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Motor128 · 03-21-2021, 03:15 PM

So, I took my 2007 Monaco Diplomat, 36PDQ, to the local truck center to have the front hubs converted to oil bath. Since it was time to pack the front hub bearings, I thought, why not. A thousand dollars later, I have oil bath hubs and a couple of "other fixes". On my first trip, I made it 50 miles to Coachella where I stopped for diesel and saw the right front hub was leaking oil. I took off the hub cap and the plastic sight window had cracked due to heat, and the front hub was really hot. I contacted the local truck center who sent out a mechanic to convert my hubs back to grease. I was not happy about that, but they did not know what went wrong and did not want the liability. Anyway, are watching the mechanic install the bearings and hub nut, I realized what he did wrong; he tightened the front hub nut without a torque wrench and then tightened it further to get the lock ring to line-up. Per the manual, these hubs are to have .001 to .005 inches of free play. My question, does anyone know of a good truck center in southern California who knows motorhomes?

Thanks

c92vette · 03-21-2021, 04:05 PM

Don't know of a good truck center for motorhomes in your area but common sense dictates any truck center should know the procedure for installing wheel bearings. It doesn't matter if it's on a MH chassis or semi chassis. Go right back to the location you purchased the mod from and make them stand behind their work. You have the evidence with the cracked sight window and the bearings are probably ruined by the heat buildup. Get you money back or satisfaction with them redoing the job, correctly this time.

barmcd · 03-21-2021, 04:37 PM

I’ve been to three different truck shops and none of them wanted to convert my front hubs to oil bath. All three cited liability concerns on my old coach.

1doodadd · 03-21-2021, 05:07 PM

This is a Highly Experienced service center and is knowledgeable with many different makes and models. I have used them in the past very happy with them. Read their website via the motorhome link and it will show the vast coverage of motorhomes they work on

:: COLTON TRUCK TERMINAL GARAGE ::

Mile Marker 42 · 03-21-2021, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1doodadd

This is a Highly Experienced service center and is knowledgeable with many different makes and models. I have used them in the past very happy with them. Read their website via the motorhome link and it will show the vast coverage of motorhomes they work on

:: COLTON TRUCK TERMINAL GARAGE ::

Colton works on lots of motorhomes, Redlands is another good RV shop in Riverside county. You can Google it. I'd call the original shop and demand your money back or else they will be hearing from your attorney. High probability the guy doing it hasn't done a conversion all by himself. Sad.

153stars · 03-21-2021, 05:51 PM

My guess they got bearings too tight. How was other side ?. Have them redo it with new bearings and races. Stuff happens, and sounds like they tried to resolve so far.
EDIT.... I reread they don't want to stand behind it now?, I thought just not redo oil bath in the field.

DieselDisco · 03-21-2021, 08:40 PM

They got the bearings too tight. Any idiot knows that.

All things equal oil bath is superior to grease.

vito.a · 03-21-2021, 10:06 PM

If you are constantly driving, then oil bath is superior. If the vehicle is sitting/stored for extended periods, then grease bearings are a better fit.
The reason is the during extended storage, the upper 1/2-2/3 of the oil bath bearing is dry and is subject to corrosion.

No matter what style bearing, the end play must be properly set.

Motor128 · 03-23-2021, 07:31 AM

Thanks everyone for the info. I should have used Colton Truck Center, but the place I used was much cheaper. I guess you do get what you paid for. I am not really willing to have them, standby there work, die to fear of them screwing it up even worse. I am looking into a refund from them.

denforent · 03-23-2021, 09:04 AM

I have a 2000 Monaco Dynasty 40' with 350HP Cummins
I'm reading this thread because I noticed a liquid dripping from my right front center wheel hub - I pulled the cover and there was what appeared to be oil in the bottom of the hub so I wiped it all down, put some grease around the center and put the cover back. I drove 600 miles with no issues, no more oil or leakage and wonder if I have the basic wheel bearing or the oil bath y'all are referring to. There is no site window so I'm thinking I have original wheel bearings.... how often should they be packed? THANKS
PS I'm in western NC, anyone know of a reliable truck center say in Chattanooga TN or Asheville NC. Yes, I can google same but prefer a referral from an RVer who may have used a center. Many thanks one and all.

Pillbox · 03-23-2021, 02:10 PM

Following

CountryB · 03-24-2021, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vito.a

If you are constantly driving, then oil bath is superior. If the vehicle is sitting/stored for extended periods, then grease bearings are a better fit.
The reason is the during extended storage, the upper 1/2-2/3 of the oil bath bearing is dry and is subject to corrosion.

No matter what style bearing, the end play must be properly set.

To add to what Vito says above - I did research on this a while back and came across a study done by the military. They found grease packed bearings better for them for a couple of reasons.

For me - these are the main reasons I'm staying with grease packed:
1) Grease packed tolerates water better - meaning a little water in the hub wont matter (but with oil the water mixes with the oil and causes lubricity problems.
2) The grease packed don't leak as much/fast as an oil filled hub will if/when the seal wears. So a worn seal is a "bigger issue" when you have oil filled hubs.

Attached is an excerpt from that report (if anyone wants the full report I can sent it)

jacwjames · 03-24-2021, 07:29 AM

My 2 cents worth.

I'm an avid DYI'er. If I think I can fix it or maintain it I will try.

When we bought our coach in 2008 it came with no maintenance records, it was a repo so you know how these things go. So the first thing I did was take it to the local Cummins shop, I knew the manager and asked him to do a complete service and check for engine codes. When done he commented that the rig was in great condition and I got a heck of a deal.

I then started doing my own services etc. When it came to the wheel bearings I inspected to make sure I wasn't having any problem with grease coming out of the seals on the back side (which would indicate seal failure and possibly wheel bearing failure). Over the years I would periodically inject new grease into the the wheel hub cavity using a standard grease gun and very long horse hypodermic needle to get it into the center, usually a have dozen squirts.

After ~5 years (probably 45K miles) I knew in reality I should have the hubs repacked, I had gotten quotes upward of ~$400. I knew that I could have the hubs converted to oil bath and checked on getting this done, Josam's of FL quoted $450 so while my wife was down in FL I had her take to their shop and did that and a chassis inspection fixing a couple small things and out the door at ~$600. She said they treated her very well and she was able to have the small dogs in the waiting room without a problem. I later called the shop foreman and he took the time to talk to me about the job and said just keep an eye on the fluid level and I should be good to go for years to come. ~8 years later and I'm still a happy camper.

So the reason why I decided to go with the oil bath was two fold.

I'm getting too old to try and man handle the front hubs to repack the bearings. I know how to do it, have the tools, but it is a big job and to maintain the rig properly the repacking should be done, based on the Roadmaster Lubrication Guide, should be done every 30K miles or annually. Needless to say annually is a stretch, but even at 30K miles is still tough to keep up with if you travel frequently.
I believe that most large vehicles have migrated to the oil bath hubs so they have a proven track record. The rear differentials rely on the same type of seal, don't hear of many failure on these.
By monitoring the oil level (easily done by popping off the hub caps and visually inspecting) and seals if needed you can know if you may be having a problem with bearing failure. I know if this happens quickly it may be a problem but usually there are tell tale signs.

I've attached a copy of the Roadmaster Lube guide

CountryB · 03-24-2021, 12:36 PM

I'm not trying to convince anyone to go one way or the other... they each have their pros and cons. I've made my choice.

But I will just mention that regardless of whether you like oil or grease, you still need to remove the bearings periodically to inspect them. Don't rely on the color/condition of the oil or grease alone to determine the bearing condition.

I'm not directing this comment at anyone - just posting now since I'm on this thread now.