet !





This one let go internally and was rubbing inner frame AND outer fender!

Nothing like the smell of burning rubber at 3 AM on the road in 4 degree weather.

[teardrop_focus]

No one mentioned broken belts in the tire yet !

Indeed... but until we see with our own eyes what his wheel is doing, it remains a guessing game.



I see your pics now, Bob. Thanks for reminding all of us to use better-quality trailer tires!

[bobhenry]

Well several of us were right about the grinder anyway !

[teardrop_focus]

Even those of us who were admittedly late to the thread!

[Larwyn]

Yep, I'd be willing to bet on either a bent wheel or a bad tire causing the wobble. And I agree that the old race should not be used with the new bearing.

Every time the issue of packing wheel bearings comes up, I cannot help but recall the time my step brother decided to repack the front wheel bearings on his '57 Chevy. He found this old can of "grease" that I had left in the old dairy barn. It was in a nice little green can with a picture of a clover on top! I suppose he must have thought it was lucky or Irish or something...... At any rate, for those who do not know, Clover compound is valve grinding compound, it has some grease in it alright and plenty of abrasives too. Needless to say his bearings did not last long after that bit of maintenance. I was overseas at the time so was not around to encourage his action. I think the main thing he learned from that was to never work on his own car again............