Was crawling around under the coach yesterday with a grease gun trying to hit the drive train zirks and noticed the passenger side rear rim and tire a coated with oil. I assume this means a seal needs replaced.
I try to do most of my own work, but suspect this job is beyond my level of experience. Has anyone done this themselves?
Any suggestions on where to get the work done in the Dallas TX area and estimates on typical cost to do this kind of repair?
I have not had to do one on the coach, but have changed many axle seals on trucks. They are the same. Most on road truck repair facilities can do the job. If you are going to tackle it yourself PM me and I will give you my number and I can walk you through it.
Thanks Cranman. I think I will check with a couple shops for estimates, but prefer doing my own work when it is practical. Removing those tires is a bit intimidating.
In Carrollton
blue moon rv service center
Got to one of the shops in Naco. I do not know if the caliper will have to be removed, but after all of the problems I had with brakes I am gun shy of getting someone to work on my coach. I had taken our coach to three places in Houston and they all said they worked on big trucks and it was no big deal. Only problem is they did not know about the disk brakes on our coaches. Even had a shop that worked on Firetrucks that have the same brakes as our coaches screw the brakes up.
Problems I had were they did not know the pins were they took them apart, put the wrong grease in, and did not adjust them correctly.
Here is a picture of what they look like. The caliper can be rotated out of the way to pull the rotor. Still have to rotate it the opposite way to be able to clean both pins and install the helper springs. With the rotor off you can see the seal in the back of it. Dealing with the wheels takes either a specialty tool, plywood with grease or big muscles. The rotor is not that heavy.
helper springs (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=31008.msg271318#msg271318)
tools to R&R wheels (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=31018.msg271508#msg271508)
Removing even the rear tires/wheels is easy with just a few tools. I just bought a torque multiplier off ebay Torque Multiplier Set Lug Nut Labor Saving Wrench Remover Truck Trailer RV... (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Torque-Multiplier-Set-Lug-Nut-Labor-Saving-Wrench-Remover-Truck-Trailer-RV-Semi/383148018851?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D61112%26meid%3D63934713906f421e8bea34b76d7b3671%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D362752284367%26itm%3D383148018851%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851) It's built like a tank and the model I purchased had lots of sockets with it. About $10 less for the model with fewer sockets. You will need a flip socket probably like the one I have in the attached photo. Less than $200 buys a 20 ton hydraulic air jack (on sale), flip socket, torque multiplier, 110V HF impact driver and a few other small items.
Below is a video of the operation of the torque multiplier. Once you loosen just a little, a $39 Harbor Freight 110V impact wrench will spin each one the rest of the way in less than 5 seconds. I use a little Anti-Seize Lubricant on the threads so only re-torque to about 340#
I don't even drive to the bottom of our driveway without a spare tire onboard. It's really easy to change, especially important if out West where cell service is iffy. You do need the safety equipment so read up about that.
Pierce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyZT3IuKtvs
Before you go buying expensive tools to remove your rear wheels, look for cradle to pull your rear wheels in one shot. All you do is loosen the 8 nuts that hold the axle shaft in, with the shaft out of the way it's time to back off the bearings nuts. With the axle jacked up so the dual wheels are off the ground run the cradle/dolly in jack it up and walk the whole assembly out. This is how it's done in a rate shop, where they would never breakdown the rear wheels but pull them in one go as described. It takes too much time to pull the wheels individually. IMHO
The cradle will not work with the disc brakes. Wheels have to come off to remove the caliper.
Red T you just beet me to the post button.
Mike
Perhaps I was unclear when I said this how the wheels are Removed in a rate shop and it's a rate shop that does the repair.
Unless there's some new kind of rear axle out there that I haven't seen, when you pull the axle and back off the bearing nuts the wheels and hub assembly is free to slide out. Having done this on more rear axles than I care to remember including my coach. ?
You will have a really bad time trying to do it that way on a coach with disc brakes. Been there done that. I have removed many a hub with the disc brakes. The caliper has to come off of the rotor before you can slide the hub off and the wheels need to be off to access the caliper
Then I'm glad I have drum brakes!
We used a grease up piece of metal or a greased up piece of plywood instead of a cradle and it works great. With drum brakes I would do as Olde English wrote. I haven't remove the hubs with disc brakes and I have the rear duals off my rig and I went out and
looked and I don't see how I could get the brake out of the way with the wheel on so I could pull the hub.
Come on, what does it take to remove the rear wheels, 10 minutes?
Pierce
Thank you everyone for all of the replies.
If I hire this out, I will definitely let them know it has rear disc brakes.. Should I assume the pads will we oil soaked have have new one available?
I really like the torque converter. Looks like it will make lug nut removal possible without much grunting or large air tools.
How do you use the grease plate? Just drive on it or jack up and slide it under and lower until tire just touches, then "walk" the tire off the lugs and out of the way? I have never dealt with a tire this large.
The grease plate is with drum brakes when you take the duals off with the hub. And yes jack up the vehicle slide the plate under
and lower the wheels just enough to take the weight and slide it off.
Jack up, slide plywood or whatever up under the wheel. loosen lug nuts and lower the jack until wheel just touches and pull off. If you are having it done they will want to change the pads for liability reasons. I know I am going to ruffle some feathers, but I have always been able to use gas or acetone to clean shoes and pads without an issue. But DWMYH
Chuck.
Don't try the greasy plate removing the wheels as you will wear the wheel.
OK, I'm 76 years old now but removing a tire(s) is just not that difficult. You jack up the vehicle until the tire is still slightly touching the ground. With all the lug nuts removed, you just work the front and then rear of the back and forth until it moves a couple of inches out from the coach. This can be done on cement or gravel and does not take much effort. Once it clears the studs, you can roll it to where it is to be temporally stored. It should never be in any position other than vertical. The same for the next tire once you have used the flip socket in the back. In replacing the tire, you roll the tire back to the position where it was removed. You keep it vertical just outside of the studs. Then you lean the top of the tire out toward you a little and work the bottom back and forth until the studs will go slightly into the wheel and then when the tire is put in the vertical position, the studs will be into the wheel slightly. With the tire still on the ground, the tire is worked more back and forth until it is all the way on.
The only thing slightly difficult is removing the spare tire from the storage compartment. I must be slid out until it can be rotated down until one site touches the ground. The higher side in the compartment is already at an angle so not that hard to rotate it to vertical. If the coach is raised to the highest possible position before the tire is slid out and rotated down then there is less angle to overcome.
The tire much be under control at all times. If it were to get away, it could do tremendous damage.
I've done this on my Case backhoe several times with a rear tire many times larger than the 295/75R22.5 our coach has. Again, all this has to be done with the tire still touching the ground.
Pierce
I use a tire dolly similar to this Torin Truck Tire and Rim Wheel Dolly — 150-Lb. Capacity, Model# TRX01506 |... (https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200514201_200514201?cm_mmc=Bing-pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive%20%3E%20Wheel%20Dollies&utm_campaign=Torin%20Big%20Red&utm_content=23631&msclkid=7a9a968e0b9c13e7ecc7cb61830bd61b) and a piece of ply wood on the ground to handle the tires and wheels if you don't have a shop floor. This is a good investment if you plan on doing your own tire/brake work.
Mike
Look at reply # 5 for the rest of the tools.
I use a 2 wheeler to R&R my wheel assemblies. Easily slips under the tire and gives me good leverage to rock the wheel assemble for removal or install. Its also very handy to use for other jobs.
With the help of Pierce, Craneman and the other posters, I have the wheel off, the caliper rolled down, the hub pulled and the seal out. Wow, that hub is one heavy hunk of steel!
When the seal came out, it came out with what I believe is the ABS tone ring. Any suggestions on how to separate them without a press?
My understanding is you purchase a new seal tone ring replacement. When mine were replaced, that was what was explained to me.
There are plane truck seal replacements available but you loose ABS function if you use that seal.
Rudy, any chance you have a part number? The seal I purchased did not come with the tone ring.
No Sir, I do not have a part number
Don't forget to grease the lip of the seal.
Any useful info in this thread? 1998 U 270 rear ABS sensor source and part number (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=29227.0)
That discussion is for the ABS sensor (i.e. picks up signal from tone ring).
And on this thread he is looking for the tone ring itself.
ON EDIT: Michelle is correct-- post #17 is a parts list (for his 2000 U295) MAY be the same for the 1997 U320.
Correct. I do not need a sensor at the moment....at least I hope not. I need to determine if I need a tone ring with the seal installed, or if I can press the seal out of the existing tone ring and press in the Stemco Voyager
393-0173 seal. The tone ring is not a cheap thin piece of metal like some I have seen, so it seems like it is re-usable. I do not have a press. I have tried using a brass drift without success....might just need more effort, but I think I will try to find a shop that will press it out for me unless others have ideas on how to do this "shade tree" style.
OK - wasn't sure if John Haygarth's part list posting in that thread (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=29227.msg247060#msg247060) might have included the tone ring. It does call out a "sensor ring"; I wasn't sure if that was the same thing.
Yes, I think the sensor ring, exciter is the same thing as a tone ring. Good to have that parts list, but hoping I do not have to purchase that part.
Michelle,
Good catch. While the thread is about the sensor, John's post #17 (for his 2000 U295) with part numbers MAY be the same for the 1997 U320.
I went back and edited my post.
Thanks.
Can the outside of the seal be cut to relax it's hold on the ring to remove it? Fine hack saw or hand held cutoff wheel. Can't see the side in photos to tell. Also you don't need to go all the way thru, should fail when it's close. In looking closer the seal is inside. Cutting it will relax it's hold, but you will be forced to use a hacksaw blade, possibly backward in the frame to allow clearance
Scott
DayD,
The trick is to get a heat gun (like a mac daddy hair dryer) and heat the back side of the exciter/tone ring. NOT RED HOT just warm enough to loosen the Locktite so you can gently press the seal out of the tone ring. I have never tried it with a hammer and punch as you need to keep the parts square coming out and going back in as you don't want to here the tone ring go TWANG.
Mike
I have a great heat gun. Never thought about using it or it having Locktite on it. Thanks for the suggestion.
I did one like that a while back and the seal can be driven out of the tone ring and then you can see how it all goes back together
Found a local shop to press the seal out of the tone ring. Super helpful crew, but this configuration where the gasket is pressed into the tone ring was new to them. The number on the current seal was National 370181 BG or DG...hard to tell. Since it appeared to have been previously replaced and was leaking again, they wanted to confirm the installed seal was the correct number. He also wanted more info on the correct installation of the tone ring.
The shop crossed the National seal to an alternate number but none was locally available until later this week. He suggested I call Foretravel to confirm the installed seal was the correct one....which I should have done before I ordered the wrong seal.
Foretravel gave me Meritor part A1205J2272 and the local shop confirmed the number they found was an alternate, so they ordered it for me and I will let them install it in the hub since they have the correct installation tool. It is the least I can do since he did not charge me for pressing out the seal or re-installing the tone ring and spent over 30 minutes looking for the part.
He also offered advise on re-installing the hub on the spindle to prevent damaging the new seal. He said to push it on straight, spinning a little if needed, but not to rock it. Suggested using a floor jack or re-installing a wheel to keep it aligned and to support the weight, and using a greased board to slide it. Definitely extra work since the wheel has to be pulled back off to install the caliper, but considering the hub assembly weighs in at 140 lbs, it is probably the approach I will take.
For future reference, attached is a list of alternate seal numbers for Meritor part A1205J2272
The floor jack method on a piece of plywood is better than using a wheel. You can see the alignment better with the floor jack. You have to align height and parallel to go straight on. As soon as the hub is on the spindle enough to put on the outer bearing, it will guide you the rest of the way.
Finally got the hub reinstalled yesterday. I let the shop order and install the seal in the hub. He charged me $50.00...which just covers his cost for the seal, but he removed the old one from the tone ring and installed the new one in the hub too. What I thought was red locktite on the seal is just a sealant. It was on the old and the new seal, but I know there is no way I would have gotten the old seal out of the tone ring without a press. I tried the heat gun, mapp gas torch and big hammer, to no avail.
I ended up using a floor jack to lift and align the hub. It was a little precarious with that 140 lb hub resting on the jack and trying to align and push, but it worked nicely. Sealed up the end of the hub with gray RTV designed or gear oil contact. Letting it cure and will re-fill the diff later this week.
Thank you to everyone for your contributions and especially to Pierce and Craneman who gave me confidence to do this myself. I like doing my own work whenever possible and practical. This was my first foray into such a project on a vehicle this large and I was in over my head a couple times. I appreciate all of the support from this forum. This project took me several weeks. Was not in a hurry and holidays got in the way, but glad to have it done.