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Old 07-28-2012, 09:12 PM   #1
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greasing wheel hubs on 2003 Solaris

Hi All,
I was going to grease the bearings, but was having trouble removing the centre hubs.
Anyone know proper way to do this? They didn't seem to want to turn, or move at all for that matter.....

Is it like prying a hubcap off with a small screwdriver? -- I was even trying this, but felt this was not the correct way!....

Thanks,
jb
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Old 07-28-2012, 09:40 PM   #2
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Hi JB,

If your trailer still has the stock setup, your little black lug nut covers should just pull right off by hand. However, the center hub cover is held in with three tabs behind the wheel. You need to pull the wheel off in order to remove those covers. Prying like you were would break the cover off by breaking the small tabs out of the plastic. I doubt they'd just bend out.

I'm not sure if the '03s even have the grease zerks on it though. I'm thinking it just has the grease cap and you'd have to pull the drum to grease the hubs.
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Old 07-29-2012, 06:25 AM   #3
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thank you..... much appreciated.
You are probably correct, as I could see some small metal tabs.
I didn't think they pryed off, so I didn't put too much pressure on them. I was just hoping they would turn by hand, but no luck.....

Sounds like a full Saturday job some day!.....As you described, is greasing the hubs a difficult task? [I bought the trailer used, so I have no idea on the history. It seems to squeak when turning left, so I thought it not a bad idea to grease them anyways].
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Old 07-29-2012, 07:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbaker View Post
Sounds like a full Saturday job some day!.....As you described, is greasing the hubs a difficult task? [I bought the trailer used, so I have no idea on the history. It seems to squeak when turning left, so I thought it not a bad idea to grease them anyways].
Yes, it is a rather big job- it's not just a quick hour or two hour thing, especially for your first time. And I agree, since you don't know the history, chances are nothing was ever done, so it's better to do it then have a problem.

However, you mentioned the squeak, I suspect that may be something else. Maybe John can confirm/deny this. I'm thinking that's actually the bolts that hold the leaf springs to the trailer frame. They are installed with plastic bushings, and those wear out quickly, which causes it to squeak when going over bumps.

Here's a write-up that JohnB did on RV.net. It should look exactly like the system you have:

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Annual Brake Inspection and Axle Re - Lube (Pic's)

Here's some info on the spring bushings:
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...nce-10777.html
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1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
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Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 07-30-2012, 07:04 PM   #5
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Hi JB

Sunline Fan fixed you right up.

If you have a 2003 and the spring bushings have never been changed, odds are high the stock nylon bushings are worn through. They simly do not last. 8 to 10,000 miles is tops forf them. Some even go faster. The squeek when turning is most times the springs flexing in the eye on the ends and metal to metal of spring bolt to spring with very little to no bushing left.

If you need help let us know. Many have been through this before.

John
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Old 07-31-2012, 06:35 AM   #6
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Thanks John and Sunline Fan,
Is this something I should tackle right away do you think?,... or is it more like a winter project?
If it helps, I am not planning any long trips, just a few more weekend getaways. The squeaking isn't terrible [yet], just one of those annoying little things I tend to notice.... I don't seem to hear when turning right, just to the left.
I did see in the thread where you replaced the entire 'kit' -- is there a place where these can be ordered from that you know of? [i live in Canada if you know a Canadian source]
Thanks again for all your wisdom!.....much appreciated at my end.
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Old 07-31-2012, 08:02 PM   #7
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Hi JB

The squeak, to make sure your shackles are not shot... Look to see that you have not worn really bad to the ends of them. If they are elongated to the point you can see the elongation wear, they need to be fixed soon. If they are OK, you can get by with squirting some oil in the pivot pins to tame the squeak temporarily. Then plan when to do a spring bushing rebuild.

Dexter does sell just the heavy duty bushing and shackle upgrade kit. Or you can buy it with the rubber EZ flex equalizer.

Here is just the heavy duty kit on the rigid equalizer
http://dexteraxle.com/inc/sdetail/1043/1047

Here is the EZ flex kit. They run specials on them and they are close to the rigid upgrade kit.
http://dexteraxle.com/inc/sdetail/18096/28009

You can shop Dexter at many places or buy from them direct. I do not know where the best place is in Canada. HenryJ did the EZ flex upgrade and he is in Canada so he may be able to help point you in the right direction.

Now the greasing... this one is a wild card. You could be on the brink of failure or just fine. If you knew when the camper was last grease packed it is a whole lot easier to make an intelligent decision on this. If you want some level of piece of mind you can try this.

Jack up the camper to get at least one wheel off the ground. Block up the camper and do not trust a jack. Jack only on the frame behind the rear or in front of the front spring hanger. Do not jack on the axle tube

Pop the grease end cap off. Take the axle nut off. Holding the tire onto the camper, wiggle the brake drum to pop out the outer bearing. Leave the brake drum on the camper and do not pull it off to not disturb the inner seal.

Look at the grease in the cavity and the bearing. If the grease is hard and stiff or very light on the bearing, it is time now to do the bearing job.

If there is ample grease in the cavity and the bearing, and you did not get any dirt in the grease, put the bearing back in, set the spindle nut tension correctly and go to the next wheel or as many to give you an idea of what you have. The check and see may take 15 to 20 minutes a wheel. Now armed with this info towing up to 500 to 800 miles is at low risk with short trips. There is no way we can tell from here if you are OK or not. You may be just fine or on the brink of an axle lockup…. I had the same decision when I bought my used camper.

Your first time through a complete bearing repack and brake check and set may take you an entire Saturday.

As FYI, On my T310SR camper I did pull the grease caps and look to see what league I was in until I could get to the greasing. The dealer said it was checked as it was part of the PA inspection process. They may have pulled one wheel. We only did short 20 mile trips then. That was after the 500 mile tow home….. Within 3 months of owning it I did do a full grease job. Found a blown inner seal and a grease soaked brake but it did have good grease in it.

Also heads up, if you pull a trailer wheel, you have to retorque the lug nuts, 20 to 30 mile on the 1 st check, then 50 mile, then 100 mile. On the 3rd check they generally stop moving. On your 2003, they need 100 ft lbs. And no more then 120 ft lbs. The lugs nuts loosen until they are fully seated. Paint and miss match on the bevel occurs.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 08-01-2012, 06:29 PM   #8
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JB, where in ON are you? Cerka has a wholesale/retail business that supplies many RV dealers like Sauders, my local Rockwood dealer. Interestingly, Cerka, the wholesaler, had a larger markup to retail than the RV dealer. Cerka sends a truck down to Dexter every week so my EZ flex got a free ride and no hassle border crossing and Sauders does a pick up in Milton once a week to get their stuff from Cerka as well, so no shipping fees. Cerka's price on the website is about $60 more than I paid at Sauders a couple of years ago. The installation is well documented here on SOC and this thread will give you all the info to decide whether you can do this yourself. I'm guessing an RV dealer will charge at least 4 hr. Some members have had this upgrade done and my chime in with what the shop labor is for the install.

Henry
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