After removing and replacing the rear rotors, calipers and pads on the H&H I was rotating the hub and bearing on the right rear side and found that in one particular spot the hub was catching. Certainly there was slight resistance. This same resistance was there prior to changing the discs and and pads. There is no play or rocking from either of the wheels that may indicate bad bearings with the wheel on and raised for testing.
I’m thinking that the right rear bearing is about to, or already has, failed.
Vehicle has 124,000 miles and had previous life on ranch in Colorado. It was a working ranch vehicle. A full documented history does not show the bearings serviced. What’s the lifespan of a bearing?
Question is, can those bearings be removed from hub and greased or is doing so just prolonging the inevitable? A set of hub and bearings runs $200. If repacking rear are the front soon to follow?
my experience with bearings in these cars are the sooner you replace them the easier it is to do, if left to fail completely it will require a good size press to remove if you do it now so to speak you could do it with a small press ( i done mine with a 6 ton press)
no you can not re grease them, as they are sealed and the seals are basically destroyed when removed
as the ad says "just do it"
Is the tightness in the bearing or the diff? The only way you can really check the bearings is with the hub and half shaft off the car.
I’ve only tested for the tightness with the hub and bearing on vehicle. There’s a definite binding at one stage when rotating the hub and it’s definitely a bearing. I can feel it in the rotation.
I can buy the hub and bearing as a unit for $200. I don’t have a press so I think the purchase of an entire unit will be the way to go. Easy enough job....
I find it odd - but lucky - it was managed by a 6-ton press.
I had a friend with a Diesel on 35" and a heavy foot and he was constantly replaced them, needed to take the hubs to a shop where everyone was running for cover when the +30t machine was applying pressure ....
I have also read and heard is good to replace them (all) after a certain period, less rolling resistance, better running and fuel consumption, etc. etc. Mine have 273K km but it is not bad idea anyway, are on my list ....
That's why it isn't worth trying to replace the bearings, just replace the complete hub unit.
If you are rotating the rear hub by hand you will be turning the half shaft and diff as well, so not a good indication.
Better to pull the whole hub off and spin it in your hands.
Undo the axle nut, pull out the ABS sensor, then undo the bolts at the rear of the hub and split the hub.
You can easily tell if the bearing is OK when you have it on the bench and spin it in your hands.
I couldn't get the old bearing off without destroying it.
An OEM bearing is a double roller Timken. The fronts usually go first ....say 100K miles. Rears ..... 150K miles imho, but big variation in this mileage I suspect.
The aftermarket hubs and bearings are ball bearings and don't last. Made in India or whatever.
I've checked by simply taking the brake calliper and carrier off, unplugging the ABS sensor then removing the 6 bolts that hold the hub in place. Pull the whole lot out with half shaft, ABS sensor and brake disc. You can then spin the bearing to check it in under half an hour.
Yes. You could leave the half shaft on it and take it off as one piece.
I'd hazard you'd feel if it was going..
When my NSF bearing failed you could hear and feel it through the floor..
When it started to get really bad the steering wheel started to shake..
Both hubs will be here by Tuesday so I’ll get that all sorted.
Seller sent me LR029522, (ABS contacts) free and suggested that I get 2) FTC2249 bushings. From what I read the ABS sensor fits into LR029522, and FTC2249 keeps them in place.
Are the above 2 parts required for the ABS sensor or can the old ones be reused?
$25 for FTC2249!!
Absolutely no idea what FTC2249 is, never seen one of those and Rimmer Bros site describes it as an ABS sensor adapter. Adapter for what I've no idea. The sensor fits into LR029522 and should be lubricated with Silicone grease and pushed fully home.
There is a black plastic bush that presses into the hub and then a thin copper mesh thingy that the ABS sensor slots into.
Both cleaned up on mine and I reused them.
As Richard said use silicone grease on reassembly. Polish the sensor with some wire wool.
Microcat shows the black plastic bush pushing inside the copper mesh thing, that, and Rimmers describing it as an adapter, made me think maybe the later sensors were thinner and it allowed you to fit one of them. I thought the copper bit pushed straight into the hub but I must admit I've never taken that much notice of them, pulled them out, cleaned them up and put them back.
Theoretically the copper mesh behaves like a tolerance ring. Less area of contact but more pressure to give the right amount of grip. The relatively large contact area of the sensor body makes getting the right grip an exercise in inconveniently tight tolerances if plain holes are used. Most especially with the plastic bush as plastics are not known for super accuracy and dimensional stability with temperature.
Pity they didn't use the same system at the front. Then it might be possible to get the darn things out in one piece after a decade or so.
Clive
Part FTC2249 was absolutely required for the hub. It’s a type of drop in plug that holds the copper part number LR029522. Without it the copper holder for the ABS would not be secure and neither would the sensor itself. I was able to remove both of mine by putting a socket on them from inside the hub and hammer them out.
In the above photo, the lower hub was the one one right rear that was giving me the issues. Both were in vehicle from new. No idea how it could have gotten so rusty.
FYI, doing the whole job of removing hub and bearings, replacing both rotors, both brake calipers and pads took about 3 hours. Removing the 32mm center nut took a 700lb rated breaker bar, a 6’ hollow steel pipe and my 232lbs hopping on the bar while the car was sat on its 4 wheels. Finally broke free with an almighty crack sound! Don’t understand why these things are on so tight considering that the nut has a type of crimp it uses to lock it in place once tightened. While I was at it I drained the rear differential and refilled it with new oil. I had PB Blasted all the parts a day before.
I’d give it a 6/10 for difficulty. Can be done by amateur...
Is it rust or oil from the half shaft seal?
It is rust and oil. Seems to have been a bit of water in there too. There was no sign of water in the differential when I replaced the fluids in that.
I don’t know enough about these hubs to know if the top hub in photo is exceptionally clean or if they are all supposed to look like that. I have to assume that at some stage it had been replaced prior to my buying it 6 years ago because surely they can’t stay that clean for 20 years?
As an aside, does anyone know why the hub has those two holes opposite to each other? One hole holds the ABS sensor and the other one just has a stainless steel cap inside it.
So they can use the same hub casting on both sides. Depending on what side it is going on depends on which hole gets blanked off.