Forum Discussion

tvfrfireman's avatar
tvfrfireman
Explorer
Jul 30, 2015

Wheel bearing adjustment on DRV

We have Dexter axles that are lubricated in an oil bath. I had the trailer up on its leveling system with the tires off the ground and noticed when I spin one tire, it only makes one revolution and doesn't turn free like the others. We are leaving tomorrow for a short jaunt of about ninety miles. Is this something I can put off until we return home? It has probably been this way since day one about three years ago. I have noticed when stopped at rest areas that when touching the rims and checking for heat is was just a bit warmer that the others. Are any of you bearing experts that could give me some advice. Thanks in advance.
  • B_O__Plenty's avatar
    B_O__Plenty
    Explorer II
    Aug 01, 2015
    Gib3633 wrote:
    On our DRV two of the calipers had pads not sitting properly in the calipers which of course made a high contact point . Also there was no lube on the slides. You have been advised two completely opposite theories and I join with the first. Get caliper slide grease. Anti seize is not a lubricant. It is good on bleed screw threads ,manifold bolts and the like, something you may want to remove in the future without breaking the bolts.
    Anti seize actually is a great lubricant. Unlike grease it will dry out and not attract dirt. It's made up of almost all graphite and is slippery as heck.

    B.O.
  • Cummins12V98's avatar
    Cummins12V98
    Explorer III
    Aug 01, 2015
    My 07.5 DRV slide bolts were dry as a bone. I talked to Kevin at Kodiak and he swore they all are shipped with grease on the slide bolts.

    My personal maintenance schedule is remove calipers once a year and lube all mating parts and slide bolts.
  • RustyJC's avatar
    RustyJC
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2015
    The DRVs have a history of being shipped with dry caliper slide pins. Apparently Kodiak doesn't grease them when they ship the disc brake assemblies and Lippert just bolts them onto the MorRyde or Dexter suspension as they are received when they assemble the frame. The upshot is that the 5th wheels are delivered to the customer with dry caliper slide pins unless the dealer lubes them.

    Rusty
  • bpounds's avatar
    bpounds
    Nomad
    Jul 31, 2015
    I agree, probably not the bearing. But I'm thinking warped brake rotor, more than sticky slide pins.
  • Travlingman's avatar
    Travlingman
    Explorer II
    Jul 31, 2015
    I would check to see if you have oil in the bearing. The seals on these bearings are very prone to leaking and quite a few owners have replaced with grease bearings.
  • Gib3633's avatar
    Gib3633
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2015
    On our DRV two of the calipers had pads not sitting properly in the calipers which of course made a high contact point . Also there was no lube on the slides. You have been advised two completely opposite theories and I join with the first. Get caliper slide grease. Anti seize is not a lubricant. It is good on bleed screw threads ,manifold bolts and the like, something you may want to remove in the future without breaking the bolts.
  • tvfrfireman's avatar
    tvfrfireman
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2015
    Thanks you guys....I hadn't even considered that disc brake hanging up. That is something I can take care of. Thanks for taking time out of your day for me. David
  • B_O__Plenty's avatar
    B_O__Plenty
    Explorer II
    Jul 31, 2015
    Sounds like a brake is dragging to me too. You can also use anti-seize on the slide pins for a lube.

    B.O.
  • TXiceman's avatar
    TXiceman
    Explorer II
    Jul 31, 2015
    If you do not have an infrared temperature sensor, I'd suggest you get one. When you start out on the trip, stop after a few miles and check the temperature at each hub. If that one is running hitter, you can suspect either a brake caliper dragging or a bearing starting to go bad.

    Ken
  • RustyJC's avatar
    RustyJC
    Explorer
    Jul 30, 2015
    If you have the electric over hydraulic disc brakes, I'd suspect a brake that's dragging slightly. The calipers slide on bolts - these bolts need to be pulled and lubricated periodically or the calipers will stick. If that's your problem, NAPA has a high temperature grease specifically for this purpose. Just ask them for brake caliper slide pin grease.

    Rusty

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