Wheel bearing spraying grease - need guidance

[BubbaFL]

Hey guys - I need some guidance on a potential wheel bearing problem.

Last night I was doing a "preflight" inspection on the 97 Ex [2wd sohc]. The front alignment looked a little off, although there were no drivability problems, so I jacked up the front end and found some play on the passenger side.

I took it over to the local sears auto center, since I had to make a 300-mile drive today. They diagnosed it as a bad wheel bearing, replaced the bearings and fixed the alignment.

Everything seemed fine rolling down the highway today, but when I got to the destination I noticed a "spray" of grease coating the wheel, about an inch and a half wide coming from the center cap out to the tire.

Here's the question: I'm 300 miles from home, with no tools - do I get back on the highway friday and try to make it home? Should I not risk having the new bearings fail on the highway, and try to find a local shop to pull it apart and take a look?

If the sears guy didn't install the bearings or oil seals properly, and all of the grease is being thrown out of the bearing, what kind of failure should I watch for? (i.e. what warning signs to slow down, pull over, and call AAA for a tow)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BubbaFL]

Here's a pic of the grease splatter, any suggestions?

 

[K.S.MADMAN]

Hello 1st thing i would do is pull the center cap . this will able you to look a the hub . then you maybe able to see where the grease is coming from. It could be just a loose dust cap here is a link that will show your set up http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0b/b0/f8/0900823d800bb0f8/repairInfoPages.htm

 

[BubbaFL]

Here's a followup for anybody else who has this problem:

I got out on the highway, and after a while that bearing started to whine and vibrate. I pulled off at a nearby sears auto center and asked them to take a look at it. They had to completely redo the job.

The original tech made a bunch of mistakes, including denting the grease cap causing that spray, over tightening the wheel nut which destroyed the outer bearing, and not using the new races that came with the bearings, which destroyed the inner bearing.

I guess the lessons are #1 never leave home without a hydraulic jack and tools, and #2 if you want something done right, do it yourself.