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Bearing Buddy Issue

CobraDave

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So I just had New bearing buddies installed on all four wheels. One axle got all new rotors, calipers and pads. New grease all around.

When I pulled my trailer out of the water both front wheels look like this. IMG_4711.jpg

I've cleaned it and launched again and it's always the same two front axle wheels. Looks like water is mixing with grease. I finally pulled the wheel off and this is what it looks like.
IMG_4713.jpg IMG_4714.jpg IMG_4715.jpg

The trailer shop was sure I need to do nothing to this bearings for two years. Is this normal? Do I have something wrong? When I took the bearing bra off there was some water in there.
 

fishing fool

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For my trailer I know when I go to launch it is down hill all the way to the ramp. I think the breaks are on a lot of the way there and that will heat up the rotor causing the grease to thin a little and spit out.
Just a thought.
 

Havafewinsider

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If your center cap isnt stainless steal the water will pool in the cap and cause rust when it sits. I bought 4 SS caps from adenerline and the rust went away. Looking at your pics the bearings look good.
 

CobraDave

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If your center cap isnt stainless steal the water will pool in the cap and cause rust when it sits. I bought 4 SS caps from adenerline and the rust went away. Looking at your pics the bearings look good.

What has me perplexed is it only happens to the front axle wheels, not the rear two. I don't know why that is.
 

CobraDave

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If your center cap isnt stainless steal the water will pool in the cap and cause rust when it sits. I bought 4 SS caps from adenerline and the rust went away. Looking at your pics the bearings look good.

I do think they are just chrome not stainless.
 

Havafewinsider

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put a magnet on the cap and if it sticks it steel. I wonder if the new hub is a little bigger and looking at the original picture their is not much clearance between the bearing buddy vinyl cap and the center wheel cap which will hold water. I ended up pulling one of the caps out cleaning the rust off the rim and launching a few times and the rust never came back. When i bought the new caps they were a little different style and it allowed the water to drain better.
 

Havafewinsider

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What has me perplexed is it only happens to the front axle wheels, not the rear two. I don't know why that is.

Thinking back the rims with the disc brakes were the only rims that had the rust. Maybe it has something to do with the rotor
 

kiethco

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I'm questioning what trailer shop would tell you nothing needs to be done for 2 years. Did they mean you don't have to look at anything or the bearings should be good for 2 years? Sounds like an odd thing to tell a guy. I check daily when towing, touch the hub every time I stop to check for heat, grease after every trip etc. Your pics just look like normal throw off after a fresh pack.
 

CobraDave

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I'm questioning what trailer shop would tell you nothing needs to be done for 2 years. Did they mean you don't have to look at anything or the bearings should be good for 2 years? Sounds like an odd thing to tell a guy. I check daily when towing, touch the hub every time I stop to check for heat, grease after every trip etc. Your pics just look like normal throw off after a fresh pack.

I know I agree. I've never had bearing buddies and I asked how to check for grease levels and when should I add them. He told me "just bring it back for a service in two years". I responded by saying just enlighten me a little. He again said the problem is people just add grease and never check bearings. Just bring it back to me. It was slightly annoying but I get his point. But I'd rather have a guy walk me through what was done, how to check for problems etc. (Adrenaline)

With the hub so from what I understand, we are thinking that is not water getting into the bearings and mixing with grease, it is just the rust from the rotor?
 

LargeOrangeFont

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If you are really worried Knock the bearing buddy off and look at the grease in the hub. I'd wager you are ok from the looks of it though.

If everything is new, it could be the brake dust that is rusting on the wheel. That rust just wipes off the wheels right?
 

Icky

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I believe per the instructions, u should be able to push in and it and have it move a bit, if not then add grease.

I put a few pumps in mine almost every trip to keep them full, as I just changed them last year so I assume there still is some air pockets. This keeps the water out of them.

It's possible they didn't use a marine grade grease as well and the water is breaking it down.

Read this, I found the instructions http://www.bearingbuddy.com/how.html
 

CobraDave

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If you are really worried Knock the bearing buddy off and look at the grease in the hub. I'd wager you are ok from the looks of it though.

If everything is new, it could be the brake dust that is rusting on the wheel. That rust just wipes off the wheels right?

I should have done that before I left. It does wipe right off.

Also I was looking at the bearing buddy instructions. I did not see what to push on to check. Nothing I pushed on was moving.
 

ToMorrow44

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The rust is coming from the center caps. Same thing happened on mine. Drill 3 holes around the center cap, that will allow water to come out instead of getting trapped in the cap and rusting.

For the bearing buddies, people often overfill them. You want to pump grease into it only until the blue ring starts to move. Don't pump anymore into it. People pump grease into them until the blue ring is all the way out and stops, that's too much grease and thats when you'll start having problems slinging grease or they'll pop off. Check the play in the bearings once a year. Excess play in the bearings will cause the hub to wobble and the bearing buddy to come off.
 

69 1/2

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The Bearing Buddy has nothing to do with greasing the bearings, it is there to simply keep positive pressure in the hub so it doesn't suck water in when you dunk the warm hubs into cold lake water. Check every trip and add grease to keep it pressurized. Push on the disk the grease zerk is screwed into to test them.
 

CobraDave

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The rust is coming from the center caps. Same thing happened on mine. Drill 3 holes around the center cap, that will allow water to come out instead of getting trapped in the cap and rusting.

For the bearing buddies, people often overfill them. You want to pump grease into it only until the blue ring starts to move. Don't pump anymore into it. People pump grease into them until the blue ring is all the way out and stops, that's too much grease and thats when you'll start having problems slinging grease or they'll pop off. Check the play in the bearings once a year. Excess play in the bearings will cause the hub to wobble and the bearing buddy to come off.

The Bearing Buddy has nothing to do with greasing the bearings, it is there to simply keep positive pressure in the hub so it doesn't suck water in when you dunk the warm hubs into cold lake water. Check every trip and add grease to keep it pressurized. Push on the disk the grease zerk is screwed into to test them.

Thank you guys both. I'm realizing I probably need more grease because the piston did not move at all when I pushed on it.

And I'm willing to bet you're right that the center caps are trapping water and causing rust. I'm glad it's not grease like I originally thought. I'm not sure I wanna drill into the caps though...
 
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