Excessive Wheel Bearing wear....**updated**

[Speedy_91_SHO]

Back in the day when i had no tools or a place t work on my car, i took it to a shop and had the wheel bearing replaced. Not realizing the equasion rule, i only had the one side done. ASbout 1 1/2 - 2 months later i took it back to the same shop to have the other side replaced. So now I have to get the bearing replaced about every 2-3 months. He has done the work without question.(warranty) He has replaced the bearings 3-4 times since last march. This is replacing 1 bearing at a time. My question is what could be causing this. Suspension out of whack? Faulty/improper procedures? Wrong bearing? Could a bad hub cause this?
Any replies welcome as usual. TIA

<small>[ December 29, 2003, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Speedy_91_SHO ]</small>

 

[Ishodu]

How is the fit on the hub? Is he adding more grease to the all ready lubed bearings? And an important one is the correct torque being applied to the nut on the hub?

 

[projectSHO89]

As Marcel indicated, replace the hub AND bearing, then make sure the nut is torqued to 200 lb-ft.

Steve

 

[Speedy_91_SHO]

I guiess I'll have him replace the hub. Last time he did the bearing he said everything was torqued and lubed.

 

[rangerj]

Speedy,

The hub in a won bearing will usually end up distorted (out of round). The distorted hub will destroy the bearing in a very short time. That is why it is recommended to change BOTH the hub and the bearing as a set.

The alternative is too "mike" the hub shaft and replace it only IF it (the hub shaft) is out of round. The hubs are not that expensive and IMHO it is better to replace both the hub and the bearing.

It is also VERY important to properly torque the axel nut to properly set the pre-load on the bearing. If this is not done the bearing will not last very long. For some reason, un-be-knownst to me, "professional" mechanics seem to be alergic to torque wrenches! shrug rangerj

 

[Speedy_91_SHO]

So it went into the shop today for replacement of the bearing. He said he will not warranty the work anymore because the only problem he sees is abuse. To my understanding form this post, you cannot add **** to the already lubed bearing and you must torque the axel nut to 200 ft-lbs or this will cause the excesive wear. Here are some questions. Could abuse be a factor? Would bad suspension parts cause this? Any other ideas would be helpful/useful. TIA

 

[nc89sho]

IMHO you can't be abusing it that bad. my bearings have lasted years and i beat the living **** out of the silver car. he is doing something wrong.

 

[rangerj]

Speedy,

Again, a distorted hub PRESSED into a new bearing will distort the bearing and destroy it in a short time. Secondly, if the pre-load on the bearing is not properly SET, by properly torquing the axel nut, the bearing will wear very fast.

How does one abuse a front wheel bearing? Hard road course racing? Maybe, but normal street driving, and even drag racing occassionally, will not destroy a front wheel bearing in a few months.

I normally see front wheel bearings needing replacement at 50,000 to 75,000 miles. I have seen some last as long as 100,000+ miles.

Is your mechanic using a quality bearing? Is it being properly torqued, and is the hub being replaced or at least "miked" to be sure it is not out of round? rangerj

 

[SHODWN]

Because MOST people install the bearing incorrectly. on the last step of replaceing the bearing the Hub can and will catch the second inner race and push it out a bit causing it to wear fast! and never be tight from the get go. He need to flip the unit over one more time and re-press the inner race back into the bearing..

 

[Mark W]

Doing a lot of wheelies might cause the front bearings to die early from abuse. wink

It is theoretically possible that you've gotten several poorly manufactured bearings in a row (something akin to this has happened to me in other situations).

Your best bet, however, is that the guy is installing them incorrectly, and you should just give up on him and take it somewhere else. He's never going to admit that he doesn't know how to do this.

Although, I will say that my brother and I beat the bearings into the hubs with a home made driver made of steel pipe, by heating the hub with a torch and freezing the bearing. It worked like a charm, and I've had no problems with the bearings. You may want to tell your mechanic that story.