wheel bearings

sonoma · Post by **sonoma** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:26 pm

how often is everyone replacing the wheel bearings????

i ask this because i seem to be changing them every year

the past 9 months i have changed 3 on the left side and now my right side is starting to go
what can cause bearings to go bad??

Post by **HenryJ** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:58 pm

Poor quality bearings? How many miles are you getting out of a set and what driving conditions are common for you?
I am on my first replacement set.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Fri May 08, 2009 3:52 pm

Are you "packing" them when you install the new bearings. Must be really really cheap bearings for such a short lifespan.

Post by **HenryJ** » Fri May 08, 2009 4:52 pm

They are a sealed hub assembly. Something to look forward to. Plan on $200-$300 each for good ones.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Fri May 08, 2009 5:00 pm

So the 3 he is talking about are two in the hub and the outer on the rear axle?? Maybe he's getting them too tight. Heck, what would I know I've never changed a hub bearing thingamajig thingy.

Post by **HenryJ** » Fri May 08, 2009 5:03 pm

Three sets would be my guess. Probably close to $1000 worth.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Fri May 08, 2009 5:15 pm

Somethings not right here then.

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Fri May 08, 2009 6:04 pm

The front wheel bearings are sealed and can't be overtightened. The rear wheel bearings are just pressed in and also can't be overtightened. Both front and rear wheel bearings require no grease. Even though there is no actual mileage when either one should be replaced you should get at least 50k miles out of them unless you frequently beat the hell out of your truck.

My 2001 CC had 100k miles on the factory front wheel bearings when I wrecked it and they were still in good shape. My 2005 ZR2 has 80k now and the bearings are still good. I bought my 1988 S10 Blazer from the original owner and she said the front wheel bearings have never been replaced and I now have 220k miles on it.

I agree that you should always buy high quality bearings even if they are 2x the price of the cheap ones.

Steve

roadrunner · Post by **roadrunner** » Fri May 08, 2009 7:15 pm

I have to replace my fronts about every 20-30k. They don't last long on my roads out here. Lots of rough washboards take their toll. Also of note I only drive mine when the roads are too bad to drive with a car due to mud/snow and there are lots of ruts to contend with whether wet or dry. Very hard on those front bearings. Doesn't seem to make much difference whether or not I spend lots on them or not either. They just get beat to death.

sonoma · Post by **sonoma** » Tue May 12, 2009 5:53 pm

the original bearings lasted me 3 years than once i had to replace them and gone to aftermarket they were being replaced almost yearly, and i put about 35 000 km a year. I have been getting my bearings from napa so maybe it is the cheap bearings. fortunately for me the bearings were under warranty so it wasnt too bad. Would ac delco bearings last longer???

DLP · Post by **DLP** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:08 pm

I got 80,000 out of the stock bearings. Replaced both within 3 months of each other. 6 months later I had to replace them again. I bought the middle of the road ones at $130 each. Lucky for me they had a 1 year warrnty. Auto Zone replaced them for free. I paid the difference to get the best ones I could get through them. I think they were Timkin? They are a billit cast instead of being welded together. Night and day difference in quality.

junkraider · Post by **junkraider** » Mon May 18, 2009 8:28 am

I just replacaed mine and they seem fine but the darn ABS light wont turn off i had someone remove the code it was giving but the darn light just came back on he says its cause i bought the middle grade ones that are after market and that i should have bought the ones froma GM dealership . any one got a clue if hes right or is there something else i can do to turn the ABS light off ???

sonoma · Post by **sonoma** » Wed May 20, 2009 11:05 am

i had that problem as well with one of the bearings i replaced
from now on its the dealer bearings

Horsehammerr · Post by **Horsehammerr** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:25 am

I've got 131,000 on my originals, YIKES !!

I wonder whats up with that ?

Horsehammerr · Post by **Horsehammerr** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:23 am

Anybody use the ones Synergy Offroad sells ? They are made by Wheel Bearings Inc. At $ 94.50 each its hard to pass them up.

LUVMY02CREW · Post by **LUVMY02CREW** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:23 pm

I had the Synergy ones put on my truck. Everything seems fine with them. I don't go wheeling in my crew so I cannot attempt to guess how they would hold up under stressful poundings. Just my

JaVeRo · Post by **JaVeRo** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:12 pm

I replaced the left front at 85,100 miles. The truck has 169,300 miles on it now. I think the one that went bad I replaced with a Timken but I'm not sure. Right front is still the original.

James