I seem to remember reading a post or two about the seals on some Lippert axles being problematic. Searched but couldn't find anything. FWIW, the brakes on our 5th wheel toy hauler (with 7k Lippert axles and 12x2 Axletek brakes) have been less than stellar since we took delivery. Took our TH to the dealer a few months ago and they said the brakes were functioning properly. With our warranty ending in a few months figured I'd pull the drums just to play it safe. Glad I did. All four axle seals had varying amounts of grease leaking around them. One was leaking particularly bad with a thick layer of grease all over the brake shoes. Seems strange that all four were leaking. Did Lippert have a large batch of bad seals? Or, did Lippert use the EZ/Super lube zerk fittings during assembly and force-in too much grease. I never grease these zerk fittings just because of the risk of blowing grease past the seals. IMO, annual repacks should be sufficient.Fortunately, our dealer was willing to submit a warranty request to Lippert based on pictures I took of the brakes, seals, and drums. Still thinking seriously about doing a disc brake conversion. At least with disc brakes the axle seal is clearly visible so any leaks can be caught early :)

IMO a lot of the problems like this arise from damaged sealing surfaces. I've checked my brakes/hubs and was amazed at how poorly the units must have been handled to do the kind of damage I saw. Nicks and gouges were common on surfaces that need to be smooth to enable a seal to do its job. Very poor condition.

We sell a warranty Forever on ALL new vehicles. This requires that the Trailer seals MUST be checked every year to keep the warranty in force. We have found that LCI does a LOUSY job of1. packing the bearings correctly2. Using low temp bearing grease3. AND if you have the bearing buddy system, THAT will cause the grease to bulge out the seals IF NOT greased correctly for the Bearing Buddy system.So, yes, there is a problem with LCI Axle systems. If you have one, make sure you pull them down that first year and repack with hi temp grease and install new seals. LCI may warranty, but it is a pain to jump thru the hoops to get LCI to warranty these type issues. Doug

There's a lot of chatter over on the Grand Design owners forum about leaking seals on Lippert axles. The problem seems to be more on the heavier axles, the 3500# ones don't have as many complaints.

Dougrainer, fj12ryder, and mbopp, thanks for the replies. Dougrainer, especially appreciate all your behind the scenes insight!Well, I just got a call from the service rep at our local dealer. He said Lippert approved new seals and backing plate brake assemblies for all four wheels. That's the good news. Bad news is the brake drums are also scored and worn unevenly from all the grease. The brake shoes are like new in terms of thickness---as they should be, since they've been well lubricated--lol! Anyhow, the dealer doesn't have the capability to turn drums. I guess they replace them vs. turning them. Lippert did not approve any action on the brake drums other than cleaning. We'll see how it goes. The dealer's pulling for me, but ultimately it's Lippert's call. If Lippert says I need to foot the bill for the brake drums ($400-$500) due to it being a "wear" item, well . . . I just may ask them to put it together with just new seals, new backing plates, and old drums . . . and put the $400-$500 towards some new Kodiak disc brakes ($1500 for everything at etrailer.com). Got to put safety first.I may have some "like new", 12x2 backing plate brake assemblies for sale next week. Stay tuned.

mbopp wrote:There's a lot of chatter over on the Grand Design owners forum about leaking seals on Lippert axles. The problem seems to be more on the heavier axles, the 3500# ones don't have as many complaints.mbopp is correct about the chatter on the Grand Design forum. No, Lippert does not use Zerk or "easy lube" fittings on these axles. The problem is in the assembly process with overpacking and contamination... probably aided and abetted by low-quality seals and/or hasty assembly. Lippert claims to have put the process changes in place to fix the problem by this past November, but buyers are still taking delivery of rigs with the issue in mid to late December. The only remedy is to disassemble, clean and inspect each hub/bearing/brake assembly, replace any contaminated brake components, repack the bearings properly, and replace the seals with good ones. Grand Design has been doing this under warranty for owners (and likely charging it back to Lippert, I'm sure).Rob

Leaking Lippert Axle Seals | Good Sam Community

mike-s
Explorer
Dec 29, 2016
dougrainer wrote:
I will doublecheck, but the first link about LCI and Dexter is 6 years old. I am going from info in the past 4 to 6 months. Doug
The info in my links (DexKo and The Sterling Group) is from today. DexKo (which includes Dexter) and The Sterling Group both agree that The Sterling Group owns Dexter. The info in my link to Drew Industries shows that they own LCI. Here, I'll give you a link to LCI, too, which says "Lippert Components is a subsidiary of Drew Industries."

All of them know more about their respective companies than "your warranty clerk." Huh.

I tried to give you an excuse for your mistake, but you seem firm in your desire to be wrong.
myredracer
Explorer II
Dec 30, 2016
dougrainer wrote:
azdryheat wrote:
I thought Dexter makes the axles and sells them to Lippert as a complete unit.

I believe LCI owns Dexter now. Doug

AL-KO was acquired by Dexter in around 2014/2015 - news here.. When I was looking for info. on our bearings last year I got redirected to the new company and there was no longer an AL-KO contact. They had a new overall parent company name when I tried to talk to AL-KO last fall (can't remember it) Wasn't DEXKO when I called but they could have been in transition? Dexter and AL-KO still have their own websites which gives the impression they are independent. Lippert only acquired the assets of Dexter chassis and slide-outs in 2011. AFAIK, Lippert has no ownership in the Dexter/Al-KO axles. If anyone knows different, pls clarify.

We had the same problem as the OP with our first TT. Brakes never worked properly from new. Dealer kept blaming the brake controller and setting so we upgraded to a new P3 and no change. Took a whole year of sending emails to the dealer that they finally took things apart days before the warranty expired. They found blown seals and warped drums - replaced everything and it worked fine after that.

I removed and repacked the bearings on our current TT last year after 2 full seasons of use. Found leaking seals. There was 2 colors of grease and am positive it was the dealer that pumped grease in during the PDI and damaged the seals. When we had our TT into dealer for some warranty work after the 1st season, I asked them to do a bearing clean and repack. They said the seals were blown and wanted $1K to fix it. I spoke to AL-KO and they said they would talk to our dealer and get it fixed under warranty (I told the dealer what AL-KO said too). With 2 colors of grease in the axles, clearly nothing was done.

Two out of three TTs we have owned from new have had blown seals. Not very good odds. If we ever buy a new TT again, I'd be removing the drums for an inspection soon after ownership - can't trust the TT manufacturer, axle manufacturer or dealer.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Dec 30, 2016
This is very interesting information since I was under the, apparent, misapprehension that Dexter axle company was owned by Lippert. Amazing how quickly wrong information can get spread around.

"...error will run half over the world while truth is putting on his boots to pursue her..."
otrfun
Explorer II
Jan 06, 2017
OP UPDATE:

Dealer replaced all four backing plate braking assemblies and brake drums under warranty yesterday. When the dealer notified Lippert how badly the drums were scored, they immediately ok'd replacement of the drums. Glad it was under warranty. This dealer's labor rates are $140 an hour. Add in retail pricing on all these parts, this job could have easily cost $1500. Could have done it DIY using $600 in parts from etrailer.

Anyhow, after I left the dealer, braking was still mediocre. It took about 10-15 miles of intermittent braking on some back roads to seat-in the new brake shoes. It wasn't long before the braking dramatically improved.

Our 5th wheel weighs 11k empty (CAT scaled). Before this repair, we always had the P3 set for maximum braking (12 volts) just to get minimal braking. Now we can lock up the wheels on dirt with only 4.5 volts. Also discovered by accident it will start locking up one or two wheels, on pavement, with only 7.5 volts.

Since we're now getting good braking performance with only 5-6 volts, we might be able to go back to using our OEM Ram integrated brake controller again. It's capable of producing 8 volts.

Still keeping our options open to replace these drum brakes with disc brakes. As long as these new drum brakes continue to perform like this, we'll stick with them. However, not holding my breath. If braking starts to degrade for any reason, we won't attempt any further repairs---just replace 'em with disc brakes DIY.
dougrainer
Nomad
Jan 06, 2017
otrfun wrote:
OP UPDATE:

Dealer replaced all four backing plate braking assemblies and brake drums under warranty yesterday. When the dealer notified Lippert how badly the drums were scored, they immediately ok'd replacement of the drums. Glad it was under warranty. This dealer's labor rates are $140 an hour. Add in retail pricing on all these parts, this job could have easily cost $1500. Could have done it DIY using $600 in parts from etrailer.

Anyhow, after I left the dealer, braking was still mediocre. It took about 10-15 miles of intermittent braking on some back roads to seat-in the new brake shoes. It wasn't long before the braking dramatically improved.

Our 5th wheel weighs 11k empty (CAT scaled). Before this repair, we always had the P3 set for maximum braking (12 volts) just to get minimal braking. Now we can lock up the wheels on dirt with only 4.5 volts. Also discovered by accident it will start locking up one or two wheels, on pavement, with only 7.5 volts.

Since we're now getting good braking performance with only 5-6 volts, we might be able to go back to using our OEM Ram integrated brake controller again. It's capable of producing 8 volts.

Still keeping our options open to replace these drum brakes with disc brakes. As long as these new drum brakes continue to perform like this, we'll stick with them. However, not holding my breath. If braking starts to degrade for any reason, we won't attempt any further repairs---just replace 'em with disc brakes DIY.

NEW Trailer Drum assbly's come with a protective coating on the shoes. LCI and Dexter state to operate the brakes with the brake controller intermittently for the first 30 miles or so , to burn off that coating. Not a problem on brand new trailers because that coating gets burned off by the delivery driver. Doug

Forum Discussion

Leaking Lippert Axle Seals

About Technical Issues

Related Content

leaking grease seal.

Leak on Lippert Hydraulic system

toilet seal leaking

Toilet Seal Leaking

Toilet Bowl seal leak