Tag Axle Leak

[John 'Bo' Achord]

I have a small leak on the Tag axle inside housing. The oil is dripping off the brake shoe onto the inside lip of the housing. I do not have access to see exactly where the oil is coming from due to the frightliner frame being so low to the ground. Would anyone know if this could be the seal ? If so , how hard is it to replace or should I just bring it to Camping World ?  I would appreciate any input. The coach is a 2008 Beaver Contessa Milan 400 HP.

[Gerald Farris]

John,
The leak is most probably the hub oil seal. It is not hard to replace if you have the tools and experience to remove and replace the tag axle hub. If you have never performed brake service on a heavy duty truck or diesel motorhome you mite be better served by having a truck shop replace the seal.

Personally, if I was going to have chassis or brake work performed on my Beaver, like a hub seal replaced, I would choose a RV chassis specialist like Henderson's Line-Up or a heavy truck shop before Camping World.

Regardless of who replaces the seal, you should be careful not to let the hub run out of oil if you are driving the coach. The hub oil is the only lubrication that the bearings for that wheel have. So driving with inadequate hub oil will cause bearing failure. Check the oil level before driving, or inflate your drive tires to 120 PSI for maximum load capacity and drive with the tag raised.

Gerald  

[Edward Buker]

This is a link to Freightliner Dealer Finder Page. Enter the Zip and it will see what is nearby.

http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/Dealers

This is for International Trucks.

http://www.internationaltrucks.com/trucks/findadealer

Both of those truck shop outfits should be able to handle a wheel seal.

Later Ed

[Edie and Marty Hochberg]

John,

I had a very small leak from my DS tag, evidenced by the oil dripping down the outer hub area, showing up on the wheel.  It turned out that the bolts holding the hub on were not tightened sufficiently.  I have had the coach for 2 1/2 years and the oil leak only recently showed up.  So in my case the repair took only minutes to fix and, so far, the leak has not reappeared in the month since it was tended to.

I echo Geralds comments regarding not using Camping World for this type of work.  In my case I used Rush Truck Service Center in Flagstaff, AZ.  Our experience was very positive even though they were very busy.  They are part of a nationwide chain.

Of course your leak may not have the same cause as ours so info may not be helpful.  Best of luck with this.

[John 'Bo' Achord]

Thanks for the advice I appreciate it very much. I just took a two week trip to California from Baton Rouge La. I checked and topped off the tag axle before I departed but never checked it again. I will stay on top of it. I ended up taken it to Margot (a big truck repair shop). Thanks again all for the input.