Sling stains on front wheels of Seneca 37FS

[rgolding]

I had the Seneca in for service the other day and the mechanic was concerned about a seal leak on the aluminum wheels on the front of our 2015 Seneca 37FS. The stains are always there to clean off the front wheels, especially after we have driven through rain. It seems like brake dust mixed with road grime to me.

We have 70,000 plus miles on our Seneca and I would like to get the front hub covers off just to check this a little further before I take this concern it to Freightliner.

How do I get the decorative hubs off?

Thank you in advance for any interest or advice to my question. I always truat the opinions of this group.

[Mnwelsh]

There are dimples on the lug nuts that you unscrew. The others are fake and do not unscrew.

[ChuckW]

The center caps easily come off with a flat blade. Look for the indentations.

[rgolding]

Thank you for the quick response.

[RoWest]

The front bearings run in a gear oil bath not grease. A tech told me that mine were overfilled from the factory and slinging. Took some out and no more oily rims.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by RoWest

The front bearings run in a gear oil bath not grease. A tech told me that mine were overfilled from the factory and slinging. Took some out and no more oily rims.

Same here... once you get the decorative cap off - there is a red rubber seal that gets dirty and leaks when the bearing unit is overfilled. Clean it and the hub opening real good, as you check the oil level.

BTW, Rick: are you not checking this with the annual maintenance? or are you doing the maintenance yourself?

[rgolding]

Oil changes, filters and grease jerts are checked at a local garage. I did have unit serviced at a Frieghtliner shop last Spring, because we topped the 50,000 miles. Its a considerable distance to a Freightliner Service Facility and a local Chevy Dealer does the maintenance that they can do at my request. I do some of the maintenance myself or with my son.

To me the sling marks are from brake dust combined with water trapped behind cap. It does not feel or react to grease removal and we've dealt with it when cleaning the unit, since new. Just didn't have it scrubbed off when it went to the mechanic for oil change and he noticed it, prompting me to ask the question here.

Thank you for the responses.

[rgolding]

Got in to this, yesterday and found oil levels in "oil bath" hubs normal.

Also found rubbing alcohol does a great job of removing the stains before polishing.

What do most of you consider a normal time frame for changing this oil?
I believe it is recommended to be 80w-90w gear oil. I think mileage is a wrong measurement, being that some of us, put 20k miles on a year and some units are 5 years old and don't have 10K miles on the odometer.

[RoWest]

BTW, Rick: are you not checking this with the annual maintenance? or are you doing the maintenance yourself?

I do all filter, lubrication, and fluid changes myself. That might change since we sold our home as of July 2nd. 33 years and room to do the maintenance.

[rgolding]

I usually have service done by a local shop, but once a year get the Seneca in to a Freightliner Shop for look over and factory service. Always try to be aware of what is going on, so I don't get caught along the road. Thanks for the interest in my concerns.