Scott,
I'm glad to hear my genny wasn't the only one that leaked grease after I repacked the bearings. Thought I had broken a seal. Didn't recall seeing one, but figured there must have been something there.
First thing I did when I got my ST-5 was take it apart and remove and re-pack the bearings. Was planning to replace them, but they were of nice quality, so I left them in there. I have the Timken number so if they get rough, I can always replace them later.
As far as growling noise goes, that usually indicates either a dry bearing or one that is under an improper load, such as if the bearing is twisted in one of the end housings. The fact that the growl increses under load is consistent with a bad bearing.
Best thing to do is pop the ends off and inspect the bearings. Mine were packed with something that had the consistency of warm roofing tar. Very stiff creamy yellow goop. I washed the residue out with paint thinner and a brush, then blew the solvent out with air, then packed with moly grease.
Reassembled genny, then hooked it up to the dizzle. After running about an hour, I had about a tablespoon full of grease that extruded out one end.
The genny now spins easier and is silent except for a barely audible hysteresis hum once it gets up to speed. No mechanical noise at all.
Hope this helps.
Quinn