Passenger side dualie hub oil leak

[GreggBuda]

Matt D..Brobox or Gary...et al!

2019 Cornerstone...noticed when I took it out of storage earlier in the week and again today at the completion of our trip that I have a small amount of hub oil collecting in my rim. I pulled the cover off before we headed out and didn’t see anything that caused me concern and no obvious leaking/ damage.

Heading up to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA Fly-In later this month and don’t want any problems driving there/ back.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Gregg

[brobox]

Hate to say it, but it too common on Spartan chassis. Spartan seems to have a problem checking hub seals. The torque specs are 18 lbs, check to see if they have the correct torque and that the hub was not over filled. Clean the inside of the hug cap with spray Parts and Brake Cleaner or the oil will continue to sling out.

There won't be any damage traveling with it, just messy. Let Spartan fix it if it's still leaking, it's under warranty. Take it to a truck shop that really knows how to replace a hub seal. Entegra and Spartan replaced mine 3 time before I finally did it myself to stop the leaks.

[tom chelbana]

We have a 18 London Aire on a Spartan K-3 605 chassis and had gear oil leaks on both drive axles last summer. Here is what we found. Had to much gear oil in rear-end because they filled past the fill line which was part of the reason it was leaking. Both axle gaskets were the thin kind and needed to replace them with the thicker gaskets. And the 8 axle bolts were not torqued to 165 and were torque to something less then 100.

[mymyst]

You probably are not going to likke the answer, IMHO. No issues on our 2017 CS until we hit 18,000 miles on the odometer. Made it all the way back to central Florida in late Nov. - walked out the next morning, found a pool of oil in the bottom of the outer wheel rim on the driver's side drive axle. I pulled the center cap off, and found the axle gasket seal laying in shreds inside the hub cover, and burned on the inner diameter. Ok, WTH??

Spartan arranged for a heavy truck mobile service to come to my winter lot, pull the axle on site, and replace the burned and shredded gasket with a heavier duty version, no explanation forthcoming. Ok, I gues sh** happens... When we went to loosen the axle end cap bolts, we found five of the eight studs finger tight....oh-oh! At least that could possibly explain what happened to the shredded gasket....and why it was burned on the inner diameter.

Checked fluid levels, checked torgue on passenger side drive axle seal, no problem, all tight.

I drove the coach several hundred miles over the winter, no issues, no leaks. Then we leave Florida May 18th for seven months of summer travel....made it to Kentuckey, the drivers side is staarting to leak again...oh-oh! I cleaned the rim and drive on to our appointment in Wakarusa, Ind. for paint at S&S, and the leak persists. Thank goodness it appeared to be a slow leak. I call Spartan, and we are directed to set up a side stop at Cummins/Onan in Elkhart, Ind., to check the seals ( Spartan wouldnt talk about a factory appointment for at least three months out...)
First pic is of the replaced seal from last November, after only 1200 miles in service. The second pic is of the passenger side seal, after 20,000 miles. It showed no apparent signs of leaking, how I have no idea. Go figure...But in my mind, there is now something apparently bad wrong. Well, apparently, not in Spartan's mind! No problem, just eliminate the axle gaskets, right???

The new fix is to abandon gaskets altogether, and use an RTV sealent instead to seal the axle end caps. Sounds a bit wonky to me, but Spartan assures me they are 100% confident the RTV will solve the problem for now and forever....we'll see! Don't know what will happen if the axle needs servicing in the future, I guess the RTV gunk can be effectively cleaned off.....so far so good, but only about 500 miles on the coach since the "fix" is in....

I suspect there are a number of K3 Chassis out there with this issue, why Spartan hasn't issued a TSB or recall I have no idea. And if your 2019 is exhibiting the issue, I bet it is the same problem as a root cause, so no one has changed the process or the material spec, at Spartan or the axle supplier....they hope we will go our ingnorant way and not kick up any dust!

Good luck to you, the above is offered only as anecdotal information!

[Tom78418]

Yep, been there with the drive axle gasket. After it was fixed, i checked the other side and with as many loose nuts I was fortunate it was not leaking. That gasket was replaces as well. My routine check includes checking the axle nuts. Should be 85 to 90 ft/lbs.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by GreggBuda

Matt D..Brobox or Gary...et al!

2019 Cornerstone...noticed when I took it out of storage earlier in the week and again today at the completion of our trip that I have a small amount of hub oil collecting in my rim. I pulled the cover off before we headed out and didn’t see anything that caused me concern and no obvious leaking/ damage.

Heading up to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA Fly-In later this month and don’t want any problems driving there/ back.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Gregg

Check the hub bolts. Mine were loose causing my leak

[Gary.Jones]

Gregg

Happily, of all the problems I have had with my three coaches, I have never had a problem with leaks ( I realize I should never make that statement as it tempts fate ). So no direct knowledge

However it certainly has been frequently reported on here and if you searched fine threads on this forum, you will find many threads dealing with this problem. Use the search box near the top of this page that has the word Google as the default, and enter: Entegra: axle seal leaks” and you will find most of them.

Keep us informed so I learn something but Chuck has you most of the way to the solution.

Gary

[brobox]

Gregg,

I noticed from other answers (axle seals) and mine which for hub seals on the tag axle, most common, your post didn't say which wheel had the leak. If it is the tag, do not torque them to 165 pounds, that is an axle seal torque.

[mymyst]

Chuck is correct; the drive axle hub bolt torque spec is 165 ft.lbs. - tag and steer i do not know.

[GreggBuda]

Thanks all...Called Spartan and they are sending out Coach-net with a heavy duty repair vehicle to replace the seal. It is my passenger side drive axle. They should be out to fix tomorrow or Wednesday. Home from a work trip this week and on the road (hopefully!) Friday to the Madison, IN regatta!

Happy Fourth!

Gregg

[brobox]

Glad you clarified that Gregg. The axle seal is not a DIY project unless you have the heavy tools. Just an FYI watch the guy that he uses a sealant on the gasket. Spartan/Entegra did not know how to use it, they put a dab at 1, 7 and 11 o'clock thinking that would make a seal. I guess they watched to many Polident commercials and skipped that part gasket sealing class.
After my experience, I am not a believer that the new gaskets don't need sealant. Proof is, too many of them leak when new.

[tom chelbana]

On our London Aire with Spartan K-3 2018 we found that we did needed to use gasket sealer on the new gaskets because it was still leaking a very small amount. Spartan told us the rear end assembly comes to them complete so they don't do anything to units before installing them even a fluid check. The paper thin gaskets on rear ends are not the best to stop leaks. Remember there are two plugs to check gear oil level and it is the second plug that is the correct check plug. Ours had about 5 quarts to much fluid which was also part of the problem.

[Marta1907]

After Spartan replaced the gaskets twice on our 2016 Anthem I removed the cover, sprayed it with carburetor cleaner and used RTV to seal it. 2 years later and no leaks.

[anthem16]

Easy to fix for DIY, take it apart ,make your own gasket glue it to the cap. Bolt back together. Fill up to mark ,done . Did my first one in Walmart parking lot. Is not rocket science. Do not call a service truck.