2002 Explorer XLT - Front Wheel Hub

[VinnieZ]

Hi guys,
I have a question regarding wheel hubs. I have a whining noise coming from the driver side front tire. I didn't notice it until recently. A guy I work with took at a look at it and said it is the wheel hub and we need to get it replaced asap (as there is a possibility that the wheel can fall off). Apparently this an ongoing problem with my generation explorer, so I was wondering how long it would be safe to drive with this (odds of it actually falling off)? And also, about how much should cost to have this replaced? or if it would be possible to do it myself?

Thanks for your help!

 

[EasyRhino]

Hi guys,
I have a question regarding wheel hubs. I have a whining noise coming from the driver side front tire. I didn't notice it until recently. A guy I work with took at a look at it and said it is the wheel hub and we need to get it replaced asap (as there is a possibility that the wheel can fall off). Apparently this an ongoing problem with my generation explorer, so I was wondering how long it would be safe to drive with this (odds of it actually falling off)? And also, about how much should cost to have this replaced? or if it would be possible to do it myself?

Thanks for your help!

The front wheel bearings on these is a known high failure rate component (do a search).

Cannot judge from here how long it might last, so I would counsel safety and if in doubt do it more sooner than later. However, some here have gone for a few miles, but I dare not say thousands, before taking care of it. If it needs doing, don't risk safety and potential damage to other components and get 'er replaced.

You MIGHT be able to get a handle on how long it might last from jacking it up and trying to shake it top to bottom to judge deflection, but that would be a very rough guide. Additionally, when mine started to make noise it also started to shudder when braking from high speeds (over 50 mph). I probably went a few hundred miles after I first noticed the noise and front end shake.

When I pulled the bearing off it did not show catatrohic damage or runout detectable by hand; however, it did feel both very tight and very rough to rotate.

The problem is that as they get punky, they generate a lot of heat which accelerates the failure.

As far as the repair goes, I did both of my fronts, it was not too bad, but it is harder with 4WD than 2WD, as you have to carefully push the axle shaft inboard out of the way to both disengage the hub and to access the bolts that hold the bearing assembly onto the knuckle. Depends on your proficiency and tool kit.

Costs for me were the costs of the bearing assemblies, about 150/each from the local dealers, a six pack, and a couple of hours. No idea what it costs to pay someone to do it.

 

[VinnieZ]

Thanks EasyRhino...appreciate the response

 

[coxlt]

Hi guys,
I have a question regarding wheel hubs. I have a whining noise coming from the driver side front tire. I didn't notice it until recently. A guy I work with took at a look at it and said it is the wheel hub and we need to get it replaced asap (as there is a possibility that the wheel can fall off). Apparently this an ongoing problem with my generation explorer, so I was wondering how long it would be safe to drive with this (odds of it actually falling off)? And also, about how much should cost to have this replaced? or if it would be possible to do it myself?

Thanks for your help!

I actually did mine when they didn't need it! The noise in my case was metal stuck up in the engine bay rubbing on the front drive shaft. Sounded just like bearings.. They were not that bad to do if you have some mechanical know how, just more time consuming than anything else. I ordered mine online, and 20k miles later, they are still on

 

[Jasone352]

I am going to revive this thread since the OP is similar to what I am experiencing. However I have some other questions.

My '02 explorer was in desperate need of a brake job about a month ago. So, long story short I replaced rear rotors and got all new pads for front and back. One of the things that brought my brakes to my attention was this smell that, to me, seemed to be coming from my brakes after I would get out of my car.

However the smell is still there after the brake job. So i guess my question is, what could be causing this smell? I double checked the brakes to make sure everything was squared away and tightened up but I did not see anything out of the ordinary. Is there anything that I could of done, or not done correct?

The reason I am posting in this thread is because a friend of mine had told me that bad wheel bearings can effect your brakes, so I am not certain if that could be the foul-smelling culprit. I did notice during the brake job, after i removed the brakes and rotors that the wheel did not rotate smoothly,and I heard a slight grinding like noise (which I believe is not good at all). My Ex has about 120k miles on it and as far as i know it has never had any wheel bearing replacement.

Also, I viewed the rather exceptional write up on replacing wheel hubs for a 01 ex sport i think it was. Are the procedures the same for an 02 explorer xlt? I think the ex in the write up was a 4wd, and mine is not, not sure if that makes much of a difference.

 

[Jasone352]

Follow up to my previous post:

I just checked all four wheels while I had the Ex jacked up and there was not any play in any of the wheels. So I guess thats a good thing...

 

[HiImBrian]

I am going to revive this thread since the OP is similar to what I am experiencing. However I have some other questions.

My '02 explorer was in desperate need of a brake job about a month ago. So, long story short I replaced rear rotors and got all new pads for front and back. One of the things that brought my brakes to my attention was this smell that, to me, seemed to be coming from my brakes after I would get out of my car.

However the smell is still there after the brake job. So i guess my question is, what could be causing this smell? I double checked the brakes to make sure everything was squared away and tightened up but I did not see anything out of the ordinary. Is there anything that I could of done, or not done correct?

The reason I am posting in this thread is because a friend of mine had told me that bad wheel bearings can effect your brakes, so I am not certain if that could be the foul-smelling culprit. I did notice during the brake job, after i removed the brakes and rotors that the wheel did not rotate smoothly,and I heard a slight grinding like noise (which I believe is not good at all). My Ex has about 120k miles on it and as far as i know it has never had any wheel bearing replacement.

Also, I viewed the rather exceptional write up on replacing wheel hubs for a 01 ex sport i think it was. Are the procedures the same for an 02 explorer xlt? I think the ex in the write up was a 4wd, and mine is not, not sure if that makes much of a difference.

With a bad wheel bearing, the studs AND brake rotor will rotate unevenly causing the rotor to rub on the pads. Sounds like your problem to me. Depending on how much driving you've done after replacing the pads, you may end up having to replace them again if they are worn unevenly. You also may have to replace your rotors as they can also wear unevenly.

It took me about an hour each side on my 2wd, and I only had hand tools. It may seem intimidating, but you'll feel stupid after you see how easy it is. I bought new Timken wheel hubs from rockauto.com and I'm very happy with them so far.

Read the hub bearing how-to in the sticky section. It's the one I used and was very helpful.

 

[HiImBrian]

Follow up to my previous post:

I just checked all four wheels while I had the Ex jacked up and there was not any play in any of the wheels. So I guess thats a good thing...

Jack up the front end and take the tires off. You should be able to rotate the hubs by the studs with just your fingers. They should rotate smoothly with no grinding.

 

[Jasone352]

Thanks for the quick reply Brian. And I apologize for all the questions, I am an avid DIY'er and when it comes to my vehicles I really try to things right the FIRST time.

Yeah I have probably drove about 500-750 miles since the brake job, whenever I get to tackling this job ill have to check the pads for uneven wear. I do believe they came with a lifetime warranty so I will just have to go get them replaced.

That's good to hear that I will not need any serious tools, I believe I have all the necessary sockets and what-not for the job. The only thing I need is the funds .

I am planning on making a trip to Tampa next weekend, which is about a 70 minuet drive for me, do you think I should be okay for this road trip or is a 911 that should be addressed beforehand?

I checked out Rockauto.com for the part and i noticed you can get it without the ABS sensor. I'm assuming it would probably be best to get a new sensor with a new assembly? The one I was looking at is PN# SP470200. It's the timken with the sensor. Is this the correct part?

I believe that price is just for the one hub as well correct? So I will have to purchase two?

 

[HiImBrian]

Thanks for the quick reply Brian. And I apologize for all the questions, I am an avid DIY'er and when it comes to my vehicles I really try to things right the FIRST time.

Yeah I have probably drove about 500-750 miles since the brake job, whenever I get to tackling this job ill have to check the pads for uneven wear. I do believe they came with a lifetime warranty so I will just have to go get them replaced.

That's good to hear that I will not need any serious tools, I believe I have all the necessary sockets and what-not for the job. The only thing I need is the funds .

I am planning on making a trip to Tampa next weekend, which is about a 70 minuet drive for me, do you think I should be okay for this road trip or is a 911 that should be addressed beforehand?

I checked out Rockauto.com for the part and i noticed you can get it without the ABS sensor. I'm assuming it would probably be best to get a new sensor with a new assembly? The one I was looking at is PN# SP470200. It's the timken with the sensor. Is this the correct part?

I believe that price is just for the one hub as well correct? So I will have to purchase two?

Yes, that's the correct part. Technically speaking the sensor can't just be replaced as it is built in to the hub. They are sold in singles so yes, you would have to buy 2. At $120.00 each it's a pretty fair price. I was quoted $400 a wheel to replace mine.

A wheel bearing can go at any time, and heating them up with highway driving won't really help... Driving with a damaged bearing is unsafe no matter how you look at it. I'm not qualified to tell you everything is going to be fine, but if you don't feel any play in them you should be okay. It's really your call.

 

[College Student]

I'm not endorsing what I did but I noticed the noise of a bearing and kept reading up on how to do it and was going to accomplish it soon enough. But I wanted to do a differential oil change. I talk to my parents about it. Seems easy enough was gonna wait till after finals to accomplish the oil change. Mom calls me a week ago to say that I have an appointment at AAMCO on Friday. Take it in and tell them what I want done. And ask them if they could look at the front wheel bearings. I wait in the lobby. The manager comes back after a while and says okay your looking at these prices for the oil change and yes your drivers front bearing was making so much noise that we couldn't check the rest. Call mom see what she wants to do about it she elects to pay the extra money to change the bearing while they in there.

From what I've read the longer you let a bad bearing sit it only gets worse. I had driven on that bearing for a couple thousand miles. I'm happy that I was lucky enough for it not to destroy anything else or even break free.

Long story short I would say get it replaced asap. Not to scare you but any car wreck could result in death and if the wheel happened to come off in the process you would lose a lot of steering maneuverability.

 

[Jasone352]

Well I just ordered two assemblies, $239.50 later! Hopefully they will get here in enough time for me to put them on before my road trip Sat..

I found a coupon code for rockauto.com for 5% off my order, so essentially shipping was free .

Thanks again for the help guys, ill update after the repair if I remember to.

 

[JeremyDudrow]

Had both of mine done in October 2013 and one of them would not even spin freely and was real bad. Its amazing how much quieter it is now. The total cost for both to be replaced at the local shop was $650.