Press or Tool Recommendation for Rear Wheel Bearing Failure?

Don Teeple

Registered User
I've had multiple rear wheel bearing failures now, and I'm not paying the GD Ford Dealer to press them in again.
Although I think I will see if they will warranty their job.

The first set they totally screwed up, the bearings were crushed, and I didn't discover the play right way. So I ate the cost to have new bearings pressed in at a later date, and thought I was good to go, they rolled tight in my hand.

After towing the car down to my other garage, and rolling it off the flatbed truck...
I was about to spark her up, and take her for a shake down run after some changes... then I look at the rear wheels, because I noticed the camber looked off on the left rear...,
the GD left rear bearing has HUGE End- PLAY.
Talk about pissed. Jack it up, and the dam wheel is all over the GD Place, check the right rear, it's perfect, they did that one right.

On the other 3 wheel ends, I'm going to make sure the axle nuts are still tight, and I will loctite them as well.

In fact I'm going to order a new set of locking nuts first.

Bottom line it cost over $200.00 to have the bearings pressed in last time, and thats with me bringing them parts in hand. After 0 (zero) miles, just sitting, the left rear bearing is totaly crushed.

This will be the 3rd GD time, :mad:
I have to believe I can buy the tools to do this myself for less than $500-$600.00

Any recommendations on a good, and reliable method of pressing bearings/races/ and hubs into my spindles?

Just a normal hydraulic press? or do they make something that positions itself on the spindle?

I don't have alot of cash on hand, but if OTC or Rotunda is the only way, I guess I'll hunt on ebay as well.

I sincerely appreciate any insight.
I hate depending on shop idiots for anything, I think I'm going to take paint and body classes next, LOL.

By all means, if anybody else knows of a possible cause of this with 0 (zero) miles, other than them being pressed in wrong, I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Don
 
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I had ford change the left rear bearing on my 92 when I bought it, then about 2 months later it went bad again. I took it back, they said I needed a new hub and I had to pay again. About three months later it went bad again, so I was PISSED. I took it apart myself this time, and took the whole spindle/hub w/ new bearing to a machine shop. I had them press it apart and we found the hub was worn again, so I bought another new hub. Press it together with a new bearing and its good. Take it home put it on the car, put the brakes back on, new lock nut, torque it down, get alignment.... good to go?

About 6 months later I'm driving home from work and the damn wheel is wobbling, brakes squealing, so I pull over, look at it, determine the bearing is shot. Drive home 20 miles at 5 miles per hour idle on the back roads.

The next morning I take it apart in my driveway (day before x-mas) and its cold but no snow. I get a new bearing and go to the machine shop. They tell me my hub is worn again so I call around and can't find one. Finally found one at a junk yard from a 97 LX sport. I buy the whole spindle assembly. Have them press it apart and put it in my spindle w/ my new bearing. Get home, put it back together, put a new lock nut on and Loc-tite the **** out of it. Let it dry an hour, then drove it to work. Its been over a year now and no failure. I think the threads on my axle shaft are worn causing the nut to work loose over time and then the bearing fails. The nut was finger tight the last time. I think that the new nut and loctite are whats saving me right now but I have taken the car all over 20k+ miles last year and its good.
 
I just checked mine, and the side that was ok was still at 250 ft pounds, the side that had play was at 150 ft lbs, so I don't know if that was the entire problem. Either it's my fault or it loosened the same way yours did.

I just took the impact, and ran it up to 250-260 ft lbs, and now the end play is gone, I doubt the bearing was damaged, since it hardly rolled at all.

I'm going to order all new locking nuts, and grab a gallon pale of loctite, :D

Thanks for your insight.
I'm still going to figure out how to press these on myself,
Thanks in advance to anyone who can share how to press them in / tools etc,

Don
 
Don, this is one of those jobs that have an infinite number of ways to mess it up, but only one way to get it right! I have done several of these with no failures.

Here is a link to our article on rear wheel bearing installation:

http://www.sccoa.com/articles/rearwheelbearing.php

Here is a picture of the rear bearing disassembled:

bearing2.jpg


As you can see it is a double roller bearing that has two tapered parts. The problem in assembly usually occurs when the hub is pressed back in the bearing. That can either cause the whole bearing to be moved in the knuckle or can push out the back half of the bearing as the hub goes in. Once the hub is pressed in, it is easy to check for problems before the knuckle is installed back on the car. The hub should turn freely and there should be NO play in it.

My best tool for reinstalling the bearing is made from the old bearing. I have one disassembled bearing that I use the outer race for pressing back in the new bearing into the knuckle. This puts pressure on just the outside of the new bearing. Make sure the new bearing starts squarely in the knuckle bore. There is a large “step” counterbore in the knuckle just before where the big clip fits. The bearing should set there, then the old outer race is put on top of that. Some type of solid metal bar goes over the old race and then it can be pressed in. It must be seated very firmly in the knuckle.

Then you can turn the knuckle over (don’t install the big clip, yet!) and press in the hub. I use an old bearing that has not been disassembled to support the new bearing already in the knuckle. This old bearing will support both the outer and inner races of the new bearing and will prevent the new bearing from moving in the bore or having the hub dislodge the back half of the bearing. The hub must be seated very firmly into the bearing. The end of the hub will be about flush with the back of the bearing.

Now check for any play. If the bearing has moved in any way there will be plenty of play!

I do have the Rotunda “kit” for the rear knuckle. The best part of the kit is the 4”-5” steel cylinder that is cut to support the knuckle while the old bearing is being pressed out. This is difficult (but not impossible) to achieve without this piece. I also use a bearing splitter to hold knuckle for pressing out the old hub. A deep well impact socket of the appropriate size makes a good tool for using to press out the hub.

If you have other questions or any of this is unclear, feel free to post or email me for more detail.
 
Oh, and since George didn't mention it this time I will.

You must use new nuts on the axles when you take the old one off. The nuts are a locking type that crushes when torqued to the proper torque. Once crushed, if you remove it, it is junk. Throw it away and get another one. It'll never stay tight otherwise.
 
Thanks!!!!

George,

That's exactly what I was looking for,

Your a gentlman and a scholar.

I'll save additional questions until I have parts and tools in hand.

Thanks for your insight.

Don

Ps. I still have your caliper bracket/adapters for my cobra rear rotors mounted, nice piece of hardware, only minor grinding needed, Still holding solid to date... Thanks Again!
 
Just my two cents. Throw the hub in your freezer prior to pressing it in. The cold will shrink the hub a little making it easier to press in
 
I just want to add one thing that I haven't seen yet, but have seen it as a not to do. My ford service manual states NOT to use an impact wrench to tighted the hub nut as it will damage it and it will not hold the hub in place. So maybe that is the problem? Just thought that I'd add that.
 
007_SuperCoupe said:
I just want to add one thing that I haven't seen yet, but have seen it as a not to do. My ford service manual states NOT to use an impact wrench to tighted the hub nut as it will damage it and it will not hold the hub in place. So maybe that is the problem? Just thought that I'd add that.

I wonder if they meant "over-torquing" as causing a problem, or the actual hammer motion of an impact.

I'm guessing since most impacts go to 350+tq, and some alot more, they advise against it because 99% of the time an impact is going to be set at too high of a torqe setting, and for accuracy.

I just happened to have one that gives a torque spec at pressure and it comes to exactly 250 psi maxed out at 100psi, I'm sure it could be 5% off though, I did run it at 100psi exactly.

I agree the safer method would be to use a torque wrench. I wonder how they do it in a few of the local Ford dealers ( like I haven't already seen them throwing big bertha impact on there, probably 900 ftlbs) :mad:
 
Hey Teeps,

I have a 20 ton press in my garage, and the correct hub support. I also have a couple of rear knuckles in good shape. If you are in a bind, I can probably help you.
 
Don.....I would suggest using a torque wrench instead of the impact wrench. I have one but it only when up to 150lbs, so I rented one from Autozone that went up to 250lbs.
 
DLF said:
Hey Teeps,

I have a 20 ton press in my garage, and the correct hub support. I also have a couple of rear knuckles in good shape. If you are in a bind, I can probably help you.

Thanks Doug,

I'll see how things go after a few miles on the beast.
Looks like it will be ok.

I originally thought the 99 Cobra hubs might somehow be related to the problem, thankfully looks like they are fine.
 
I believe the issue with the impact is the possible damage it can do to the nut as it is pounding it to a higher torque rather than smootly applying pressure.

Since the nut is really made up of multiple pieces, it is a bit more fragile and could become deformed from beating on it.

If it was a regular style wheel nut, I wouldn't have any issue with using an impact to tighten it. But these multi-part locking wheel nuts should really just be done with a torque wrench.
 
I found the one part you have to have on E-Bay for $5. Retail is $65. The knuckle cup is a very large cup you sit the knuckle on when pressing the bearing in and out. You need a 6" 3 prong puller to remove the center hub.

A buddy who works the back counter at a dearlership told me about 1 out of 6 bearings are destroyed when the shop does the work. Very tricky to do and can cost you a knuckle or bearing if done wrong.

205-286.jpg
 
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