Mystery Spot

[Jamie Bradford]

I moved the bus just now and found this oil spot. It is on the passenger side right next to the inside drive tire. Notice the tire marks on the concrete. The bus was parked for 2 days here - I moved it up to this spot Friday afternoon & washed it. There were no spots in the bus barn where it normally sits.

The oil is , I think , gear lube. Would the cold weather have caused this??? It has gotten down to the low 20's the past few days. Would this cause a seal to leak??

How quickly should this be dealt with?? Can it wait a week or so til I can get it somewhere??

Thanks

Jamie

[MangoMike]

Jamie,

My guess it would be the hub seal. I had the same spot show up on the H3 and that was the problem.

Not a big deal to fix, had a local truck place do the work.

You should read up on the pasts post as to the downside of doing this job wrong. It does have some serious consequences.

Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

It's a hub seal. But Jamie, make sure whoever does the replacement fills the hub after it is replaced. It can be filled by tipping the entire axle towards the side of the new seal so differential grease flows into the hub. A failure to do this will cause much grief.

Don't take any shit from a mechanic that will act like he knows more than you do. If you read about problems from POG members every one of them was done by a professional mechanic.

[JIM KELLER]

Jamie, Don't get disappointed because your Inverters are charging too much, you can't see your dash and a Hub Seal is leaking. All of this and more has happened to all of us. It is just part of the FUN. The exciting part is the rewarding feeling we get when we resolve the problem. Usually with the help of someone on this Forum. Hang in there and we will have you on the road to recovery in no time !

[truk4u]

Yep, hub seal... I did the Port side at Prevost, I'll e-mail you. Use caution when selecting the repair facility as Jon has advised, we have members who burnt up bearings after improper seal replacement procedures. Prevost told me they now use an improved seal that last longer.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Horse puckey. The seals from Prevost are the same Chicago Rawhide that they have been selling forever.

There is nothing wrong with the seals. But there is plenty wrong with some of the technicians replacing them as guys like harry and hector will attest.

[truk4u]

Now before you get your panty hose in a wad, you may be wrong.:eek: The Tech showed me the difference and what I remember was the old seal allowed a grove to form and leak. Did he just make this up... I don't think so.

Hey Orren, what say you?

[dreamchasers]

After watching Prevost Fort Worth change and re change several seals on my coach, this is an easy task. You will need big wrenches and sockets and a pair of coveralls.

http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/showthread.php?t=1830

I found the post I posted with pictures of my experience, for your information. As Jon mentioned the key is be sure the bearing cavity is filled with oil. Additionally, be sure the the Prevost procedure is followed regarding hub to bearing clearance. I do not remember the clearance, but the tech should put a dial indicator gauge on the axle shaft and check movement or lash of the hub.

These hub seals seem to be a maintenance item that occurs more often than owner like.

Good Luck.

Hector

[garyde]

I wonder if lack of use, driving the coach , adds to this problem.

[Orren Zook]

CR still produces the original 'scotseal' and also a new 'scotseal plus' that looks remarkably similar to the wheel seal marketed by Mechanix for years. The 'plus' does not require a tool to be installed and the original seal does. When the seal is driven into the cup bore there is a different ring to the sound when the seal edge contacts the bearing cup, another hit on the driver will cause the seal body to fail by either gripping the moveable portion so that it cuts a groove in the spindle or belling the body away from the seal body away from sealing lip again causing seal failure. Another feature of the scotseal plus is that it has multiple sealing surfaces on the axle spindle. If your spindle is worn you can use a two piece seal by Stemco that has a wear ring and seal or install a CR Speedi Sleeve to return the spindle to OEM tolerances and use a one piece seal.
Most, if not all ,premature wheel seal failures are caused by improper installation.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I have never used a dial indicator to do that procedure and I also know from past experience that incorrect seal installation is often a possible cause for premature seal failure.

IMO their are a few different acceptable procedures short of a dial indicator. There is a tork spec to do it with a tork wrench too. Prevo says .004 to .000 clearance. I choose 0 for the tag and steer and additionally JUST SLIGHTLY preload the drive hubs (see my procedure posted under a recent comedy of errors thread)