Forum Discussion

myredracer's avatar
myredracer
Explorer II
Sep 24, 2015

Bearing failure I presume? Warranty?

One day left on a 3 week 2500 mile trip through 4 states. Pulled into our last CG yesterday and while my assistant was inside the office registering us, just for fun I thought I'd see what wheel temps were doing. Lo and behold, one brake drum near the hub was showing about 100F higher than the other 3. I thought maybe I wasn't quite doing it right.

Spent about 10-15 min. cruising around looking for a site and while stopped in front of a site, I checked again and it showed about 30F higher. Must be a bearing failure? Am I okay to limp about 50 miles home from hear at a slow speed off the interstate somewhere?

We took possession of our TT in Apr. of 2014. In Nov. of 2014 after 7 months of ownership, I took it into the dealer for a few warranty repairs. While in, I thought I would get them to pull the drums off and see what things look like. They said all 4 drums were contaminated with grease. After a bit of arguing and a call I made to ALKO, they agreed to rebuild all 4 wheels. Pretty sure it was caused by the dealing pumping grease into the axles during PDI. Maybe the bearing was originally damaged and they just re-used all of them?

So considering the circumstances of being rebuilt at 7 months should a bearing failure be covered under warranty? And I might add "allegedly" but who knows what dealer really did. A bearing shouldn't fail after only 10 months and maybe about 4K total miles this season so far? I wonder if another call to Alko would go anywhere? Have had a lot of trouble with our dealer on other things so I REALLY don't trust them to do much correctly.

Thing is as well, I wouldn't trust the dealer anyway at this point so maybe it is all irrelevant. In a way I'm okay with redoing all 4 wheels and I'd use the best bearings I could find, but it's getting late in the season and pretty soon it will be cold and wet out.

Have read about many a bearing failure and never thought it would happen to us. At least it's not a blowout.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Sep 25, 2015
    There will we some comfort when done that I know it will have been done right

    As they say...priceless!
  • myredracer's avatar
    myredracer
    Explorer II
    Sep 25, 2015
    We got home okay without issue. Pulled over after about 5 miles and again at around 10 miles was maybe around 8-10 deg. higher than the others. Pulled over near the border after a slower than normal drive on the interstate. That wheel is definitely warmer than the others by approx. 30 F. so it would appear something isn't right.

    Temps. around outer perimeter of the drums were all about the same which suggests not a brake problem?

    It was a cloudy and cool day on the way home, around 60F so ambient and sun not a factor.

    There was no play in the wheel when I had it off the ground that I could tell. Maybe it's too tight.

    Can't just ignore it now and have a bearing replacement project to do. Had planned on doing it at some point in the future anyway to upgrade to top quality bearings but just not so soon. There will we some comfort when done that I know it will have been done right.
  • coolbreeze01's avatar
    coolbreeze01
    Explorer
    Sep 25, 2015
    Sounds like a brake adjustment to me. How much were you on the brakes before pulling into the CG?
  • 93Cobra2771's avatar
    93Cobra2771
    Explorer
    Sep 25, 2015
    project_tenkiller wrote:
    Yes id check it there .when a bearing fails,the wheel could fall off, had it happen on a hay mower trailer yesterday.if its the bearing, easiest way to see if a bearing is worn in most cases, is to jack it up, grab top and bottom of the tire,then wiggle back and forth. Excess play usually means a bearing is going.physical and visual are always the best way to check though. But from whAt it sounds like i would guess pad and drum are rubbing a bit.


    This. Grab sides and give a good shake and see if it feels loose. While up it would have been great time to remove wheel and do a visual inspection of bearings.
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Sep 25, 2015
    Gil,
    Sorry to hear you are having more issues. As you know I traveled 299 and a number of mountain roads this year without problems.

    You really can trust no one to play with those bearings. I have had so many unskilled "mechanics" messing up this simple job that I won't let anyone touch this stuff. You need to understand that it is us that will be stranded if they do a poor job.

    You can find bearings at nearly any auto parts store. They may be a cheap brand but it will get you back on the road.

    Did you find more than just a tiny amount of play when the wheel is jacked up? Excess play would suggest a bearing failure. If you travel with a bearing problem, the spindle can be ruined and the axle will need to be replaced.
  • project_tenkill's avatar
    project_tenkill
    Explorer
    Sep 25, 2015
    Yes id check it there .when a bearing fails,the wheel could fall off, had it happen on a hay mower trailer yesterday.if its the bearing, easiest way to see if a bearing is worn in most cases, is to jack it up, grab top and bottom of the tire,then wiggle back and forth. Excess play usually means a bearing is going.physical and visual are always the best way to check though. But from whAt it sounds like i would guess pad and drum are rubbing a bit.
  • mosseater's avatar
    mosseater
    Explorer II
    Sep 24, 2015
    I've seen bearing of all types and applications fail in all different ways. There's no way to tell if it will get you 50 miles or not. If you didn't hear any crunching and it spins relatively free, it may be simply too tight. As other's say, I'd check in the campground before I'd risk a roadside emergency.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2015
    Limp it home with the expectation that, if it's a bearing, you'll be buying replacements. If it's brakes, you may be replacing those too.
    I'd suggest to drive no more than 10 miles at a time and inspect between drives. A pail of water on the drum may ameliorate excessive heat. Don't know what your ambients are.
  • Tiger02's avatar
    Tiger02
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2015
    Honestly, if you pulled the wheel off it is only a few easy steps to pull the drum off. I'd want to be sure it wasn't a bearing issue, and it is a pretty simple process to get the grease cover, cotter pin and axle nut off the spindle. You can also inspect the brake shoes and adjust them to keep your brake shoes from dragging on the drum.

    Wish you safe travels.
  • myredracer's avatar
    myredracer
    Explorer II
    Sep 24, 2015
    I raised the wheel off the ground and it *seems* okay. No crunching or other odd noises. I can hear the brake lining rubbing slightly against the drum, but I don't know what is normal. I believe a slight dragging is okay? The other wheel on the same side seems to spin a bit easier and spins longer.

    All I can think of at the moment is to drive tomorrow for a few miles and stop and check the temp. and a few more times on the way home. There is a Camping World close by but don't know if they would stock the bearings and seals. Only want high quality parts this time though and would rather do the work myself.

    The thought of a bearing failure fire scares the heck out of me as does a blowout.

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