How Much Grease for EZ Lube Bearings? Risks, Tips, and Seal Safety

[ryno23NV]

Took my 22RBE tires off to have my truck factory TPMS sensors installed and saw this. I used my hand grease gun and pumped each fitting 30 times and never saw any excess grease? How much grease does it take and is my hand held grease gun able to do the job?
Thanks.
Mark.

 

[terryriddle]

Took my 22RBE tires off to have my truck factory TPMS sensors installed and saw this. I used my hand grease gun and pumped each fitting 30 times and never saw any excess grease? How much grease does it take and is my hand held grease gun able to do the job?
Thanks.
Mark.

You need to be very careful with a grease gun. You can blow out the rear grease seal and not know it. You also need to be running the wheel as you slowly put grease into the ezlub connection. I never use it and pack by bearings with a bearing packer and replace the rear grease seal.

 

[ryno23NV]

You need to be very careful with a grease gun. You can blow out the rear grease seal and not know it. You also need to be running the wheel as you slowly put grease into the ezlub connection. I never use it and pack by bearings with a bearing packer and replace the rear grease seal.

Ok. Thanks.
I did spin the crap out of the wheels after applying the grease.
How would I know if I blew out my rear grease seal?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

It's best to forget those zerks are even there. Now that you have the wheels off, it would be a good time to pull the wheels and examine the state of the wheel bearings, and placement of grease. Adding grease isn't a replacement for hand greasing. i check mine every few years after a hand greasing. I quit using the EZ-Lube zerks since the grease isn't going anywhere, and unless you're doing mega-miles, it doesn't wear out. I'm not one who does the annual teardown and repack, but that's just me.

That green jack looks like it's quite a ways under the trailer on that axle. I would never jack on an axle beyond the U-bolts. But maybe that's just the way it looks, and not actually where it is.

 

[terryriddle]

Ok. Thanks.
I did spin the crap out of the wheels after applying the grease.
How would I know if I blew out my rear grease seal?

You will find out the hard way. Grease will be all over your brake pads and drum.

 

[terryriddle]

You will find out the hard way. Grease will be all over your brake pads and drum.

Your axle is made by Dexter. You can get the serial number off the axle, and Dexter will give you the seal part numbers for replacement. I carry a set of bearings, rear seal, and bearing packer with grease when I travel, just in case I have a wheel getting hotter than it should. I use a heat gun on the rim of the wheel between the hub bolts each time I stop. In over forty years of camping with an RV I have never needed to do a bearing job on the side of the road. But could if I needed to!

 

[ryno23NV]

It's best to forget those zerks are even there. Now that you have the wheels off, it would be a good time to pull the wheels and examine the state of the wheel bearings, and placement of grease. Adding grease isn't a replacement for hand greasing. i check mine every few years after a hand greasing. I quit using the EZ-Lube zerks since the grease isn't going anywhere, and unless you're doing mega-miles, it doesn't wear out. I'm not one who does the annual teardown and repack, but that's just me.

That green jack looks like it's quite a ways under the trailer on that axle. I would never jack on an axle beyond the U-bolts. But maybe that's just the way it looks,

Yea that green jack is just resting there. How do I get to my bearings? Is it those four bolts on back of the wheel?

 

[ryno23NV]

Your axle is made by Dexter. You can get the serial number off the axle, and Dexter will give you the seal part numbers for replacement. I carry a set of bearings, rear seal, and bearing packer with grease when I travel, just in case I have a wheel getting hotter than it should. I use a heat gun on the rim of the wheel between the hub bolts each time I stop. In over forty years of camping with an RV I have never needed to do a bearing job on the side of the road. But could if I needed to!

Nothing on my axle says Dexter. It says Lippert?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Yea that green jack is just resting there. How do I get to my bearings? Is it those four bolts on back of the wheel?

Pull that metal cap off, and behind it will be a big nut with a retainer. Remove the retainer, and unscrew the nut, and the drum should slide right off. If you've not installed/repaired/repacked hubs before, talk to people that know what they are doing. DO NOT necessarily believe everything you read about how to maintain brakes/hubs.

It's not difficult, but it needs to be precise. And you should use new seals to reinstall the drums.

If you send an email to Lippert with all the pertinent information from that tag, they will send you everything you need to know about your axles/brakes/hubs. In fact, just send that photo of your axle tag, and you should be good to go.

 

[lineman1234]

For the OP....

The ez lube system is a hot topic with some that really dislike to hate it.

If it was that bad, they wouldnt still be installing it to this day.

There are factory instructions on how to use it, and sounds like you followed them.

Its a double lipped seal, or should be. One lip keeps grease in, the other keeps stuff out.
They arent that expensive so just change when doing repacking per manufactures recommendations or proffered time/miles.
There are numbers on the back of the seal.


A lighted boar-scope is cheap to buy today, and lots of options.
Popping off one of the 2 rubber caps at the back of the brake drum, one can look in with said scope, and check things without removing the assembly.

That way you can confirm for yourself, how things went.

I use the ez lube system, i like it, i have never had a problem.
If someone wants to use it, fine, if they dont fine also.

 

[el Rojo]

Your axle is made by Dexter. You can get the serial number off the axle, and Dexter will give you the seal part numbers for replacement. I carry a set of bearings, rear seal, and bearing packer with grease when I travel, just in case I have a wheel getting hotter than it should. I use a heat gun on the rim of the wheel between the hub bolts each time I stop. In over forty years of camping with an RV I have never needed to do a bearing job on the side of the road. But could if I needed to!

I carry extra bearings and seal too. I too check hub temp every time I stop for a break or end of day.

 

[terryriddle]

Nothing on my axle says Dexter. It says Lippert?

Then, GD has moved to a different manufacturer. Write down the serial and call them for a total part listing on that axle. Nice to have the part list.

 

[Hit Factor]

I carry extra bearings and seal too. I too check hub temp every time I stop for a break or end of day.

TPMS usually monitors temperature in addition to pressure. It's a convenient way to keep track of hub temp.

 

[terryriddle]

You are correct that it reflects the air temp inside the tire, but it does not reflect the hub temp as quickly as the axle will, thus my handheld heat gun reading of the hub. I may be overdoing it, but once you lose an axle traveling across the county, you do crazy things. That resulted in me getting a new RV halfway across the US since Dexter would take several weeks to freight in a new axle. We did not have several weeks and still had significant travel time ahead of us. Since I had a seven-year warranty, the dealer knew they could get the axle and did give me a good trade-in price, but not so on the new RV. Such is life!!!

 

[ChuckS]

I’m wondering what your mechanical skill level might be?

I would start learning about the Dexter axle recommended maintenance , how to remove the hub, how to inspect and grease , and how to correctly reinstall “ If you have the mechanical skills “

Link to Dexter axle service manual …

https://www.dexterpartsonline.com/files/2036913/uploaded/600-8K%20Complete%20Service%20Manual.pdf

Dexter EZ lube bearing video ( not using the zerk on the end of the axle )

 

[fixajet]

I've personally never had an issue with the ez lube bearing system. Others have. But it will take at least a half of tube of grease the first time you lube the bearings using the Zerk fitting. Just make sure you are spinning the wheel/hub as your pushing grease in. Eventually it will start coming out. Like I said, I've never had an issue doing it this way, but you'll absolutely hear different opinions on how or how not to lube your bearings. I have 3 different trailers with many many miles on them with the ez lube axle bearings and I love them and never a problem.

 

[Hit Factor]

You are correct that it reflects the air temp inside the tire, ...

I didn't say that.

All my trailers have the tpms sensor outside of the tire, mounted on the valve stem. I believe it is an ambient reading of the area around the tip of the valve stem.

Most of the tire temp comes from rolling. Today it's in the mid eighties. We towed the rig down the road several hours to a KOA. The tire temp value was very similar to the psi value, upper 80s. If I have a tire temp around 105 degrees, I'll check the hubs by touching each one.

The heat from the bearings easily passes through the aluminum rims on my rig. Since aluminum conducts heat so well, if the bearing heats up, so does the rim, and the valve stem is very close to the rim. In some cases, the stem is metal, providing even more heat to the sensor.

 

[lineman1234]

I had mettle rims and screw in valve stem temp and psi tire minders on my last tt.

Without getting into the long story, i had the breakaway switch unplug, and it wasnt noticed till the rear drivers one was smoking. it was red hot, the rest just very hot.
No tires dragged or locked up.
The temp on the valve stem units didnt notice that heat, just the normal rolling heat from the rubber, like normal.

I always thought that they would notice a bad barring or stuck brake heating up, but didnt.
Must be a mettle rim thing. So maybe it transfers heat better with the aluminum rims.
I hope to not find out, on my 5ver as i have aluminum rims and different valve stem monitors for it.

 

[ryno23NV]

I took the trailer for a good long run today and stopped occasionally to check for excess grease coming out of the hub. I checked the back of each tire and the felt the hub temp, it didn't seem hot and i didn't see any excess grease anywhere. I inspected again when I got home and the hubs were still clean. I will keep an eye on them for the next few trips.
Thanks to all the chimed in to help.
R,
Mark.