Bearing grease / water leaked out on rim

[ryno1234]

I took the boat out to the lake over the weekend. After our outing, I parked the trailer and boat at the house overnight and the following morning I see that one of the bearings has the cover off of it and it has dripped a somewhat thing water / grease mix on rim and tire. It seemed much thinner than typical straight grease.

This appears to have happened overnight because all the grease was collected on the lowest point in the rim for where I had parked the trailer.

My first thought is that this happened because the bearing cover came off, however I've never had anything like this happen before on my old trailer where I didn't have covers on the bearings.

What would cause this and why did the grease liquify like this? Is it an indicator of a larger issue?

I have "Bearing Buddies" (https://www.bearingbuddy.com/)

 

[Scott Danforth]

your seal is shot.

pull the bearing and the hub and look

 

[ryno1234]

your seal is shot.

pull the bearing and the hub and look

What would I be looking for and what would need to be replaced if that were the problem?

 

[harringtondav]

What would I be looking for and what would need to be replaced if that were the problem?

The seal is pressed into the inside of the hub. It is supposed to ride on the largest, inside diameter if the spindle. Make sure that surface is rust free. If not try to polish it with 200-300 grit wet/dry paper.
Bearings and seals are standard for any spindle size. If the bearings and races are good ....no pitting, corrosion or discoloration, just pry the seal out and take it into any Advance, NAPA, Car Quest, etc. and get a replacement.
If the bearings are bad, press/punch out the races and take them and the cones to the above and get replacements.
Bearing Buddies work by maintaining a constant spring pressure on the grease. This prevents water from entering when the warm hub is cooled when they go under water. Give them a few pumps of grease every year. You will see the zerk cap move outward as the grease is replenished. A small amount of grease will work out past the seal while traveling. This will keep them full and the pressure up.

 

[Chris1956]

If you have friction on the bearing or brakes on the trailer, they will cause heat which expands the grease and pops the cover. Water would not do that, but water damage to the bearings can cause friction and heat.

I would check the wheel for any friction or play, as it is now. The wheel should spin freely, but not have any play. I would then remove, clean and repack the wheel bearings (both is prudent), and recheck them for wear. If not wear, get some new grease seals and reassemble.

New Bearings are pretty cheap. You might just replace them, if you are unsure of their condition.
If your trailer has brakes, it is prudent to allow some room for the grease to expand, due to brake-generated heat. Bearing Buddies and those rubber cover inserts do this by design. Rigid covers do not.

 

[ryno1234]

My local Les Schwab tire center said they can handle repacking the bearings, etc. I looked into this, and I definitely *could* do the job, but I'd be working on a road and likely running back and forth to the autoparts store.

$450 for Les Schwab to give me all new bearings on both axles (I guess that's what they do) and of course they'll check everything else while there in there for me (brakes, lines, etc). It's worth it to not have the headache.

That said, I don't want to pay for this service yearly, so I need to understand what proper maintenance of this is annually.

What should I be checking that doesn't involve tearing down the hubs every year? Just making sure there is grease in there and I'm not leaking any out the back / sides?

 

[Scott Danforth]

My local Les Schwab tire center said they can handle repacking the bearings, etc. ........ What should I be checking that doesn't involve tearing down the hubs every year?

First, do you trust them to report if your seal surfaces are pitted or good?

Owning a trailer and a boat has annual maintenance schedules. This involves pulling the drive every year, and inspecting the trailer bearings and brakes

 

[ryno1234]

First, do you trust them to report if your seal surfaces are pitted or good?

Owning a trailer and a boat has annual maintenance schedules. This involves pulling the drive every year, and inspecting the trailer bearings and brakes

Yes - I would trust Les Schwab. They've been very thorough in the past.

Understood - I do almost 100% of all my maintenance, and all major engine repair as well. I'm not afraid of maintenance, but I do not have a place to work on the trailer however. My trailer + boat are 30' long and don't fit in my driveway. I live on a busy thoroughfare that has a grade and that is where I have to park the boat if I want to do any work on it. Dragging a jack and jack stands out to the street annually is not going to be something that works (reasonably) with this boat.

My question is - what needs to be done annual regarding the trailer for maintenance. Is it necessary to take the hubs off a trailer every year?

Side note, I had different boat for 12 years prior to this. I made sure the bearings were greased yearly, but I never once pulled the hubs. Maybe I dodged a bullet, but there is at least some sort of takeaway from this.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Im thinking you dodged a bullet

even with bearing buddies, I pull the hubs every year to inspect and if there is any sign of moisture, I reseal and repack.

I usually pull the brake calipers for inspection and maintenance

 

[Davetowz]

All trailer bearings and seals will fail at some time, I prefer to choose when to change them. I annually repack bearings and replace seals on all my wagons. Great time to look at and inspect brakes also. Really depends on usage, I haul to Lake Erie from central Ohio often. If you live a mile from the ramp you hit twice a year, different story.