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GP96-83 Rev. 11/96

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By Jim Grant -- Chief Engineer, Meritor Trailer Products
Contributors: Ron Gordy, Great Dane Trailers ~ Eddie Prince, TRISM,
Inc.~ Gerry Sill, Stoughton Trailers

Wheel-End Seal Leaks -- Suppliers Working to

Make Them An Issue of the Past
Wheel-ends require a great deal of attention and precision from the
Wheel-end seal leaks technician, especially when it comes to bearing adjustment and seal
are one of the biggest installation. Wheel-end seal leaks are one of the biggest maintenance
maintenance concerns among heavy-duty vehicle operators.
concerns among
heavy-duty vehicle Effective maintenance of wheel-ends is an even bigger issue for
trailers. While tractors make their deliveries to destinations around the
operators. country, they usually return to a maintenance facility where
maintenance is attended to with proper procedures. Trailers, on the
other hand, are spotted at their destinations, making proper
maintenance more difficult. This has long been a dilemma for truck-
load trailers which travel to various destinations and do not return to a
centralized maintenance facility.

"The trailers are at the mercy of whatever shop is at their destination.

Not only does this prevent a regular, standardized maintenance
program, but the shop may be a small garage with improperly trained
mechanics who are not installing the wheel-end hardware correctly,"
said Jim Grant, chief engineer for Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems’
Trailer Products business -- the leading manufacturer of trailer axles.

Effective maintenance Practically every axle manufacturer, seal and bearing supplier, and
tractor and trailer OEM are exploring methods to curb the problem of
of wheel-ends is an wheel-end seal leaks. To manufacturers, preventing wheel-end seal
even bigger issue for leaks has been like finding the cure for the common cold, and like the
trailers. common cold, no one seems immune. There are numerous causes for
seal leaks including improper seal installation, improper bearing
adjustment and dirty or contaminated lubricant, to name a few.

"We’re hearing about seal leaks from our customers, especially with oil
-- no one is escaping it," said Gerry Sill, vice president of engineering
for Stoughton Trailers.

Eddie Prince, senior vice president of Maintenance for TRISM, Inc.,

knows the problem all too well. TRISM, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is a
specialized truckload carrier with a trailer fleet of about 4800 units.

"This has been a problem for many years and everybody in the industry
has been pointing the finger at each other," Prince said. "OEMs are
...pre-load cannot be telling us it’s difficult for them to measure that fine of an end play which
must be established during wheel-end installation. As a result, we as
controlled with the end users have been taking it on the chin."
present three-piece
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wheel-end fastening Prince further explained that wheel-end seal repairs are expensive.
system... "Since leaking wheel-end seals result in soaked brake linings, new
brakes are practically always part of a wheel-end seal repair bill -- not
to mention the downtime. This is why fleets, like ours, are taking this
situation seriously."

Proper Installation Can Eliminate Most Seal Leaks

The optimal method for controlling the desired amount of end play
would be to have a controlled "pre-load" of less than one-thousandth of
an inch. Since pre-load cannot be controlled with the present three-
piece wheel-end fastening system, there must be another way to set
end play.

...correct installation The set-up process begins with the installation of the hub assembly by
should result in OEMs and service personnel. The outer bearing and adjusting nut are
wheel-end play then put on and torqued between 150 to 200 lb-ft. While torquing, the
between one- and ten- hub is spun to seat the bearings and seal. After the hub is tight, it is
torqued back to 50 lb-ft. The next step is to back off the inner nut
thousandths of an between an eighth and sixth of a turn, which causes some end play.
inch.
After there is end play, the outer lock ring and jam nut are installed and
torqued to 250 lb-ft. The suggested amount of end play is less than ten-
thousandth of an inch. If the bearings are adjusted too tight during set-
up, they will get hot and burn-up. Plus, the high heat can cause the
elastomer in the seal to melt.

According to Meritor’s Grant, correct installation should result in wheel-

end play between one- and ten-thousandths of an inch. Since the
bearings are adjusted through the spindle nuts, improper nut
installation can contribute to seal leaks.

Meritor’s tests back up the importance of precise wheel-end measures

and show that a little too much end play is more forgiving than not
Testing reveals that enough. Testing reveals that maximum bearing life occurs when there
maximum bearing life is one-thousandth of an inch of pre-load. But, if the wheel-end is set up
too tight, the life of the bearing is significantly reduced.
occurs when there is
one-thousandth of an Conversely, if the bearings are set too loose, the life of the bearings will
inch of pre-load. also diminish, but not as rapidly. Consequently, one- to ten-
thousandths of an inch of end play is recommended if pre-load cannot
be controlled.

Ron Gordy, national customer service manager for Great Dane

Trailers, agreed with Grant that having a little too much end play is
better than having too much pre-load.

"My experience allows me to go back and examine why a seal failed,"

Gordy said. "We will tighten the spindle nut between zero and five-
thousandths tolerance. Some seal manufacturers would like us to have
a zero tolerance pre-load, but we refuse to do that. Our tests and
experience prove that having a little end play -- within the industry
guidelines -- will help make the seals and wheel-end last longer. Having
it too tight will cause the wheel-end to heat up, accelerating wear."
Consequently, one- to
ten-thousandths of an
Grant said that the only way to check for correct installation is to
inch of end play is measure end play with a dial indicator, but this is seldom done since
recommended if pre- this procedure is time consuming and the instrument can be costly.
load cannot be
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controlled. "If you went to a bearing, seal or axle manufacturer, each one would
give you a different method on how to pre-load," TRISM’s Prince said.
"The only correct way is to set up a dial indicator and check it out. But
that would take a long time to do."

"It’s difficult for the person on the line to properly install the wheel-end
assembly without using the proper installation tools," Stoughton’s Sill
observed. "At Stoughton, every wheel-end is installed with the use of a
digital dial indicator to check end play. Our quality procedure allows for
end play of .0005" to .0035" on each wheel-end as assembled, and by
strictly adhering to the procedure we have drastically reduced the
number of oil seal failures we were seeing."

Hub and Bearing Installation Aren’t the Only Causes

In addition to In addition to improper hub and bearing installation, there are other
causes of seal leaks.
improper hub and
bearing installation, 1. Contaminated lubricant can also lead to increased wear on a
there are other seal. This problem usually occurs because of a slit in the small
causes of seal leaks. hubcap at the end of the axle. When the wheel-end heats up, it
causes air pressure. The slit normally acts as a breather,
allowing the pressure to vent.

Often times, however, a trailer may be backed into a dock. The

hot wheel-end can be submersed in dirty, cool water. The dirty
water will then be sucked into the axle hub, contaminating the
lube. The lube can also become contaminated if the hub is not
cleaned well when new lube is placed in the wheel-end.

2. Proper spindle nut installation also requires care. Often,

mechanics may force the nut off with a hammer and chisel. This
A seal is not forgiving raises burs on the inner and outer nuts. The bearing cones
and you can’t abuse it continuously pound on the nuts which eventually flatten out the
burs. Once the burs are flat, there is excessive end play.

3. Some garages or OEMs without properly-trained mechanics

may force seals into the hub bore. Seals must be installed with
an extreme amount of care, and if possible, with a hydraulic
press that pushes the seal evenly down on every side.

"A seal is not forgiving and you can’t abuse it," Meritor’s Grant
emphasized. "If it gets pressed into the bore of the hub and begins to
cock, the case of the seal may bend and that signals the beginning of
the end."
The unitized hub is
the single wheel-end Proper installation of wheel-end seals presents challenges for OEMs,
as well as fleet maintenance personnel.
assembly that solves
all major causes of
seal leaks... Single Nut Systems Offer Some Benefits
The current wheel-end is a three-piece system: an inner nut, a jam nut
and a lock ring. The industry is looking at single nut systems which
have some advantages, however they do not address all wheel-end
issues.

"The number one advantage of the single nut approach is that pre-load
can be controlled," Meritor’s Grant said. "The single nut minimizes
potential for mis-installation at any level. And there is no longer a need
for a dial indicator."
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However, bearing adjustment and seal installation is still required, and

if not done properly, can lead to seal leaks.
As a result, it extends
bearing and wheel-
Some fleets and seal manufacturers have also reported good results
end life and reduces from the use of semi-synthetic lubricants. According to TRISM’s Prince,
downtime. synthetic grease tends to stay a little longer in the wheel-end, but
Prince admits they’ve still had their share of failures.

"The primary reason is because grease won’t flow out as easily as gear
lube," Grant said. "If everything is adjusted properly and the lube is
clean, the bearings could go up to a million miles with grease. When
you offset this balance with contaminated lube or not enough lube, seal
and bearing life is shortened."

The Unitized Hub Addresses All Wheel-End Issues

The unitized hub is the single wheel-end assembly that solves all major
causes of seal leaks for truck, tractor and trailer applications. It
The unitized hub eliminates the need for bearing adjustment, seal installation, and
replaces complexity periodic lubrication by either OEMs or service personnel and prevents
with simplicity. contamination of lubricant. As a result, it extends bearing and wheel-
end life and reduces downtime.

This new design addresses all the issues of wheel-end installation by

having seals, bearings and a specially-formulated grease all integrated
into one permanently sealed unit, according to Meritor’s Grant.

Meritor introduced the unitized hub on its Easy Steer PlusTM front steer
axle and TB Series trailer axle, and it will be available on Meritor rear
drive axles in late 1997.

"As the leading axle manufacturer, we were hard at work with tractor
The hub is and trailer OEMs, and seal and bearing manufacturers to develop what
permanently sealed the end users wanted -- a longer life wheel-end that results in more
and lubricated to help uptime," Grant said.
prevent brake shoe
damage and resist The unitized hub replaces complexity with simplicity. "We’ve replaced
six components with one which largely eliminates the human element
road contamination. from installation and maintenance," he added. The hub is permanently
sealed and lubricated to help prevent brake shoe damage and resist
road contamination, as well as eliminate regular lubrication intervals. If
a wheel-end should ever need to be replaced, it’s a simple matter of
installing a new unitized hub.

Each hub is custom-manufactured with bearings and seals pre-loaded

to help ensure optimal bearing setting. With the TB Series trailer axle’s
unitized hubs, one-thousandths of an inch pre-load (as mentioned
earlier) is obtained in a controlled manner to maximize bearing life.

"Conventional wheel-end systems -- when installed and maintained

properly -- are fine, but the unitized hub is more efficient, and in the
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long run, not as costly," said Grant. "We’re using our advanced
For more information on technology -- the same technology that has produced the industry’s
this topic, or for copies of most complete drivetrain -- to revolutionize wheel-end units."
other Issues & Trends,
contact Meritor Business
Communications at 248-
435-1933, fax your request
to 248-435-9946,
or send e-mail to:
D. Mike Pennington