Here we go, another EZ lube debate!
I am the owner of a 2011 Keystone Sprinter with EZ lube hubs. I have been using the zerk fitting for annual greasing using a manual gun for 5 years. I also perform annual manual brake adjustments. ...
Forum Discussion
Our bearing story: Our dealer pumped in grease during the PDI (head tech said they do that on all PDIs) which caused grease to get onto the brakes. After one season while in for some misc. warranty work, I asked them to take the drums off and inspect the bearings and brakes and they said the seals had blown and had leaked grease. They wanted to charge us $1K to fix it (!!). I called Alko and said they would make sure they would cover the cost and would work it out with the dealer. Got our TT back and assumed they replaced the seals and put it all back together properly.
The following season, on the way back home I discovered one drum was running hotter than the rest. Took drums off to inspect bearings and brakes and found 2 colors of grease in there and grease on the brakes - clearly the dealer had not done anything and just slapped it back together (wouldn't be surprised if they submitted a claim for installing new seals & repack). I also found that the dealer had over-tightened the axle nuts - I needed a wrench to undo them. I replaced the cheap Ch*nese bearings with US made Timkens which a local supplier luckily had in stock. Went on a long road trip last summer through 7 states and zero issues with the new bearings and repack job I did myself.
Morale of story is, it's possible you could even have problems with your seals & bearings from day one due to what the dealer did. Just can't trust a dealer. From many threads I've read on EZ-lube axles, you just shouldn't use them and should remove, inspect and hand repack. You could always get a shop to do it for $200-300 or so.
If anyone thinks doing a bearing repack is a hassle, you should try replacing bearings... The bearing cup that is in the drums are extremely hard to remove because there is almost no protruding lip on the cup to get a drift onto.
The following season, on the way back home I discovered one drum was running hotter than the rest. Took drums off to inspect bearings and brakes and found 2 colors of grease in there and grease on the brakes - clearly the dealer had not done anything and just slapped it back together (wouldn't be surprised if they submitted a claim for installing new seals & repack). I also found that the dealer had over-tightened the axle nuts - I needed a wrench to undo them. I replaced the cheap Ch*nese bearings with US made Timkens which a local supplier luckily had in stock. Went on a long road trip last summer through 7 states and zero issues with the new bearings and repack job I did myself.
Morale of story is, it's possible you could even have problems with your seals & bearings from day one due to what the dealer did. Just can't trust a dealer. From many threads I've read on EZ-lube axles, you just shouldn't use them and should remove, inspect and hand repack. You could always get a shop to do it for $200-300 or so.
If anyone thinks doing a bearing repack is a hassle, you should try replacing bearings... The bearing cup that is in the drums are extremely hard to remove because there is almost no protruding lip on the cup to get a drift onto.
