How to: 2002 Explorer rear wheel bearing replacement (pictures)

[scdix50]

Your paying for a bearing that is not a TIMKEN in a timken kit. The brand bearing in my kits should be as good as a TIMKEN and may well be better than a TIMKEN. I do not like having bought an item by name and get some thing different. I think everyone should be aware of what they are ordering.

 

[SyberTiger]

Your paying for a bearing that is not a TIMKEN in a timken kit. The brand bearing in my kits should be as good as a TIMKEN and may well be better than a TIMKEN. I do not like having bought an item by name and get some thing different. I think everyone should be aware of what they are ordering.

Not to be argumentative but using your thought process your Ford Explorer is not a "Ford". A significant number of components are manufactured by companies whose name doesn't begin with an F and end in a D and many of those parts are made in other countries far, far away from here.

My point was...the bearings you bought ARE of the highest standard so don't sweat it.

 

[chitown1211]

### is a high quality brand, but it is odd that they are putting ### bearings in a TIMKEN box. Not sure why they would do that?




The above "Ford isn't a Ford" analogy doesn't really hold up IMO. Nobody thinks every piece of a their Explorer is built by "Ford".... but ### is a good bearing none the less.

 

[RicketyExplorer]

I work at a auto parts store, and I get a good discount on parts, but my explorer seems to go through bearings about a year to a year in a half even with the so called quality ones like timken or bca/nationa,l so I just buy the cheap Chinese one I get the same amount of time out of it.
I was told that if the wheels are not aligned that it will go through bearings quicker.

 

[Pontisteve]

You guys gotta be doing something wrong. Quality bearings should have no trouble lasting at least 60 to 80k or more. Interesting point about wheel alignment... there might be something to that. It would have to be pretty bad though.

I personally believe the bulk of the problems are likely caused by pressing them in wrong/not supporting the right areas. Incorrect torque might contribute as well.

 

[lizardking228]

I posted this in the other part of the forum but thought I might try here too since this is the thread that I used. I really am stumped....

About a month ago I had my rear differential completely replaced on my 2wd 2003 Explorer with 130k miles. Two weeks later my original rear drivers side wheel bearing went bad and started grinding. So I replaced that (using a thread on this forum), and it went fine. A week later my original rear passenger side wheel bearing went bad and started grinding. So I replaced that, but immediately after replacing it (within driving 500-100 feet at 30-40 mph), the same rear passenger bearing started grinding and tearing itself up. It was completely ground up after driving a few thousand feet. So, I replaced it again, and again when I got up to 30-40 mph the bearing immediately went bad and ground up. I torqued the axle nut to 203 foot/lbs on both sides. The bearings were pressed by a well known reputable shop. What could be causing this?

SUCCESS! I just wanted to post an update in here to thank everyone for their help and let you all know what the problem was. After getting yet another bearing, and having it pressed in by a different shop (the pressing was not the problem), I attempted to put my hub/knuckle assembly back on. But I was encountering a lot of resistance. I noticed before with the other ones that when putting my hub assembly back onto the half shaft I had resistance, but I pushed it on as much as I could, and drew the rest of the splined shaft through the hub with the axle nut.

On this most recent one, when I saw I was having trouble pushing the axle through the hub, I took out my first Timken hub I bought, same thing. Then the second Timken hub, same thing. They wouldn't just push all the way on by hand, they only went like 3/4 of the way. I took it to autozone, and had them bring out a new half shaft. That shaft went right through like greased lightning. So I bought the half shaft, put it in, installed the hub assembly, and it all works perfectly.

What happened is that the hub splines were being caught on the half shaft when I torqued down the nut, so that the bearing was not being pushed all the way back to the cv joint. I THOUGHT I was putting 203 ft/lbs of torque on the bearing, but I was actually putting none at all. The inner ring of the bearing MUST be butted up and touching the cv joint on the backside to load the bearing (the inner ring rotates right along with the half shaft so it's ok that they touch, while the outer ring is stationary inside the knuckle which doesn't touch the cv joint), it just wasn't getting there cause it was binding up before the shaft came all the way though. It got close though which made it hard to realize that something was amiss. Somehow I bent or twisted those splines or the shaft, probably heating it up and putting force on it when I drove home 40 miles after the very first bearing went bad.

 

[Pontisteve]

When that happened, you couldn't tell that the axle nut threads weren't sticking out far enough? And the 203 ft lbs of torque was not enough to pull the axle thru the hub?

So were the splines of the hub butting up against the ends of the splines on the shaft? Or were they lining up, grooving together, and then the splines had a twist or obstruction in them that wouldn't let them continue all the way? And the spindle was able to be bolted back into position, even though the axle would basically be trying to keep the spindle from coming towards the car all the way?

So when you got the axle out and looked at the splines, what did you see?? And finally, because the bearing wasn't fully loaded, it was just able to push the inner tapered bearing right out the back within 1,000 feet? wow.

 

[lizardking228]

When that happened, you couldn't tell that the axle nut threads weren't sticking out far enough? And the 203 ft lbs of torque was not enough to pull the axle thru the hub?

So were the splines of the hub butting up against the ends of the splines on the shaft? Or were they lining up, grooving together, and then the splines had a twist or obstruction in them that wouldn't let them continue all the way? And the spindle was able to be bolted back into position, even though the axle would basically be trying to keep the spindle from coming towards the car all the way?

So when you got the axle out and looked at the splines, what did you see?? And finally, because the bearing wasn't fully loaded, it was just able to push the inner tapered bearing right out the back within 1,000 feet? wow.

I couldn't tell that the threads were not all the way through. I was probably like 2-3 threads short. The axle appeared to go through all the way it just wasn't quite there. Yes 203 was not enough to pull it through. There was nothing that would pull it through. It somehow would bind and hit a point where it just wasn't budging anymore.

The splines were lining up and grooving together, and the axle would go through almost all the way. I connected the control arms and everything fine, everything looked straight. Was probably a cm or less away from the bearing touching the cv joint.

I couldn't detect anything wrong with the axle spline with my eyes. There must have been a bend or twist in it that was too minor to just see. And yes, without that bearing butted up against the cv joint housing, it pushed it out the back in less than 1000 ft.

 

[Jmoney352]

Hey everyone

So im in the market for replacing my rear bearings on my 02 ex. I checked autozones website for the part and came up with two different parts. One is the entire hub/bearing assembly (which seems to be the same if not very similar to the front bearings i just replaced 2 months ago)and the other part appears to be just the bearing? I am not sure which one I would need. I am assuming i need the entire assembly since that is what the front end required.

Also, I checked the OP and in the write up it mentioned something about getting the bearings "pressed" or something of that sort. Does this mean I have to take the old parts and have a shop exchange them for new ones?

Sorry for the stupid questions I'm somewhat of a newb when it comes to car repair, but i enjoy DIY projects... and saving money

 

[Pontisteve]

Originally, you could only buy the hub assembly. It's not like the front hub at all. It's a pressed in hub, not a bolt-in. The hub assembly consists of the hub (which is basically that axle looking thing that holds the 5 lugnuts), the bearing, and the snap ring.

Later on, the bearing became available separately thru Ford and thru the aftermarket. While it's true that you usually only need to replace the bearing, you might as well just get the hub assembly if it's not much more money. It has 5 new wheel studs, and you don't have to worry about cutting or pressing off the inner race, which would typically end up stuck to the hub. Plus it's nice and new, rust free, and comes with a new snap ring.

You have to pull the spindle off the truck (which ain't easy), and then have a shop press out the old bearing and press in a new one (which definitely ain't easy). There is a lot of technique required here, so I advise you to read thru at least the first several pages of this thread. Or at least read my posts, as I detailed the whole process. It is CRITICAL to have the new bearing pressed in correctly, and if/how the backing plate comes off is a time-sensitive thing in the process as well.

I'll warn you that getting the tie rod off without damaging the boot is tricky, because a pickle fork doesn't have a lip to grab onto, and will damage the boot.

While you're doing this job, take a hard look at whether or not the axle seals at the rear end are leaking. If so, they make an updated 1 piece seal that replaces the current two piece seal, and you might as well do them while the spindles are off.

 

[Jasone352]

Yeah it sounds pretty technical but I think I'm Goin to go for it.

So, if I purchase the entire assembly do I still have to get a shop to press the bearings, or is that only necessary when purchasing the bearing by itself?

I will definetly read more through the post before starting this job. I still have to purchase the parts and a couple necessary tools.

Also, I don't have any air tools, is this something that can be accomplished with only elbow grease? Or are those tools a necessity?

Thanks a bunch for the advice!

 

[scdix50]

Please go to & read at least the first 10 pages of this thread. I have enclosed a photo of the kits.

 

[angler3]

Thanks to the thread, saved a ton on repair. So i paid to press them out. Paid $25 a bearing to have them pressed out at local machine shop. They told me that one of them was a real "bear" to remove.Well Worth the money spent.

 

[thepotroast]

Thanks to the thread, saved a ton on repair. So i paid to press them out. Paid $25 a bearing to have them pressed out at local machine shop. They told me that one of them was a real "bear" to remove.Well Worth the money spent.

The better option is to replace the entire hub assembly and have the new bearing pressed into the new unit. Pressing out an old bearing and then pressing in a new bearing into an old hub assembly opens a lot of doors for premature failure. I hope this doesn't happen for you

 

[Jmoney352]

Okay, just purchased the bearing/assemblies for both left and right rear, should have them by wednesday of next week. I guess I know what ill be doing next weekend!

Bought mine from rockauto, Timken HA590259K bearings/assemblies and they were $97.79 a peice. Not bad I guess.

I am going to call my local ford stealership and see what they will charge me for replacement axel nuts. I read on many previous posts that those should be replaced as well.

Thanks again for the advice, I will follow up later and let everyone know how it went, or cry for help if I get myself into a mess.

 

[Pontisteve]

The better option is to replace the entire hub assembly and have the new bearing pressed into the new unit. Pressing out an old bearing and then pressing in a new bearing into an old hub assembly opens a lot of doors for premature failure. I hope this doesn't happen for you

That's not how it works on these. No matter what, you will be pressing a new bearing into the spindle, and then pressing the hub (old or new) into the bearing. The hub could be reused, but it's not much more for the hub and it comes with brand new lug studs and snap ring.

 

[Mitchwsl]

First, my thanks go to tyler92 and others who have posted to this thread. It helped me immensely when I replaced the rear wheel bearing yesterday.

I wanted to add a couple things that may be helpful to those who try this. I purchase the to timken hub assembly (HA590259K) from stockwiseauto. I would highly recommend them since they have the lowest price and I received the part in three days. I had bought a front hub assembly from them last year and it was an equally great experience.

I also recommend getting the hub assembly. My hub was trashed and was actually wobbling in the bearing race. I almost bought the bearing only, which would have cost me more time and money in the end. My hub was definitely not reusable.

Pressing the bearings out and in was not as bad as I imagined. Pressing the hub out was the worst since it was deformed/mushroomed from wobbling in the bearing. The press read a little over 10 tons before the hub let go with an impressive "bang". Pressing the bearing from the knuckle was a little easier. The press read between 5 and 10 tons before it let go with an equally impressive bang. Just make sure you support the knuckle properly. I used some steel blocks and placed them as close to the center as I could so i minimized the bending force in the knuckle.

I placed the new bearing and hub in the freezer while I was pressing out the old pieces. This should shrink them some and make pressing them in easier. I used the old bearing to press the new bearing into the knuckle. I then installed the snap ring. The snap ring I got was beveled so if yours is beveled too, make sure you install it the correct way: flat face against the bearing race, beveled face "out". The beveled face presses the snap ring against the bearing race.

As many people have mentioned, pressing the new hub into the bearing is the most critical step. Use a spacer to support the inner race on the backside as you press in the hub. I used a piece of scrap steel that had a slightly larger diameter than the inner race. If the inner race is not supported, you will dimple the races and put flat spots on the rollers. The bearing will not last very long like this.

Hope this helps!

 

[golfpro99]

Thanks to all. This was a tremendous help and a big money saver.

 

[Jasone352]

Okay so this might be a stupid question...

But I am trying to use the hub puller and the assembly just turns with the hub puller pin when I try to use it. Am I doing something wrong here?

Instruction with the tools are no help.

I am stuck ATM and am just going to start disassembling the other side.

 

[Jasone352]

Well I figured out the hub puller but for some reason I can't get the ebrake end out of the knuckle. The OP says it should just pull right out, but I've tried with all my strength and it won't budge. Any tips?