Do not buy Timken front wheel bearings for AWD.

[JeffHWV]

Just a heads up not to buy the Timken front wheel bearings. I am in the trucking business an use Timken bearings exclusively as nothing holds up as well, so not happy to say the Timken 515000 is pure junk. I bought the first one after the original bearing went bad on the way home from buying the van. Went to Auto Zone and plunked down $100 thinking I was getting the best. About a year later the front started growling again so I assumed the other side was bad so just went and bought another Timken. It is not easy to tell what side the noise is coming from, if you've had this problem you know what I'm talking about. I didn't even check and started to put it on the other side. Guess what -- it was the same side again. I put it on thinking maybe I just got a bad one. Well about 25K miles later I'm pulling my hair out trying to find out what is making the noise again. Replaced the side with the factory bearing, no difference. I actually started to take out the front differential thinking it was bad when I figured out that it was the same Timken bearing again. Not loose, very little noise when spun by hand so not easy to figure out.

I took the bearing apart and it does not have tapered roller bearings, just balls. No wonder they don't last. Ironic that Timken invented the tapered roller bearing. I paid big money for them thinking I'd never have to mess with them again and are better than the original KOYOs. Better to buy the $25 Chinese ones on ebay. I've taken them apart also and they do have tapered roller bearings.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Do you have photos to compare the ball bearing vs roller bearing design?

 

[JeffHWV]

I fished most of it out of the junk. Notice the craters in the outer race.