What causes wheel bearings to die

[Hitchhikingmike]

Hello,

Since the 3rd gen explorer is notorious for bad wheel bearings, I had a few questions pop into mind:

Has anyone ever ventured into finding out why they go bad?

When the wheel bearings do die and they are rebuilt, can we assume that they will die again and have the same life expectancy as before?

Instead of mindlessly replacing the wheel-bearings like an idiot when they die, what can I do to fix the actual problem to make them last 200,000+ miles like they should?

Are the seals going bad causing the grease to dry up and dirt to get in? If this is the case then should I replace the seals before the wheel bearings die for preventative maintenance?

What do you know what causes these bearings to die?

Thanks.

 

[ummduh]

Hello,

Since the 3rd gen explorer is notorious for bad wheel bearings, I had a few questions pop into mind:

Has anyone ever ventured into finding out why they go bad?

When the wheel bearings do die and they are rebuilt, can we assume that they will die again and have the same life expectancy as before?

Instead of mindlessly replacing the wheel-bearings like an idiot when they die, what can I do to fix the actual problem to make them last 200,000+ miles like they should?

Are the seals going bad causing the grease to dry up and dirt to get in? If this is the case then should I replace the seals before the wheel bearings die for preventative maintenance?

What do you know what causes these bearings to die?

Thanks.

Its just the nature of the beast.
They're generally all non-serviceable. You don't rebuild them, you replace them with new and throw them out/recycle.

For some uber-popular 4wd's out there (cough-superduty-cough) you can buy conversion kits to go to serviceable wheel bearings from factory unit bearings, but it's highly expensive. New knuckles, spindles, outer axle shafts, bearings/seals/hubs, and even steering.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

So then I understand that when the wheel bearings die on the explorer, the entire hub assembly is replaced (minus the brake rotor of course).

Are there multiple hub assemblies offered to our explorers from different manufacturers that are improved or have any better quality?

Or are we forced to buy new defective hubs from the ford dealership when they die?

 

[Opera House]

Two reasons cause the failure. Minimal amount of available grease since there is no cavity to speak of. Distance between the two opposing bearings is less than an inch. If the distance could be increased an additional inch, life would certainly double. It wouldn't have been that hard to make the assembly with two replacable bearings instead of a press in assembly.

You get a bearing and a wheel hub. To get out the old bearing you will need at least a 10 ton press. Wheel nut should be replaced and has to be torqued to over 200 ft/lb, the dispute continues. Wheel pressure is enough to seperate the bearings if not tight enough. Make sure there is no oil on the threads that might cause it to loosen.

 

[btimm86]

once upon a time a guy who worked at a bearing manufacturing facility told me that their bearings were lasting too long. so 1 in 10 or so they built to wear earlier. just an interesting side note

 

[High_Order1]

I wrote down the bearing part munber (think it was timken) with the intent to email the factory to see if there was a heavy duty or extreme service bearing that had the same specs dimension wise, but I never got past that point. Eventually I will have enough hub carcasses that I can replace them with something else .... if I can figure out what that might be....


-Shawn

 

[ummduh]

Two reasons cause the failure. Minimal amount of available grease since there is no cavity to speak of. Distance between the two opposing bearings is less than an inch. If the distance could be increased an additional inch, life would certainly double. It wouldn't have been that hard to make the assembly with two replacable bearings instead of a press in assembly.

You get a bearing and a wheel hub. To get out the old bearing you will need at least a 10 ton press. Wheel nut should be replaced and has to be torqued to over 200 ft/lb, the dispute continues. Wheel pressure is enough to seperate the bearings if not tight enough. Make sure there is no oil on the threads that might cause it to loosen.

The main benefit for is for OE's. There is vastly reduced cost to them. Yes they cost us big $$ to replace, but it it far easier to pick up an already assembled unit bearing and bolt it into place on the assembly line than it is to have to deal with greasing and installing/adjusting old style bearings.

 

[Thelt]

I wonder if the 3rd gen's independent rear suspension did anything that causes the bearings to go out faster?

 

[manaen]

in general the IRS has more problems because previous years used a live (solid) axle which has bearings that ride in oil at all times. So when you are hauling heavy loads and your bearings start to dry up they are going to wear quickly. As stated it's just the nature of the beast, and why I stuck with a Gen2

 

[JCR]

The hub only needs to be replaced in the front when the bearing goes bad. The rear bearings are replaceable with the aide of a stout press. (been there!)