The front left axle seal is leaking badly on our motorhome and I am losing hope in getting it fixed. Plus we are well over 1,000 miles from home in the middle of a 6 week trip. I don't know what to do at this point.When we got to our destination in Florida I could smell something burning when I hit the brakes and saw fluid all over the inner rim of the wheel. A mobile mechanic came out and repaired it with a seal he cross-listed from NAPA. We made it up the coast to Virginia and once again there was oil all over the front rim. We had the seal replaced this morning at a very well-rated truck shop with a National part, and they said it should be good to go. We have made it 100 miles up the road and all of the oil has leaked out again. We are outside of Salisbury Maryland and in a campsite for two days...supposed to head out Sunday when nothing is open. I told the shop this morning to look closely and make sure that ALL of the old seal was gone, including the wear indicator. They said that they did.So why is it leaking so badly again? My wife and kids are definitely tired of dealing with it, and I am as well. It is threatening to grenade the trip we have been planning for months.Can I put thicker Lucas Hub oil in it to slow the leak? Is there something else I can do? At this point I have lost confidence in any of the shops on the road being able to fix it, and I can't keep paying $300 for a shop to put in a seal that fails almost immediately.

This is just a shot in the dark. Is the outer pin hole plugged where you put in the oil. If so when it get hot it leaks around the seal not venting out the hole. Is the outer seal dirty or clean.A lot of thing can go wrong when putting in a any seal. Most good shops should be able to install one since they have it apart. If they put in the wrong part number the first time and they they use that the second time then. Then you can see where that goes. Hub has a damage spot that is not sealing. The list can go on.Did they put in too much oil

What is make of the chassis? It is very possible that the vents are plugged.

Yes, let us know what chassis or axle you have.Did it leak out the inner seal or outer seal? If outer, what is the condition of the center rubber plug-- they can shrink.

To answer your question....NO, do not put in thicker oil. If the vent is clogged, it will still leak out. What you need is a real mechanic, not the junior guy that was just promoted from tire changes and lube jobs, to find the problem.

Any good commercial truck shop should be able to fix this quickly , provided the brakes aren’t coated ( a major fire danger don’t drive it if they are ) . Even then it should be a normal repair as these are standard truck parts. The problem is finding a component repair shop.they should be able to tear it down and fix it knowing the issues you’ve told us. They need to look further than a simple seal replacement . You’ve had a bad run of shops is my guess and these hub seal repairs are normally simple and sometimes given to the “new “ guy maybe that’s what’s going on .. good shop bad mechanic. I’d call the shop it was done at and raise H ..

Help: 2 axle seal failures on this trip, leaking again

johnsonbert
Explorer
Jun 24, 2018
Thanks for taking the time to let everyone know what the problem was and how it worked out. Glad you got the problem solved. Happy Trails bert
cgreer00
Explorer
Jun 24, 2018
Well both of the previous mechanics left the metal piece of the OEM Stemco seal in the hub, so the new seals failed when they were installed on top of it. If you find this thread in the future, make SURE that your mechanic knows to remove the wear ring piece before installing ANY new seal, aftermarket or OEM. Fortunately both of the previous mechanics are going to refund money to me.
cgreer00
Explorer
Jun 19, 2018
Doesn't pull to the side and the hub isn't getting hot at all. Same temp as the other side. They are going to work on it tomorrow, I'll update.
Itasca55
Explorer
Jun 19, 2018
w22 front spindle getting hot taking out seals. That's a shot bearing or dragging caliper .. They have oil in the hub ?

Itasca55

Does it pull to one side when you hit the brake ? Collapsed brake line can do some strange stuff like this.. if it's not the bearing or caliper. This is big deal when your heating hub up that much.
cgreer00
Explorer
Jun 18, 2018
Thanks for the replies everyone. The calipers are fine, were checked at both facilities. The vent hole is also fine, no issues there. I have ordered two of the Workhorse official seals to be delivered to the repair facility in Boston. We are in Danbury, CT for the night and will drive in to Boston tomorrow. I am pulling off every 100 miles and refilling the hub with a mix of synthetic and Lucus hub oil and it seems to be doing the trick...no heat issues today. What I am really hoping is that the wear ring from the original WH seal is still in the hub and is the culprit since it isn't compatible with aftermarket seals and will cause them to leak. I will update you all after the next repair. On another forum a poster said that in a worst-case scenario I can just have them pack it with grease to finish my trip and then sort it out from the comfort of home when we aren't in the middle of a massive trip.
enblethen
Nomad
Jun 17, 2018
Link to caliper issues.
Caliper issues Recall
Rick_Jay
Explorer II
Jun 17, 2018
Hi,

I don't know if this will help or not, but....

When my 2004 W-22 went in for the brake recall at our local Workhorse repair shop, they replaced the left front seal as part of the repair. This was in December. Once it came home, I didn't drive the moho again until April, and when I did an inspection, I saw it was leaking. This, after about 100 miles on the seal. I brought it in and they inspected it and the WH Rep told the Manager "Another botched seal.".

Now, I also remember reading at the time this was done that those who replaced the seal with a non-Workhorse replacement, tended to have more problems with leaks. I would think that a WH facility would use only WH parts, but the WH seals were considerably more expensive than the NAPA et al replacements. So, I can't say for sure they used a non-WH seal that time, but it wouldn't surprise me, either. The replacement seal they installed has been good since then (going on maybe 5-6 years, I think). (Yes, I know WH isn't manufacturing the seals, but there apparently was something different about their's compared to the other, cheaper versions, on the market, perhaps reflecting some of the statements made previously in this thread about the types of seals.)

So in addition to the suggestions made by others above, you might want to try using an official Workhorse replacement seal.

Good luck,

~Rick
Stim
Explorer
Jun 17, 2018
I have replaced HUNDREDS of seals on semi's, semi trailers, large trucks, oil and grease, either one will work.
With 3 failures something is being missed.
There might even be a cracked/defective hub. ???
enblethen
Nomad
Jun 16, 2018
Did you find the NAPA and National seal numbers? If you have please post!
cgreer00
Explorer
Jun 16, 2018
Thanks for all of the replies, I will show them this thread before they attempt the repair in Boston. I have ordered 2 STEMCO seals (just in case) to be overnighted to the repair place we will use in Boston. Quick question: do the seals come with a wear ring, or is it a separate part? I am not sure, if this point, if the wear ring was ever removed even though I told them to look for it. If it was removed, then I am not sure I can get my hands on a new one if it doesn't come with the STEMCO seal. I am hoping the problem is the wear ring, because the NAPA seal and the National seal both failed within a few hundred miles of installation.