Meritor PRC and PRLC Planetary Wheel Ends Maintenance Manual
Meritor Maintenance Manual MM-20157 (issued February 2021) provides service and repair procedures for PRC and PRLC Planetary Wheel Ends. These wheel ends are designed for planetary axles that use single reduction carriers with hypoid gearing, such as the RS-145 series.
Core Product Lines
The manual covers several specific planetary axle models :
- PRC485 & PRC785 (Q and P models): Equipped with Q Plus cam brakes or P series brakes.
- PRC485 & PRC785 (W3H models): Equipped with 13″ (360mm) wet disc brakes.
- PRLC1015HDB: Equipped with hydraulic disc brakes.
Technical Overview
- Final Reduction: Features planetary spur gearing built directly into the wheel hubs to provide high numerical gear reduction while carrying only nominal torsional load on the axle shafts.
- Maintenance Checks: Meritor recommends visual system checks every 3,107 miles (5,000 km), including housing leakage, breather cleanliness, and air/oil connections.
- Lubrication: Most models feature a common oil level between the carrier and wheel ends, requiring filling at three separate locations while the vehicle is level.
Key Service Procedures
- Safety: The manual emphasizes parking on level surfaces, using safety stands rather than just jacks, and wearing eye protection.
- Wheel Bearing Preload: Precise adjustment is required, typically involving tightening the adjusting nut to a high initial torque (such as 400 lb-ft) before backing it off and setting it to a final specification.
- Sealing: Specific instructions are provided for installing TRS Toric Ring Face Seals in wet disc models, including the use of isopropyl alcohol for lubrication during assembly.
Service Support Tools
The publication also defines the specialized tools required for these procedures:
- TC-79534: Spindle Nut Socket.
- TC-79461: Toric Ring Face Seal Tool.
- TC-79540/41: Outer and Inner Bearing Cup Drivers.
- TC-79542: Hub Seal Driver.