Today may be the day... Xpress 1546D

[poolie]

Either parts cleaner or brake cleaner... I think it's about the same stuff.

 

[russ010]

how did the buddy bearing brake? are the bearings pitting?

Well.. these weren't actual Bearing Buddy brand covers... they were those stupid Bill Dance Red Eye Bearing Buddy versions that I bought when I bought my other boat almost a year ago at WalMart because they were on clearance for $8 (should have known better). They were the wrong size for that boat, but they were the right size (I thought) for this one. I looked at those, and they were the screw type, but my hubs were not... so I just used a block of wood and a rubber mallet to put them in and they went in fine. I still don't know what caused it to break, but the other was still on fine.

I didn't notice it had broke off until I went to load the boat back up.. I went to hook up my straps and looked down and saw the red marine grease I had used to pack them with - I looked closer and saw that the actual piece that holds the extra grease had sheered off right on the inside of the hub.

I called my wife and told her about it on the way home and she went outside playing with the dog.. well, he went straight to something shiny in the yard and she walked over and had no idea what it was. So it didn't make it 15' before it had broke off that morning on the way out to the tournament. She said it was laying in the yard right beside the driveway, and I live up on top of a hill so it broke off on level ground.

 

[russ010]

OK... I just measured the hub length as best I could and it comes out to 4 - 1/4"... no where can I find that size hub. I can find 4-1/8" with the correct bearings (inside and out which are L44643).

My next question is the spindle... it can be either 1" or 1-1/16" - depends on if I count the threads or not I guess... but just the very tip of the spindle is 1".... unless I have a mucked up tape measure.

I've got pics of everything too = but I'm a little too greasy right now to get it on here.

By the way - the bearing in the rear literally fell apart in my hands - and that bearing buddy that broke of is NOT coming out of that hub, so I have to get a new one anyways... what a PITA. I better get something in before Saturday because one way or the other I am going fishing!

 

[poolie]

On the bright side, better to find out at home than on the side of the road.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Is there something wrong with your hubs?

I would take a bearing and a seal to the auto parts store with me and just get new ones unless one of them (hub) is bent.

 

[russ010]

I finally got that front bearing and bearing buddy part out.. had to take the rear seal and bearing out, then use a 2x2 and a hammer to knock it out. I cleaned it out and the inside of the hub at the rear was chipped pretty good on one side.. one of the bearings had worn through the outside frame of the bearing and was rubbing against the seal and the hub itself... so I'm going to replace both hubs and keep the other side as a spare just in case.

Anyways, heres a few pictures of the process... I was fussin about the wheel to Tiffany and she walks over with some Clorox Cleaning Wipes and says this should do it. I was like, go ahead - thinking to myself no way will that work, but I'll do it to appease her. Well.... she won. Those little wipes cleaned that grease up like it was nothing. I was glad too, I didn't want to use the brake cleaner on a painted surface.
Here's a picture of what it looked like before I started...

Forgot to take pictures of it before I started cleaning, but the whole inside of the wheel was covered in grease

And then off with the hub and I decided to check the spindle... well - let's hope I never have to change it because it's welded to the axle. But it was good to go

Then the outside of the hub

and the inside or rear..

And here is the rear seal, housing and all the little bearings... and the spring that fits inside the rear seal that ended up being wrapped around the inside of the spindle...

 

[ben2go]

Looks like the seal was driven on to hard and to deep,and the spring popped off.

 

[russ010]

well.. if that's the case it's been like that a long time - I didn't mess with the rear seal when i repacked the front bearing

 

[ben2go]

Take a straight edge and lay it along the spindle in a few different places.If there's a gap big enough to see light thru,the spindle may be bent.

 

[russ010]

the spindle is fine... I put my micrometer to it and it's the same all the way down and around (how I don't know...)

Now I just need to get the hubs here by Friday - that is definitely going to cost me... but I gotta have'em.

I sent an email out to The Trailer Parts Depot (located in Mass.) so hopefully they can send it out 2 day and have it here to me by Friday. I went ahead an ordered the preassembled hubs - that way I don't have to worry about filling it with all of my grease that I don't want to use!!

 

[Quackrstackr]

I would dress the spindles up with some steel wool to get that rust off before I put the new hubs on there.

Not a necessity but you may as well clean them up while you are in there.

 

[russ010]

Thanks Quack - I'll definitely do that...

do I need to put a little grease on it before I put the hubs on too? Just to make sure it slides right into place? I don't think it would hurt, but I want this to be right when I do it... don't need any surprises going down the road that early in the morning!

 

[russ010]

If you guys don't mind... if you have any questions or comments, please put them on the other thread in the mod section....

Here's the link - https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8704