Front Wheel Bearings 3rd set at 77.000? WTF?

Hi I know this site is for much older cars then I am writing about but my questions/problems can be a problem for any car...I have a front wheel drive car that I got NEW and it now has 77,000 miles on it.......The 1st set of front wheel bearings went bad about 55,000....2nd set went bad at 77,000...that is only 22,000 miles apart..........Now the 3RD SET is going bad!....Each time both sides were bad and I replaced both sides...These bearings are the non greasable type and are a press in fit....The car was never hit and the spindles/hubs are good..........I can only think the 1st and 2nd sets were garbage and made in china......I don't know what to use this time or what cheap junk I may get again!?.......Can some one tell me what company makes a good bearing that is worth using?...Thanks Miller

 

A number of issues come to mind. First, who installed the bearings and how were they installed? If a hammer was used to force them in, it may be that the bearing suffered damage at installation. They should always be pressed in. Second, the bearings may have been made in China or some other country. That would mean, to me, that you are replacing junk with future junk. It would help a lot if you let us know what make, model, car you have.

 

Hi thanks for the quick reply....It is a 2002 pt cruise...1st set was oem...2nd set I think was timk or something like that and it was pressed in by a shop....Thanks Miller

 

You need to check the battery ground wires. If the ground wires are broken or not making good connections, the starter and alt will seek ground through the wheel bearings. You also want to check to be sure the axle shafts and not bent. I would also have to wonder if you have a pair of improperly machined hubs. Also check the engine/trans mounts for looseness or misalignment.

Back in my Tech days, the cause of premature failure of wheel bearings were 80% bad grounds, 10% misalignment/loose engine/trans mounts, and 5% poorly machined housings. Everything else fit in the last 5%. Gene

 

Excessive torque on the axle nuts seems to be the most common cause of premature wheel bearing failure. Some guys just hammer on 'em till they won't go anymore, but that's probably 500 ft-lbs or so with modern high power guns.

 

According to the SAAB factory repair manual, their front wheel bearings were hand-picked for proper tolerances, and they warn against using just any bearing with the same SKF number on it.

If there's absolutely no toe-in or -out the wheels might wander microscopically trying to find straight ahead, and wear the bearings. Double check tow-in.

 

Thanks for the info guys I will start looking at the suggested areas for possible causes........ I did notice that when I go to starting the motor it takes a second and sounds as if the battery is going dead before it starts...I will start looking at the grounds 1st, and then look at the other areas...Any suggestions as to what brand name bearing to use???....Thanks Miller

 

Hi in the past 2 weeks I went back and forth with Chrysler about these bearings......This is what I found ...They are not going to help me in any way!....They will not tell me what company made the oem bearings??!!..Why NOT are their bearings JUNK???..At this time I am sol.....And they will not honor the warranty mistake made by their dealer!... I am not sure what bearing to replace the bad ones with!...I am afraid to replace JUNK with JUNK.....THIS MUCH I AM SURE OF,.... I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING MADE BY CHRSYLER AGAIN AS LONG AS I LIVE......If I have to make a choice of riding in a Chrsyler or walking down the street with a picture of a FORD or a CHEVY in my pocket I WILL WALK WITH THAT PICTURE....I was told by a auto store that timkin bearing was sold to CHINA???.I ask again does anyone know what company makes a GOOD wheel bearing?........Thanks for any info....Miller

 

Timken bearings used to say "Made In USA" right on the bearing race I think. Most stuff made in China now says "China" right on it like they're really proud of it.

Hopefully it's the bad ground that caused it and not ****py bearings. I've seen U-joint bearings on rear wheel drive cars go bad due to bad grounds too.

It used to be that catalogs for parts would write "imported" next to any imported parts so you'd know what you were getting, but now people don't seem to want to tell you whether they're imported anymore.

 

A majority of Chrysler products come with ground straps that bolt onto the strut brackets and lead to the inner fender. These are ground straps to stop premature wheel bearing failure! Most straps are broken and get thrown away.....The first Omni Horizons had them so you know the problem started a long time ago.....

 

In my experience (15 years ASE mechanic) I've tended to find that the best parts are usually the ones from the factory- meaning Motorcraft parts in a Ford, Delco/Delphi parts in a GM etc. Granted a lot of the bigger aftermarket companies are supplying parts to the factories now (Bosch, Bendix, etc.) so the same quality can sometimes be found in the aftermarket. However the best fitting, most correctly made parts typically are available back at the place you bought the car from.
Afterall- those original bearings that lasted 55,000 miles-that's twice as long as any of your replacements.

I'm sorry to send you back somewhere you don't want to go but that'd be my advice- and no, I've never worked for a dealership in my life.

Good luck with it.

Jay

 

50dodge and ratmotor are rite on with the ground wire. My mom had a 1980 dodge omni and the ground straps from the engine to the body only clipped to the body and there was paint on the panel it clipped to. So the ground went through the bearings and burnt them out one after another till I split one open and looked at it. The balls and race was all arked and that made me look at the grounds. JC

 

I 4th the motion, check the grounds........

 

How about front wheels/ tires? Are you running huge fat tires, and or a lot of wheel offset?

 

Hi Thanks guys for the info...I am running the stock type tires and rims....I did not see any ground straps....I think I may have to buy the OEM bearings ( not that I want to but what is there?? )...as far as the ground straps I will put some there and onto other areas grounding,bonding the body,frame,motor,trans,battery all together so a ground can be found without using the bearings as a wire or the source for the ground...Thanks again for the info and help....Miller
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Its likely that the rotating m*** of the tire/rim combination developes a static charge that looks for a path to ground through the bearings. Hence the grounding straps....