Anybody replace the front Wheel Bearings?

BobGPz

Registered User
What color is your ABS Sensor Ring? Gold in color OR an ACTUAL GEAR on there?
I don't feel so bad knowing that it wasn't me screwing up the new bearing. The one the mechanic just put on (#8) went bad in one day. Couldn't help but notice the box (CarQuest) is where I got the first 6 of them. The ones I have been unlucky with have a goldish color ring on for the ABS Sensor. The bearings with a gear seem to hold up and I think Timkin makes the good ones. So if anybody remembers what kind you put on let me know please? 8 is a bit much and a bent spindle won't fry them in 10 miles. Yes the spindle is fine and straight.
 
Last edited:
Damn Bob....Sounds like you are going through wheel bearings like your ex is going through husbands...... :D

Timkins and Fafnir are very good bearings........We use them when rebuilding pump motors and air grinders.......

Are the front bearings getting the proper amount of lubrication they deserve?

Could they have been installed incorrectly?
 
BobGPz said:
Yes the spindle is fine and straight.
I know that the spindle is the easiest and logical solution, but like I said the spindle is FINE. If it is good, then I ain't going to throw parts at this POS car. I've inspected it and so has a professional front end mechanic. It's been checked for true, cracks, flaws, warps, had micrometers on it several times, probed by aliens, and everthing just shy of taken off and magnafluxed.

But my original question..what color have you all put on yours? The reason I ask is it seems as all the bearings I've gone through have this cheap brass sensor ring on them and I was trying to see if anyone tried these brass type. If so, I was going to say don't waste your time and money. The frontend mech swapped the front bearings and the noise switched sides, so obviously a bad bearing (#8), duh. Anyways, the replacement bearings I have gone through ALL had a brass/gold colored ABS Sensor ring on them except one that had a metal gear as shown is richard's picture above. That GEARED BEARING has been the problem free one I replaced two+ years ago from the same source as the problem bearings. They have the same part number and box, but the only visible difference is that sensor ring. You want to get one with the aluminum/metal gear. So stay away from the brass sensor-ringed bearings. They look like a brass lip with dents in it all the way around it. These are the cheap ones. To refer to what Ed said..the Timkin's are good...That is what the mechanic put on and it has the gear to match the other front one. He said they are getting hard to find and to pickup an extra one before I don't have a choice other than the other cheap kind. The car drives 20 times better now. Hopefully it will last and I don't have to eat my words I've just said. :eek: :p
 
Last edited:
the-big-e said:
...Fafnir are very good bearings.....
...Are the front bearings getting the proper amount of lubrication they deserve?
:eek: Funny you mention my Ex-Wife AND then the name of her personalized license plates on her car (Fafnir).. Wooah! That is weird man! :D
Also, the bearings are sealed and don't need any lube..
 
TbirdSCFan said:
The original ones have an aluminum tooth ring. See attachment. :)
Might not actually be aluminum, but it looks like aluminum.... to induce a current pulse in the sensor probe, it would need to be some sort of ferrous material. :eek:
 
Look at your hub above and then these attached ones....These are what I've been trying to explain as the El Crappo ones..
 

Attachments

  • Bad Hub 1.jpg
    Bad Hub 1.jpg
    124.8 KB · Views: 122
  • Bad Hub 2.jpg
    Bad Hub 2.jpg
    130.9 KB · Views: 89
BobGPz said:
:eek: Funny you mention my Ex-Wife AND then the name of her personalized license plates on her car (Fafnir).. Wooah! That is weird man! :D
Also, the bearings are sealed and don't need any lube..
dee to dee to de to dee to dee to dee to......You have entered a world of altered reality......A place where time and space have no meaning......Where SC's break down for no reason..........

Look!!!!.....Up ahead.........

Theres a sign post that reads......."You just entered the BobGPzone!!!!!!!" :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
I would try hard to identify the bearing used in that hub. RockAuto lists BCA bearings for the front and rear. BCA is under the umbrella of the large parts company Federal-Mogul.

Personally I'd stick with BCA or Timken bearings.

Here is a link to the Federal-Mogul applications catalog.
http://www.federal-mogul.com/cda/channel/index/0,2186,2442_7108,00.html

Note I just called a Carquest location close to me to see what they had on the shelf. It was a Federal-Mogul/BCA part 513092. (Their price was $89.20, $23.00 more than what it is at www.rockauto.com)

I wonder if that's the same number you've been getting from them.
 
Mike8675309 said:
...
Personally I'd stick with BCA or Timken bearings...Note I just called a Carquest location close to me to see what they had on the shelf. It was a Federal-Mogul/BCA part 513092. (Their price was $89.20, $23.00 more than what it is at www.rockauto.com)...

Mike, I think maybe you priced these bearings (Or CarQuest did) for a 92+ cause that is REAL cheap. Mine have been running about $130 on up (1989 - 1990). Though that is the part number stamped on the bearing race that you listed above. Hmmm. :confused:

Carquest had ONE bearing that had the gear on it and I put that on the passenger side. Had zero problems with that one. The other bearing as shown in my last post above has the brass looking funky ring with dents. I went through 5? of carquest's before they told me to get bent. Then I bought a Federated bearing from Thrifty Auto Supply, also with the same part number. They all have the same part number and show a geared bearing on the box, but that isn't what was in most of them. The FE mechanic put on a Timken bearing on this last shot and it has a gear and is working excellent. I can tell by the way my car drives now that this is the bearing I have been needing, though hard to come by.
 
Mike8675309 said:
...Their price was $89.20, $23.00 more than what it is at www.rockauto.com...
I don't need a new bearing now /crosses his fingers and toes\ but I just looked at that site and they have a price of $187.79 listed on left and the $67.00 listed on the right. Is the right side price if you order online or something?? $187 seemed to be the going rate around town for these..

edit...nevermind..I see that is for a Corvette distributor.. :eek: :eek: :eek: :D
 
Mike, I look at it with three options
1) Hope this bearing holds together (Which I am confident it will)
2) Swap to differrent spindles/rotors/calipers/end links
3) Sell the car
I don't like my last option much.. :D
 
If you are positive your spindles are good, there is no need to swap them unless you want to change brakes. You can just the the later hub/bearings and then later rotors.

Don't give up on the car for such a simple problem. Make sure it's a better reason than that before you get rid of it. If you don't, you'll regret it later.
 
Back
Top