Yea, I kinda guessed that. I couldn't budge it when trying to take it off, either with a 1/2" ratchet nor a "good sized" 1 1/8" wrench - had to break out the air compressor and impact wrench just to get it off.

If I bite the bullet and get a new hub, should the 2 hub bearings be replaced at the same time too? The races in the hub will be new - just wondering if I should pickup new bearings at the same time. Or I guess I could just pickup a new hub, try it as-is and see if the leak stops & go from there. Ebay has a NOS part that I may try to snag before the trip.

 

I'd replace the two bearings since you will have new races in the hub. Just use the universal number on them and match them up at any bearing supply or parts house. Dealer or online would be about $20 or so but there a lot cheaper places.Polaris 3554506, ATV Parts Cross-Referencing

 

Attached are a couple pics of the front & back of the hub & rotor assembly as it stood tonight post-rebuild. As you can see, it's clearly leaking down on the exterior side of the rotor, between the hub and rotor mating area. I popped the hub off the axle, and took the hub off the rotor to inspect, but it's so wet, I couldn't tell if it was leaking at the rubber seal (sleeve seal) or the metal-to-metal hub/seal. I placed a clean paper towel under the hub 24 hours ago, and you can see how much it's leaking in the 3rd pic (don't mind the grease in the middle).

I bit the bullet earlier today and ordered a brand new hub assembly. It should be here Friday. Looks like the 2 hub bearings are Timken L44643's. I'll install the new hub (w/ new hub seal already installed) + the 2 new bearings this weekend. *fingers crossed* If this doesn't solve it, I have no clue what else it could be. (might be time to think trade-in!!!)

 

Hope the new hub solves the problem. I'd cross my fingers for you if my knuckles weren't swollen......

 

The new hub was delivered yesterday. 2 new bearings will be delivered later today. Since this is my last shot at fixing this, just to confirm, should I put any lubricant on the sleeve prior to installing the new hub? The hub seal that's already installed in the hub already has some relatively lightweight grease on it. Is that enough, or should I also grease up the sleeve, and if so, with what? I used some heavier white lithium grease last time. Just wondering if that may have affected the seal.

Thanks.

 

No extra grease! Could have affected the previous work? The film on the hub seal is plenty,just wipe around the seal with your finger to have it evenly coated. I never added any extra grease on the sleeve and didn't have leaking problems.Like you, the few times I ever replaced a hub seal and it still leaked was when the seal sleeve on the strut was worn/grooved and I ended up installing a new one. I've replaced a couple hubs over the years,but the main reason was for rust and pitting in the smooth area below the seal where the hilliard locks in because of neglect or damage. Hopefully your leak was because of the gouge marks on the original hub. Tighten the hub nut to 15-20 foot pounds or so to help preload/seat the bearings properly,back off the nut 1/2 turn and final torque at 12 foot pounds.Then put a few miles on the machine to help break everything in.

 

Wheel is back together & I just filled it with fluid. Kinda funny how "loose" my old wheel bearings were compared to the new ones. Anyway - Loading up the truck tonight and heading to H/M first thing in the morning. Hoping/praying that the hub doesn't leak -- not going to be able to put any miles on it until we get to WV. It's going to get ridden either way!

 

If it leaks out you can still enjoy your trip. The 500 Sportsman goes great in 2wd as well.

 

Good News - Had a great trip to H/M.

Bad News - Hub is still leaking. I filled the hub up completely before heading out in the morning, and it was completely dry by lunch time. I went through a bottle of Demand Drive fluid across the 3 days, but I got to ride... and back home now.

Any suggestions on where to keep looking for the root cause of the issue? Am I looking at possibly replacing the entire strut now? It's not leaking from the backside - the interior side of the strut - still on the rotor. I haven't had a chance to pull the wheel off and look closer... just wondering where I go next on this thing (other than to the dealer for a trade-in!)

 

With a brand new hub/with seal and bearings and a new seal sleeve, should have solved the problem,but evidently not... Only thing I can say is to recheck the seal sleeve for movement and that the gap between the face of it and the inner strut pole is flush. If everything was done properly,the cv joint and inner sleeve on it are ok,hub was torqued properly to 12 foot pounds,then it's just one of those strange things that can happen.Saw plenty of em over the years.A new strut assy comes complete with coil,sleeve,inner and outer bearing races and new inner strut seal and ball joint. Problem is that they are $316 now..