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repeated wheel bearing failure

Z

zxtuner

CEG'er
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
170
Location
Minneapolis
I am going on my replacing my third wheel bearing on the passenger side of my car within the last 4-6months.

This last bearing only lasted about 8000 miles if that I know it was replaced about mid-February this year along with the half shaft and passenger side tranny seal, and now both the wheel bearing and tranny seal are bad. I'm thinking the excessive play in the wheel bearing caused the seal to go bad but what would cause the repeated failure of the wheel bearing?

No curbs have been hit, no accidents, no excessive lateral loads nothing comes to mind as the issue unless something is bent. But that theory doesn't hold much water with me because the first set of wheel bearings that were the original to my knowledge lasted to 170kish.
 
After you roast a wheel bearing bad enough, it can and will damage the knuckle. Every bearing pressed in there-after will be prone to early demise. It might be time to buy a new/replacement knuckle.
 
The bearing brand was SKS or SKF something along those lines. I will see what they want for a new knuckle I guess then.


Thanks Pip and Blu.
 
I searched an never came up with those threads. Thanks Blu

Thanks for the reading.

Just an after thought how would you verify that the knuckle needs to be replaced or is causing premature bearing failure?

Bearing brand was SKF. I don't know if that makes a difference.
 
If the knuckle or hub has any scoring in it, they will need to be replaced. How are you having them installed? Even experienced mechanics can press a bearing in wrong, if the angle is off when pressing you can wreck the bearing and it will fail very early. I had one I replaced that maybe lasted 6 months, now I'm probably going on 3 years since I replaced it that time with a new hub because it wrecked that as well.

I think SKF is the brand I used as well, those should be good bearings.

I guess pretty much all of that was covered in those threads that blu posted. :laugh:
 
Either the new parts are sub-par, the bearing was pressed in wrong, the hub/knuckle has gone bad from having a bad bearing in it or the axle nut was not torque to 212 ft-lbs.
 
All three times 1 driver and 2 passenger it was replaced with the hub because it was too badly damaged to reuse/cheaper labor. First passenger side was done at a Ford dealer dont know what brand. Second passenger and driver’s side where done at a mom and pop shop I go to and trust and they use SKF bearings. Pending how this turns out tonight/tomorrow I may have to find a new shop.

Just to be clear the first passenger and the driver's side failed less than 6k miles apart. Then I had the passenger’s side axle go bad which I thought caused the bearing and tranny seal to fail as well. Looks like the bad bearing may have been the cause of those issues instead.

Thanks for all of the help guys i really appreciate it. I am almost to the end of my rope with this car.

*Edit*

I will ask them tonight. Thanks Brapple
 
I had a bearing go bad one time on my accord and I concluded it was from cheap new tires. The tire had a place on it that warped out and it needed to be replaced. I swear it made my wheel bearing go bad. Are your tires new or old? Inspect them for inconsistencies...maybe just a thought :)
 
I change myself 2 front bearings with a homemade press made ​​a big rod filleted.

As this was the first time for me I'm fitting with a cheap bearing and the hub is back in like butter.

The next time I did the installation with skf bearing and it was very difficult to insert the hub without angle wrong

One of the two bearings was immediately dead because of it :cry:

Replace the day being very careful with the angle of insertion of the hub and now it's perfect :cool:

The skf brand is very famous in europe, very good but beware the mounting!
 
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