Hub Seal Leak Pics?

Don't laugh. I know the hubs can leak oil... and this sounds stupid.... but I have two seals that are wet on my trailer. On opposite sides. At first I thought it was a leak... then I realized I drove through some heavy rain and upsplash... so if the water then pulled down to gravity.. it would form at the bottom looking like a leak.

Are there GOOD images anywhere of what a hub seal leak would look like. I was tempted to email pics to TA but then they might be like... *****.. you stupid and can't tell the difference between water and oil? Thing is that they are so dirty... NO I can't lol

I don't have pics but try this. Wipe it away with your finger. Does it feel oily?

I don't have pics but try this. Wipe it away with your finger. Does it feel oily?

Hahah I'm a girl... it feels dirty hahaha

Like wet dirt. Idk if it was oily. I thought my engine was leaking oilman the TA guy lucked it and said "nope... power steering fluid".. gross not doing that ahhaha

Licked it... hmm... phone doesn't like that word hahah

When you wiped it away did it feel like a bacon cheese burger? That's oil. Ever clean a BBQ? That's grease. Truck stop parking lot? That's similar to water.

And don't pull that girly girl stuff. You're a trucker. From Jersey. We know you're tough. :)

I looked and there are really no good photos but I did find two examples.

In this photo you see the darker lines on the tire. That is oil from the hub leaking. The majority of the time the inner seal is the one that fails rather than the outer cap. These streaks you see on the tire in this photo can also happen on the rim so watch for that. This is caused by the spinning of the tire as you go down the road.

This second photo is actually of a tractor but it is a good example of a hub seal leak after sitting. The wide and dark stripe is where the oil had run down the tire. It was obviously rolled forward to get a better photo. If you see this on a trailer you are picking up then look closer to see if it is really leaking or from an old leak.

When you wiped it away did it feel like a bacon cheese burger? That's oil. Ever clean a BBQ? That's grease. Truck stop parking lot? That's similar to water.

And don't pull that girly girl stuff. You're a trucker. From Jersey. We know you're tough. :)

Hahhahhah... but when. In in a tight spot the girlie girl routine works really well to get a guy to spot me hahha.

Pat thanks for the pics. I went back out and it's not stripping anywhere... I wiped it with a cloth and yeah.... it does seem like more than just wet dirt... then I looked at the prime traiker next to me... same markings. So either our trailers all suck... or this guy was in the same storm. This is a newer trailer...I usually get the old ones that look different. I feel safer with pieces oteaikerd trailers. So old there's not much I can do to screw them up hahahha

Thanks guys. I think this m3chanical stuff is the part I find the most difficult

Hi, RainyD. Found this thread, figured I would share a photo of a leaking inner axle seal. Not as obvious as the ones posted by PatM. You have to have a light to see these, but it's worth while to look. The men and women in unusual hats sure will be looking with a light.

This one had been sitting leaking for several weeks, hence all the lube out onto the drum and shoe. I have some others, but it's hard to get decent focus up inside there with the cameras on phones. Usually, I look for any kind of shiny appearance - the rubber seal should be dry (as long as the weather is) and not glistening like a bald guy's head on a hot summer day. ( I can say that as I've been follicly challenged since 1978)

I had a outside drive leak oil. It looked like spin art on the wheel.