JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"basskisser" wrote in message
oups.com...

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Bishoop" wrote in message
...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
After having a Hoppy light flasher go bad a couple of weeks back, I
spent
some time yesterday replacing it, and inspecting (manually and with a
meter) trailer wires. And, did all the stuff which, for three years, I
said I would do tomorrow, like make sure all trailer bolts were still
torqued right, replace the frayed strap, etc. I have Bearing Buddies,
and
those are checked for grease level according to a schedule commonly
known
as "Didn't you just check those an hour ago?" But, even so, I wonder.

So, I consulted with an old voodoo lady, who put candles in the boat
and
threw herbs all over it, made some weird sounds that frightened the
neighbors and all the animals around the yard. She asked "When did you
say you were going to the Adirondacks?" I told her "late August". She
said "Heh heh heh...your Taurus blew an oil pump on route 81 -
remember?
Bad mojo, that trip!" She poked one of the hubs with her toe, and
dropped
stone cold dead, right in my driveway. As long as I was bent over to
get
rid of the body, I figured I'd check the hubs, and noticed somewhat
more
ooze around the Bearing Buddy on the starboard side.

Now I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to totally disassemble
the
bearings, have them dumped in a parts cleaner, and repack or replace,
based on inspection. My otherwise excellent mechanic refuses to do the
job. His reasoning: "I'd have to charge you normal shop rates. But,
it's
so easy, that when you see it done, you'll be ****ed off that you paid
for such an easy thing. Do it yourself. Bring donuts and I'll run them
through the parts cleaner for you".

How easy is it, really?

Here's one tutorial:

http://www.rd.com/content/openConten...ontentId=17452


Why do you suppose they suggest going to a mechanic if the bearings need
replacement, but repacking the existing ones yourself is OK?

Don't know, but it is an easy, simple job. Just go easy, remember what
went where, and you'll do fine. Is the leak coming from the front of
the hub or the rear? If the rear, there is a seal that is pressed in.
They should be replaced while you have the thing apart. It's simple
too. Just use a screwdriver to pry the old one out. Tap the new one in
with a wooden block, taking care to start it straight.


The seepage is coming from the outer edge Bearing Buddy's floating ring -
the part you press to determine whether there's enough grease. And, it may
be nothing, but here's the deal: If I'm staying close to home with the
trailer, it'll be nothing. If I'm travelling and a breakdown will subtract 2
days of fishing from my vacation, and make me want to climb a tower with a
rifle and start killing people, then the seepage will be an indicator of
something bad about to happen. Murphy's Law x 1000, in other words.

Sounds like the Bearing Buddy is just worn out. If it were me, I'd
clean and inspect the bearings, if all looks good, repack, put on new
Bearing Buddys. Be certain not to tighten the bearing nut. It needs to
be only tight enough so theres no slop (movement) when wiggling the
wheel.