Wheel Bearing Gone Bad?

[Sungod]

Finished the job and the driver side was shot. I replaced the passenger side just because I don't want to go through this in 3 months when it is 4 degrees outside. It was a pretty easy job. It took about 3 hours plus a trip to my neighbors's machine shop to get the bearings pressed. Most of the info here was pretty spot on. You do not have to remove the knuckle as the FSM states. Actually my bearings slid right off the knuckle with no need for a puller. There was some speculation about the depth needed to seat the bearings. I did not see any sort of issues when I pressed the bearing on to the hub. It will only go so far. I did replace the oil seal and the O-ring. Those were dealer parts. I went with SKF bearings over the Timken. The SKFs are made in Japan vs the made in China Timkens. Probably not a big deal, but I did it more for peace of mind. The SKFs were about $30 more from Rockauto than the Timkens. Here is what I spent:

2x $96 for Bearings
2x $22 for O-ring and seal
1x $50 for press labor
1x $89 for wheel alignment

Total of about $375 for parts & services and of course my free labor.

It is a fairly straight forward job that anyone with basic tools can do the job. The biggest challenge for someone with basic tools is getting the axle nut loose and torqued back to 200ft/lbs. You really need an air impact or a 36mm socket and some creativity.

 

[cloh09]

Sorry for a late update but I did get my front left axle replaced and that solved the issue for me. No more grinding noise. It must have been bad for a while because there was a big change in how it drove. Much tighter than before. I guess you don't feel it going bad slowly but after replacing that axle its very noticeable.

 

[indy500]

ok...not to hijack this thread...but i started to change mine out yesterday...not a hard job at all..I Followed on of the previous threads on here with step by step and photos..>Thanks to the menber that posted...

i had one question...after i pulled the old bearing/hub off the end of the cv shaft was exposed...i did notice a small tear in the rubber gasket that is attached to the actual steering knuckle...should i be concerned? i would like to change it but it looks like it is difficult to get out...

 

[Sungod]

You have an o ring that goes between the bearing and the knuckle and there is an oil seal between the bearing and the hub. You should have changed those. There is also an oil seal between the knuckle and the cv axle. That should be changed if it is bad. To change it you have to take loose the lower ball joint and the tie rod end (assuming you still have it apart). The seal is about $30 from you local dealer.

It probably isn't a big deal if you don't replace it, and if your cv boot are still stock because you will be replacing them at some point.

 

[indy500]

AM update....got it all put back togther last night....runs nice...no helicopter humm...not a hard job at all...2 hrs max time invloved.

Bad news was i dropped off the old bearing, hub and new bearing to the corner garage, who sayd they had done a million...but they forgot to put the dust cover between the hub and new bearing when pressing them togther...ARGH...oh well...we will see how long it lasts...I save a boatload of money doing it my self, so i cannot complain...

What is the tourque spec on the 35mm CV nut?....I know this is a main cause of premature wear..

 

[Sungod]

AM update....got it all put back togther last night....runs nice...no helicopter humm...not a hard job at all...2 hrs max time invloved.

Bad news was i dropped off the old bearing, hub and new bearing to the corner garage, who sayd they had done a million...but they forgot to put the dust cover between the hub and new bearing when pressing them togther...ARGH...oh well...we will see how long it lasts...I save a boatload of money doing it my self, so i cannot complain...

What is the tourque spec on the 35mm CV nut?....I know this is a main cause of premature wear..

I would take it back to get the seal installed before wasting $100 on a new bearing.

The torque spec is either 173 ft/lbs or 217 ft/lbs depending on which page of the FSM you are looking at. Oddly there are two different specs.

I seriously doubt there are very many people with a 200+ ft/lbs torque wrench let alone the guns to twist one to 200 ft/lbs. That would also mean that you would have to come up with a way to secure the hub so that it wouldn't turn. I think you are pretty safe running it down tight with an air impact.

 

[indy500]

ok thanks...i touqued it to 160...the max my wrench would go to..i actually left the duct cover off, installed the wheel, and lowred the truck, and then used the torque wrench...

I wanted to have the dust cover installed, but was under the impression that once the bearing is pressed on you cannot take it apart and reuse it...was I told some bad info?

 

[Sungod]

There is nothing wrong with removing the bearing from the hub and pressing it back in.

And if you used an extension on your torque wrench you need to compensate for that also. Torqueing to 160 with an extension will reduce the actual torque on the nut. It probably isn't a big deal, but tighter would be better. You use a castle nut anyway.

 

[T4R04LTD]

Can anyone tell me what is the correct socket size to remove the axle nut? is it 35mm or 36mm?
BTW, I ended buying the bearing and hub from an ebay seller with it already pressed fitted. He has the 4 bolts that secures the bearing shaft already in placed. What is the recommended torque spec to tighten the bolts to the knuckle when I put the new one on?
Thanks Guys,
Nick

 

[Sungod]

35, but I used a 36 with no issue.

The FSM says 59 ft/lbs. I am sure mine are much tighter.

 

[T4R04LTD]

Thanks Sungod. I'm going to try and do this today when I get home from work. I'm just worried that those bolts will probably be rusted and tight in there and I can't put a socket over them to loosen them. Will those bolts come off easily and what tool do you recommend to remove the old ones and install the new ones? I don't think I can put a socket over them.
Thanks
Nick

 

[Sungod]

You will need a wrench to get them out. There is no room for a socket. I hope your new ones have the bolts in them because you can't get the bolts in when the bearing is pressed into the hub. They should come off pretty easy. I see you are in Mass so you probably have more corrosion than most, but I live in DC where they salt the roads and mine came off easy. Once you break them loose you will have to get the hub out of the knuckle. That might take a few swings of a sledge to break it loose for you.

 

[T4R04LTD]

They came with the bolts already inserted in the holes and the bearings pressed into the hub. I was going to try to loosen them and if they won't budge, I will soak them with the PB Blaster or WD-40 and let them soak overnight. Thanks for the tip. At first I was worried and asked around and got quotes of $60 - $100 labor for installing them. I read all of the threads in here and figured I'll give it a shot.
Thanks,
Nick