New Wheel Bearings Installed

[abc40kids]

So I've had all the parts for a few weeks now and decided today after I cut the grass I'd go ahead and give one wheel a try.

I bought a 20 ton bottle jack ( recommended by someone here ) it worked great!! I had a grease gun, bearing packer, new bearings, seals and races. I also went to harbor freight and bought a race insert kit for like $25.00 and that was a life saver by itself.

I guess the hardest part was getting the old races out but even that wasn't too bad. The bearings, seals and races were pretty cheap so I just replaced everything. I won't say how long it's been since the bearings had been looked at. The old grease looked ok to me but those bearings were 8 years old and cheap to replace so it's all new now. Also adjusted the brakes while I had the wheel off the ground...... The wheel was spinning very free and with a little adjustment I had it making the swoosh swoosh sound. I was told to give it a little resistance, sound right???

I guess all in all about 1.5 hours for that one wheel and the other three will go quicker now that I know what to expect.

[Cummins12V98]

Dave H M wrote:
Not to start a whizzing contest here, but I would never change a wheel bearing unless it needed it. If the old bearings were good, what is to say that you installed a "new" one that is not up to spec?

I do not change good bearings for the hey of it.

Just my hard headed thoughts on it. :W

You area so right. If the bearings and races look good that means they are working well together as a set. Clean and repack is less expensive. The new bearings may not be as good of quality as the old ones.

[Lokin4deer]

Can I ask what the parts cost you for one tire? I did 1 tire on my camper and it was 55.00 for bearings, races and seal.

[Dave_H_M]

Not to start a whizzing contest here, but I would never change a wheel bearing unless it needed it. If the old bearings were good, what is to say that you installed a "new" one that is not up to spec?

I do not change good bearings for the hey of it.

Just my hard headed thoughts on it. :W

[Vulcaneer]

Add to that the fact that you know the job was done right. And if not, you can blame yourself. Lots easier to do that, than to blame some professional (who should know what they are doing) you paid big bucks to screw it up. Oh! And they do, sometimes.

And now if something does happen down the road, you know how things go together, and the condition of everything when you last saw it. And what you did to make it all work...ie:adjustments, packing, preloads, etc.

Not to mention all the money you saved.

[kellertx5er]

Supreme Oppressor wrote:
There is a certain satisfaction gained from doing a job yourself. You now know the condition of your brakes and bearings and can avoid worrying about them while on vacation. (Also, it's easier changing them in the driveway than on the side of a highway while wondering where to buy parts on a weekend.)

That is exactly my sentiment. I grew up doing all of my automotive maintenance and take a measure of pride in that. I know that when I do a job it is done correctly.

As for bearing replacement in the field, I have done it and it is very tedious at best. I would recommend to everyone to keep one full set of bearings, races and seals on board in case one decides to melt down.

[Supreme_Oppress]

There is a certain satisfaction gained from doing a job yourself. You now know the condition of your brakes and bearings and can avoid worrying about them while on vacation. (Also, it's easier changing them in the driveway than on the side of a highway while wondering where to buy parts on a weekend.)

[aruba5er]

Shop labor here is charged at $95 an hour. By the time the mechanic gets the bearings, grease, jack etc around, gets it jacked up, wheels off and on and on you probably got3 hours for 4 wheels from start to finish including adjusting brakes, putting stuff away, etc . Not cheap. Thats why you have to learn how to do it yourself or have deep pockets. One of the biggest troubles I have in paying for labor is, did all that time charged go into MY repair or did someone interupt, chew the s**t, go to the bathroom, take a break, you know, ? Now how much time was really spent. $1.60 a minute adds up really fast. Would be better to get quote on how much the job costs and pay no more (flat rate)

[abc40kids]

I would have given them $250.00 to repack them, I figured with them doing it all the time an hour or so per side, I'd even went $300.00 at the time.

[B_O__Plenty]

$600.00!! That's insane.I would never go back there for anything...Should be $150.00-200.00..Where do these rip-off artists come from?

B.O.

[abc40kids]

Peg Leg wrote:
Nice work. You now have a skill that will save you a lot of money over shop fees. You'll know the job is done right instead of wondering how much experience the dealer mechanic has.

Your right, the shop told me $600.00 to repack the bearings! Think I'm gonna pull the one wheel I did back off and check the castle nut to make sure it's not too tight. I don't think it is but at the same time I a previous poster said snug it up good to make sure it seats then back off..... I never really got it real tight and then backed off.

[Peg_Leg]

Nice work. You now have a skill that will save you a lot of money over shop fees. You'll know the job is done right instead of wondering how much experience the dealer mechanic has.

[Charlie_D_]

Make sure your drift tool for removing the races left no burrs to prevent the race from setting square.

[Vulcaneer]

jfkmk wrote:
I have Dexter axles and they say to torque the bearing nut to 50 ft lbs while turning the wheel, loosen the nut then only finger tighten. You may be a bit too tight if there is resistance. I'd google instructions from the axle manufacturer.

That being said, congratulations on doing the job yourself. I do all the work on my vehicles myself. This saves me a ton of money and enables me to use superior parts.

But since you said you experienced a little resistance only after adjusting the brakes, I think your wheel bearing preload must be OK.

But in case you are wondering, what jfkmk is right about setting bearing pre-load. 50 pounds while spinning. Back off. Finger tight. Insert cotter pin. Done.

[jfkmk]

I have Dexter axles and they say to torque the bearing nut to 50 ft lbs while turning the wheel, loosen the nut then only finger tighten. You may be a bit too tight if there is resistance. I'd google instructions from the axle manufacturer.

That being said, congratulations on doing the job yourself. I do all the work on my vehicles myself. This saves me a ton of money and enables me to use superior parts.