89 Hub & Wheel Bearing Assy.

XR7

Registered User
Ok, I understand this is an assembly that is said to replace as an assembly..

Given that.. I am curious if anyone has actually pressed out a bearing in this assembly, and pressed in a new bearing?.

I actually seen on line, that the bearings for an 89-90 Cougar were about 15 bucks.. But I also seen another site that sold the assembly for over 200...

If anyone has any input on if the bearing can be replaced successfully in the assembly, I would be happy to hear what you have come up with.

Karl
 
The races themselves are part of the hub assembly so if they are worn replacing just the bearing won't do. O DO know George Davenport has removed the bearings and repacked them before. They are held in with a retaining clip. No need to press them out to remove.

If you don't want to pay the big bucks you can get replacements on eBay for around $50. Also you can save money by upgrading to 91-97 front hubs and rotors for not much more than you would pay for the 89-90 Hub alone. Need to swap both rotors and hubs though...can't mix and match.
 
I just replaced a frt hub on my 98 Mark VIII, and it was listed at $66 and cost me $48. The 89 hubs are comprable to that.
 
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Comparable but won't work on an 89-90....the raised ring that makes the rotors hubcentric are a different diameter and obviously so is the corresponding hole in the rotor. Only the SC's had ABS in 89-90 so Ford jacked the price of the hubs. Essentially the same design 91-95 but more cars got ABS...could no longer justify the expense....higher volume...lower price.
 
Thanks for the Great Information Duffy...

I would really like to keep my parts as a 1989... solely for the reason if someone else ever gets this car.. and they need parts... they can ask for 1989 parts, and know they are replacing them correctly..

Anyway, I have a serious hummm on my car.. it goes away when I turn the steering wheel to the left.. and gets really bad when turned to the right.

It would be interesting to disassemble one. and see if the race is still good..

The only reservations I had with that is... if something gets severly messed up.. I am still stuck spending the 200 bucks... so that I can get the wheels back on the car.

Karl
 
Get the front wheels in the air....spin them both directions and listen/feel for any grinding, bumping, etc. - push/pull on the top/bottom of each tire & then front/rear.

If you find any (top/bottom) play, have a second person repeat the motion while you check the upper and lower control arm bushings to make sure they aren't contributing to the motion.

From your description, it seems like wheel bearings and/or brake pads. Might even be a bent dust shield, etc. Again, things to check with the front wheels in the air. You may want to go as far as taking the wheels off and spinning the bare hubs.

Good luck in any case.
 
Get the front wheels in the air....spin them both directions and listen/feel for any grinding, bumping, etc. - push/pull on the top/bottom of each tire & then front/rear.

If you find any (top/bottom) play, have a second person repeat the motion while you check the upper and lower control arm bushings to make sure they aren't contributing to the motion.

From your description, it seems like wheel bearings and/or brake pads. Might even be a bent dust shield, etc. Again, things to check with the front wheels in the air. You may want to go as far as taking the wheels off and spinning the bare hubs.

Good luck in any case.

With the car in the air, car was put in gear, and with the wheels spinning, a stethoscope was used in the rear. No noise was heard at all, on the rear.

unable to spin the front wheels fast enough, we were not able to use the stethoscope. however zero noticable grinding or rubbing was seen or felt. Also the wheels feel very solid with no movement in any direction.. other than spinning of course.. :)

My next step was going to be with the car in the air, wheels off, and spin the bare hubs that way.

You bring up a good point on the dust sheilds.. I will check that too.

Karl
 
A humming noise is 99.9% bearing. What you describe is typical. If you have a large bearing splitter and press then you can replace the bearings only.
 
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