is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

[rentprop1]

pulled the bearing protector today, on my tandem axle pontoon trailer, well the left side both bearing protectors looks like this .....

is this just a gray colored grease ?? or has water got inside these ??

the other side is a mix of this gray grease and black grease ??
when I touch it, it feels like its not a thick as most grease, almost oil like ??
.

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[rentprop1]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

the following pics were the reason I pulled the hub :
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[rolmops]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

Grease comes in different colors and its structure may be thicker or thinner but it does not mix with water.So it is all good grease
Very often marine grease will have grey or greenish grey color

 

[rentprop1]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

but it does not mix with water.

so by that statment : if there was water in there, it should have poured out and would not be mixed in with the grease ??

or would not have thinned the grease like a solvent would ??

 

[bruceb58]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

It would have an emulsified look to it. Hard to tell from pictures.

By the way, water can and does mix with grease. That is what the term emulsified means. Look at butter...it is a water and fat emulsion.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

Yup it got wet and turned gray.

Take it apart, clean, re-pack, maybe a new seal...... and go boating!!

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

Looks like water got in there to me....bet your races have rust marks on them.
Bruce is right water does mix with grease. see it all the time on heavy equipment.
Denny

 

[Silver Heels]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

To me it looks like gray-colored grease. Anytime I've see water intrusion, the grease was orange from rust. But, regardless, if you are not sure of the type of grease, it means you should repack with marine grade grease.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: is this water intrusion or gray colored grease ??

Grease streaks on the wheel indicates the hub cover/dust cap was leaking anyway so now is the time to fix that, disassemble the hub, clean everything up, thoroughly inspect the bearings and races, repack, add a new rear seal, reassemble, adjust the pre-load and go boating.