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

Second_Chance
Explorer II
Dec 28, 2016
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
otrfun
Explorer II
Dec 28, 2016
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
Explorer
Dec 28, 2016
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
Nomad
Dec 28, 2016
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 of
1. packing the bearings correctly
2. Using low temp bearing grease
3. 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
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Dec 28, 2016
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.

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