Rusty wheel bearings, always listen to that little voice in your head..

[gritineye]

A couple of years ago I packed the front wheel bearings on My Scammell Explorer 'Forceful' with TrueBlue grease to keep it off the new brake linings, because the hub seals were shot.

 

I checked them last year pre season just in case, and all was fine except a little runny grease oozing out from the swivel housing along the stub axle, which I wiped off with a rag on a ruler.

 

 

As there was no reason to suppose anything had changed, I didn't bother to look again, but lately a little voice has been nagging in my head, call it intuition if you like but I reckon Forceful is a little psychic..:hug:

 

Anyhow I couldn't leave it and yesterday had to have a look as we are off to W&P in a few days.

 

EEEK! Water! Rust.. rusty bearing!

 

The water had run out of the stub axle, look at the rust there

 

 

The water was filling the bottom of the drive flange

 

 

Not looking good

 

 

 

Luckily the water hadn't reached the inner bearing, only a little had got into the hub center

 

 

Didn't take a pic of the rollers but they are as badly rusted, and the bearing had been spinning on the stub axle, luckily not for long enough to do any damage there'

 

The question is, where did this amount of water come from? my guess is that it was in the slightly emulsified oil/grease in the swivel housing, that had evaporated when hot and condensed in the hub when colder.

 

The other side bearings are fine , just a teeny bit of surface rust in the flange, as the damaged side is facing south when parked up so it's subjected to bigger fluctuations in temperature, I think that may be the cause.

 

Any Ideas as to how to prevent this in future gratefully received!

 

Forum member Chrisg, bearing guru and all round good egg came up trumps and a new bearing should be here tomorrow :thanx:

Edited July 10, 2013 by gritineye

[AndyFowler]

Thats what I like to see , a man in complete harmony with his Scammell ! :-D