w-22 front wheel bearing oil????

[joelyn]

have a 04 fleetwood w-22 chassis with 38000 miles, is it necessary to change the oil in that little sight glass under the wheel cover? and if so, does the big screw like fitting on the left in the photo with a allen wrench in the center. do i just put that at 6oclock to drain in and then pull forward a little so its at 12 o lock and refill it?
and what weight oil should i use? will try to post a picture.

[joelyn]

also i don't see a line on the site glass just a circle around the glass and it says minimum level. should it be filled at least half way?
thanks

[edgray]

You unscrew the cap while at 6 oclock position to DRAIN. DO NOT use it to refill. The rubber plug in the center "pops out" and you fill thru it, to just below bottom of center hole, then reinsert rubber plug. Anywhere between the bottom of the center hole and the "line" on the siteglass is "enough". Check the level after a short drive to be sure you have enough, but you don't want to overfill (see below).

If you overfill by rotating cap to 12 oclock and pouring oil thru screw cap, you WILL regret it while you TRY to clean the excess oil off your wheel, tire, and coach. Been there, done that.

Refill with 75W90 SYNTHETIC gear oil GL-5.
Ed

[joelyn]

thanks edgray, but can you fill it from the screw cap if you are real careful? that site glass looks real brittle i would hate to break thast and break the seal.
thanks

[edgray]

I suspose you can, just make certain the oil level is no higher than the bottom of the rubber plug's hole in the center of the clear plastic. Remember to allow for heat expansion of the oil. Good luck. Ed

[joelyn]

ok edgray thanks again, last one which i should have asked first. how much oil will this take? less than a quart each and is the SAE 80W/90W ok to use?
thanks so much for the help.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelyn ok edgray thanks again, last one which i should have asked first. how much oil will this take? less than a quart each and is the SAE 80W/90W ok to use?

The requirement is for 90W GL-5 fluid. I use an 80W-90 GL-5 Premium fluid which should be easy to find at most parts retailers, WalMart etc.

Please see the picture below. The concentric ring is the minimum fluid level. The rubber plug in the middle is the fill hole, remove and replace. The cap on the side is the drain.

The hub will not take a quart of fluid. Jack up the wheel (axle) so that it's level from side to side. Add about 3 to 4 ounces fluid through the center hole and spin the tire and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Repeat if necessary using only a 1 to 2 ounces at a time.

What you are looking for is a fluid level above the minimum and below the center opening. Half way in between would be perfect.

If you put too much oil in the hub it'll spider out all over your wheels and tires. The level in the picture is at the maximum which in my experience is a bit too much fluid. Place the level of the fluid and 1/8th of an inch below the edge of the rubber cap and that should be it.

Note: If the cups have been removed 3 or 4 times for brake service, they might leak. If the wheel end was over heated due to a brake seizure the cup may have warped and will not hold fluid. Older rigs pre-2003 have a different cup w/o a sight window. Same fill procedure though. The dealer may have replaced the older style cup for one with a sight window.

[edgray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer The requirement is for 90W GL-5 fluid......

Yes, that IS what the CG called for. I bought Mobil 1 SYNTHETIC GL-5 fluid because I believed its 75-90 rating was equal to, or better. It has served me well for over 98,000 miles. Ed

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray Yes, that IS what the CG called for. I bought Mobil 1 SYNTHETIC GL-5 fluid because I believed its 75-90 rating was equal to, or better. It has served me well for over 98,000 miles.

You bet!

[joelyn]

could not find 90 weight oil but did find 80/90 weight gl5. is this acceptable? i read on the other forum that synthetic was not recommended for the bearing oil since the seals were not acceptable for synthetic. any truth or just go with the 80/90 or differently get the synthetic . thanks

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelyn could not find 90 weight oil but did find 80/90 weight GL5. is this acceptable? i read on the other forum that synthetic was not recommended for the bearing oil since the seals were not acceptable for synthetic. any truth or just go with the 80/90 or differently get the synthetic . thanks

Joelyn, Go with the 80W-90 fluid you have it'll be fine!