Repacking the Bearings
Hey Campers,
This project was quite simple but with that being said it was also filled with a bunch of headaches. Simply because our Airstream had been sitting for a while before we bought it, and we came across some minor troubles that we had to fix before we could finish the project. This project should only take a few hours if done properly, but for us, with time being limited as well as hunting down parts, took us a few hours over a couple of days. The point of this blog is to show our mistakes and how we overcame them, as well as hopefully helping someone out there in the same circumstance.
So, to get started, lets go over budgeting, tools and consumables needed.
First, everyone’s favorite thing, money. This project cost us about $45 overall. Based on location, availability of parts, etc the $45 was for things we actually needed to buy. I will include prices for each item that we bought. ** Note we are not counting the 1st bearing packer we bought in the total price.**
Let’s talk tools needed:
📷 Breaker Bar
📷 Torch Wrench
📷 Proper sized socket
📷 Extender for the Breaker bar
📷 Grease seal Puller ($13.99 at Oreillys Auto store)
📷 Rubber mallet
📷 Barring Packer ( we ended up buying 2, **review up now**
o Cheaper one was $7.99 (we did not like it, as it broke after the 1st bearing and so we didn’t actually finish that day. The second time we bought the $29.99 which we love, and will have a review up soon. Both also bought at Oreillys) *edit both reviews are up*
📷 Impact wrench
📷 Air compressor/ hose and nozzle to blow out tires (we had a lot of cobwebs and debris)
📷 Wrench for Castle nuts
📷 Work area to keep the parts clean and free of dirt
Consumables
📷 Inner grease seal
📷 Cotter pins
📷 Grease ($6 at Oreillys, we bought 2 tubes but only used 1. (The GREEN one))
📷 Large roll of shop towels, or paper towels in our case
📷 Rubber gloves
📷 Brake cleaner ($5 Oreillys, we bought 2 cans and noted you might need more than 2 cans)
📷 Whiskey (something good and smooth, no ice…. Yes, obviously this is a joke.. 😊 but we are really liking the #Jameson Black Barrel )
Instructions based on how we did our #Repacking
Note this is how we did it, we are not responsible for any mishaps that fall upon you. We are simply sharing our experience and how we know how to do it. Everyone learns differently and that needs to be noted when doing this project. You also have the choice of sending it to a professional, however we both have experience working on vehicles and this is how we learned. 😊
Steps will be noted by Bullet points 😊
Ø Remove the lug nuts and the wheel, You will need jack stands (basically take the tire off the way you would to replace the tire.)
Ø Remove the #dust cap, best done by prying it off with a Flathead screwdriver.
Ø Remove the #cotter pin, You will do this by straightening the ends of the pin and then pulling it out with pliers
Ø Remove the Hub, Remove the retraining nut and washer, then pull the hub off of the spindle #CAREFULLY, the bearings will come out of the hub, and then set them on your clean work space.
Ø Remove he bearing #seal, you will have to tap on rim of the bearing with a rubber mallet and a block of wood (it just makes it easier). Clean all the #grease from the bearings, and the seal. Inspect them and make sure they aren’t broken or scratched up. Once they are cleaned off put hem on your clean work space. Make sure to remove all the grease. I found it was easiest to get them really clean by rolling it over the towels, letting the grease from inside move outwards and onto the towels.
Ø Pack the bearings with grease. We used #LucasOil (as we are both familiar with this version) This is where you will use the grease packer, if you want you can also do it by hand but make sure that the entire bearing gets coated, #INSIDE and #OUT.
Ø Reassemble the Hub, exactly the way you took it apart, it all fits together. Make sure to use a new cotter pin, they aren’t made for multiple uses. In our opinion it is just best to replace them, they are extremely cheap.
In all, the entire project was pretty #simple, you just have to be patient and pay attention to the details.
Most of our #headaches came from not having all of the items we needed, from running into small problems that prevented us from finishing the project.
Also, side note: We searched for a good few days before we found the seals we needed. That picture with part numbers is included for ease of reference. We ended up buying them from our local tractor supply store. We got them for $10, less than #amazon and the auto stores we have in town, that we would have had to order in. Later on, during the week while we were looking for quick disconnects for the battery terminals, we found them in our local #ACE store (much to our dismay, and after I was done cursing the stores we looked in before, we noted that parts number as well for future use. **picture included below**)
Hopefully this helps someone, if anything gives you a point of reference for part numbers.
😊
-The Whitten's-
