Wheel bearing gone bad? How F'd am I? lol

TeckNeon · Post by **TeckNeon** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:36 pm

Well, good 'ol PA roads strike again!

My driver's front wheel bearing is done for. I need to replace it. But, I have not done anything like that before. Is it easy to do? Can I do it in the driveway in under 3 hours or so? Should I just have the dealership take care of it?

Any help is appreciated.

jT · Post by jT » Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:56 am

i guarantee that you could have found the answer by searching the forum

you need a press to remove the bearing and put the new one in.

dealership will charge you a few hundred to do it

you can get it done yourself by finding a shop that will press the bearing in (typically charge you around $50 to do it). the cost of the bearing is around $60 give or take.

under 3 hours to remove your knuckle and bring it to the shop... no problem.

randomZERO · Post by **randomZERO** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 1:37 am

I went to the junkyard and pulled a whole wheel bearing hub and all off a wreck for pretty cheap. Just make sure you check it for play before you pull it.

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:28 am

randomZERO wrote:I went to the junkyard and pulled a whole wheel bearing hub and all off a wreck for pretty cheap. Just make sure you check it for play before you pull it.

I would not buy bearings from a wrecking yard. These ARE a wear item and who knows how soon you will be having to replace these again... or worse the hub assembly being damaged.

By searching I'm sure you will find one of the many recent topics discussing wheel bearing replacement... However, I'll be nice and add some quick tips.

You can buy replacement bearings for about $40-70. The work needed could take a bit of time if you are inexperienced or do not have an experienced person working with you. You will need a 12 ton press to do the job. It requires you taking the hub/knuckle off the car and when you do get things replaced and put back on the car you will need to get an alignment.

A local shop here would replace bearings for $180/ side if I brought them in off the car. So adding a few hours of shop time to do the whole thing and your probably looking at about $800 for a shop to do it... Im just throwing numbers out there based off my inquiries a while ago when I had to do mine... who knows what they are in your area.

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:39 pm

hansken_yo wrote:
randomZERO wrote:I went to the junkyard and pulled a whole wheel bearing hub and all off a wreck for pretty cheap. Just make sure you check it for play before you pull it.
I would not buy bearings from a wrecking yard. These ARE a wear item and who knows how soon you will be having to replace these again... or worse the hub assembly being damaged.

Yes, if you get these from a wrecking yard, just have the bearings replaced on these anyways before you install them.

This will help minimize downtime with the car..... you can swap out the parts and be done.

That's how I do it.....

- Nick

randomZERO · Post by **randomZERO** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:50 pm

Sorry that's more of what I meant so you have two. The jiggle was to check for any play indicating a bad race. We did my bearing swap with a 2x4 and a c clamp. Go ghetto press. LOL.

TeckNeon · Post by **TeckNeon** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:14 pm

I found the bearing on Rockauto for $32.

According to the PL service manual wheel bearings are not wear items and should last the life of the car. So what gives? Why do these need to be replaced so often?

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:32 pm

TeckNeon wrote: According to the PL service manual wheel bearings are not wear items and should last the life of the car. So what gives? Why do these need to be replaced so often?

Its wrong

Wheel bearings are typically located right at the spindle of the wheel hub to allow free wheel movement. By minimizing the friction that goes with metal to metal surface contacts as your car rotates, the functionality of the part is crucial to the overall performance of your vehicle. Keeping the part periodically greased or re-packed every two years, which is equivalent to 24,000-mile service, is essential to keep it in top notch working conditions. Proper greasing could also facilitate efficient flushing mechanisms to do away with any form of contaminants which can induce wearing and corrosion. Once the part fails, find immediate replacement for your wheel will not run properly without working sets of wheel bearings. To establish strength and rigidity, the part is crafted from high grade and durable metal alloy constructions to have better resistance to heat, pressure, and wearing. Available for specific vehicle applications, there is no point delaying the replacements of damaged and worn bearings. Continuously agonizing on the grinding noises and erratic driving control that comes with battered bearings is wrong economy for you are fooling around with diving safety. More serious damages may be incurred where you can be facing more tremendous amount of repair costs. Investing with premium and high grade wheel bearing replacements could instantly restore or 0 re-establish the handling features of your vehicle. On your next scheduled replacement, you need to consult a qualified service technician to securely and properly fit heavy duty wheel bearing replacements. Turning to pros not only ensures proper alignment and installation, they could optimize the service life of your selected bearing replacements which could yield huge savings on less frequent replacement. In fact, you may replace your wheel bearing set more than once throughout its life efficiency for preventive maintenance.

http://www.car-stuff.com/wheelbearing.htm

Mopar_Korean · Post by **Mopar_Korean** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:35 pm

TeckNeon wrote:I found the bearing on Rockauto for $32.

According to the PL service manual wheel bearings are not wear items and should last the life of the car. So what gives? Why do these need to be replaced so often?

Because the service manual is talking out its ass. Anytime there is metal on metal contact or any friction of any sort its a wear item and will always need service.

DoubtedNeon · Post by **DoubtedNeon** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:28 pm

so pistons need servicing? (rings if u get techy on me) <-no homo

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:58 pm

DoubtedNeon wrote:so pistons need servicing? (rings if u get techy on me) <-no homo

... this is why they have engine rebuild kits right? ...