Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement

   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #1  

LD1

Epic Contributor
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Apr 30, 2008
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Location
Central Ohio
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Kubota MX5100
Three basic types of wheel bearings that I know of. And have replaced all three many times.

1. Pair of tapered rollers. Manually setting preload and repacking frequently. Like 1980's trucks
2. Hub assemblies. More expensive....but no pressing required. All the 2003-2008 trucks I have worked on had them
3. Just a replacement bearing. Fat double row ball bearing.

My 2001 saturn had this style. Simple to swap.

Fast forward....wifes 2015 buick encore with 56k miles.....has a bad right front wheel bearing.

I couldn't detect it at all by jacking it up and wiggling, spinning, etc. But had a noise when driving....sounded like an agressive mud tire on that right front corner. And turning to the right made it louder. (which is backwards from normal wheel bearing diagnosis)

Anyway....this is the first time I have done one of these fat double row bearing replacements on a ABS equipped vehicle.

I am used to the pulse ring being on the CV shaft, or integral to a hub bearing, etc.

NOPE. Seems they put a sensor impulse ring in the BEARING.

And guess what happens if you install the bearing backwards? And guess what type of bearing is impossible to get out without destroying the bearing?

So doing the job twice, I am getting pretty good at bearings on a modern encore.

Worst part is, googling info on this both prior and after doing the bearing....little to know information. I am sure MANY modern vehicles are similar with a bearing that has the ABS ring built in. So be warned. Dont buy a second bearing like I had to, and make sure you get it in the right way
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #3  
That's not a lot of mileage for a bearing to go. Hopefully it was just an anomaly. It seams like car companies are figuring out ways to make assembly less labor intensive but with less thought on repair. It looks like the good old tapered bearing is going to be a thing of the past. I think they just buy bearings pressed into the hub from a company so all that's needed is someone with an impact to bolt it onto the car in seconds. The good thing about having the tone ring in the bearing is that it shouldn't rust or get damaged. A friend had a '04 Santa Fe and the tone ring was pressed onto the half shaft. When it rusted between the CV housing and ring it expanded and the ring cracked. Oddly it was cheaper to buy a whole new half shaft than just the ring in that case.
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #4  
Yes, what you guy's said.
I've never replaced a bearing that I could service every 50k or so. At least on pickups. Now with these "unit" bearings....... don't get me started:laughing:
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #5  
I had a wheel bearing go bad on a Subaru about 15 years ago, still under warranty. Chatting with the service guy, he told me they replace the entire hub assembly for that now -- I assume less labor cost or maybe it's just the way the parts come packaged for warranty work. Or maybe they rebuild the old hub and it goes back in line for the next warranty job.

Couple years ago I was helping a neighbor with some rusty bearings on his boat trailer. After seeing the work it took to pull the hub apart to get to the bearings, he wasn't keen on reversing the process with new bearings. He found entire pre-greased hub assemblies online for about $40 and went that route instead. Depending on how you value your time or skills, that isn't too bad really. I'd still pay $10-15 for new bearings and seals myself, mainly because I find it satisfying to rebuild a hub, but $40 for the whole hub isn't bad as long as the quality is trustworthy.
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #6  
That's not a lot of mileage for a bearing to go. Hopefully it was just an anomaly.

I take it you have not owned many GM products. LOL . That seems about the norm for many we have owned. Either the ABS sensor goes or the bearing gets noisy. Done probably 50 on GM's over the years.
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #7  
I take it you have not owned many GM products. LOL . That seems about the norm for many we have owned. Either the ABS sensor goes or the bearing gets noisy. Done probably 50 on GM's over the years.

My 2015 Sierra with 120K+ still has the original wheel bearings. About the only thing it's ever had replaced was ball joints, tires, and brakes... which have all been replaced once. (Second time will be on Friday.)
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement
  • Thread Starter
#8  
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement #9  
My 2015 Sierra with 120K+ still has the original wheel bearings. About the only thing it's ever had replaced was ball joints, tires, and brakes... which have all been replaced once. (Second time will be on Friday.)

My Suburban made it to about 120,000 before loosing the front wheel bearing. It has 217,000 now and they haven’t been changed again. I don’t think it’s had any other front end work done and still drives like new.
 
   / Modern Vehicle Wheel bearing replacement
  • Thread Starter
#10  
My Saturn...a GM vehicle....has 220k miles on it. Only had ONE front bearing done at about 160k

Other car....'08 Nissan Sentra....192k on the clock. Brake pads, tires, and a batter is all that car has ever gotten.
 
 
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