Wheel Bearings loose AGAIN??? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Wheel Bearings loose AGAIN???

walterd140

Well-Known Member
Joined
August 9, 2003
Messages
354
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City, State
Ludlow, Massachusetts
Year, Model & Trim Level
'94 Sport
Hi All....
Brought the mule in for state inspection and again it failed because of loose front end wheel bearings. Off to the shop to get them tightened & back for a good sticker. Same thing as last year except different tire. Just wondering if I have bigger problems or if the bearings need tightening every year. Is this a common problem for 94's?

Thanks
Walter
 



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walterd140 said:
Hi All....
Brought the mule in for state inspection and again it failed because of loose front end wheel bearings. Off to the shop to get them tightened & back for a good sticker. Same thing as last year except different tire. Just wondering if I have bigger problems or if the bearings need tightening every year. Is this a common problem for 94's?

Thanks
Walter


Either you've got bigger problems or the shop is shafting you..they shouldn't work loose on their own.

Are you running stock size tires or oversized tires? Oversized tires will put more stress on the bearings than stock ones.
 






Replacing the bearings sounds like a swell idea.
 






I can tell you that the last five years I've had my 94', I've had to replace the bearings on it 3 times and they're starting to whine again a little, so I think the time is coming again. It really pisses me off too cuz I dont have the tools or place to fix them and have to pay someone else to do it so it cost 4 times as much in labor as it does in parts. Ford really messed up in the design of the front hubs in the first gens.
 






Are these manual, or auto hubs?
 






you know the weired thing is i had a front driverside replaced on my 97 and its starting to whine again and its a genuine ford part. I had that done about a year agao. Now i haven't had anyone diagnose it as the same one but i think it is, i gotta take it in an get it looked at.
 






97 is a different front end. I asked about the hubs cause this was my problem with manual hubs on my B2. The nuts would back off & causing the bearings to not seat & then wear out quickly & make noise. I was retighting the hub nuts every few 100 miles.
 






Stock tires & auto hubs. Starting to sound like a common issue, no?
 






Strangely enough I think the bearings have only been replaced twice in ours.... once a while ago, and once again when I did them, which I dont think I did quite right..
 






Maybe they are not packed with enough grease. Have you changed your rotors? Maybe the races are bad in them? Is the rear grease seal seated correctly?
I don't think it's common on the X. I had a 94 sport & never replaced the bearings in 3 years & were still fine when I sold it. My current 94 had orginals before I changed them, & those have been fine for 5K miles now.
 






Its common on 1st gen explorers with ovesized tires. Stock Tires and auto hubs should not be loosening.

The nut that holds the bearing cannot back out IF it is installed correctly with the keyway in place. It is possible that the shop that is doing your work is tightening it slightly on the loose side (some places like it that way so they don't build up heat, but as things wear the bearings will get loose)

How often are your brakes done? When the brakes are done the bearing should at least be repacked.

~Mark
 






How about get the tools and learn how to do this yourself?
If the spindle or bearings are worn it will never hold the pre-load that needs to be set and set properly.

The answer is yes they will come loose, more then once a year unless the repairs are done properly.
 






Thanks all. Just sems weird that 2 years in a row I have had this problem (different sides). I have had the drivers side done last year, maybe have to get the passanger side now.

On a side note, my auto hub on the passanger side seems to half-catch & starts to whine. I stop, put it in 4x4, back up about 20 ft, stop, dis-engage 4x4, drive forward, noise stops. Wonder if the 2 are related. Didn't do it for the longest time, then get the bearing tightened & it started to do it.

Walter
 






I have had my truck(91) for 8 years. I have replaced the bearings once and only because I thought it would be a good idea. I never had a problem with my auto hubs. You might want to ask them what specs they are going buy to tighten the spindle nut and maybe look up the specs for your self so you can go in armed with the info. This is a job you can easily do your self. The one tool that you will need the most is the spindle nut socket. I think I payed 25 for mine but it was a Snap-On. A magnet makes it easy to pull the retaining key out. It keeps the nut from backing off. On my manual hubs, the outer nut gets torqued to around 150 ft-lbs. Since I've been doing that I have not had a problem with those backing off either and I have been running 33's for the past 3 years with no issues.
 






I'm getting a bad whine again on the highway because of my bearings. I just had them replaced in January. I dont think it's a problem at the shop I had it done though cuz I have it done at a diff shop like every year for the last 5 years and it's beginning to piss me off pretty good now cuz it costs 4 times more in labor than parts. So can someone tell me exactly what tools I need to re-tighten these bearings, please? I wouldn't think they'd need replaced since they're only 10 months old. I know I can figure it out if I just had the tools. Thanks for any help!

Edit: Also, would anyone happen to have any pics of the process too?

Re-Edit: I also have manual hubs.
 






Someting is funky with 1st Gen bearings. My 92 pass side made noise. I replaced bearing set and races. It still made the same noise. And; It still works lose in short time. I picked up a used spindle - it's scratched up and doesn't look very good though. Anyway; I can't imagine the spindel going bad. I'm now wondering if the rotor center was just not machined straight.
 






question hmmm.. I have a 98 mounty all wheel drive and I am not getting whining sound but banging, before and after replacing the front driver half shaft. I know which part is the wheel bearing, however, where the boot fits tight against that bearing and has grease and a rubber seal and is pulled together by tightening the spindal bolt, if this is bad, would it or could it cause the front end to bang when turning left or slightly under hard acceleration? it seems to fit tight, but that rubber seal could be toast? Can you fix just this because I think the wheel bearing is in fine shape...
 






Hey Statt,
My experience is a banging / clunking noise while turning is the cv joint. Much like your u-joint in the drive shaft except the cv joint is in your drive axle connecting to the tire.
Walter
 






question hmmm.. I have a 98 mounty all wheel drive and I am not getting whining sound but banging, before and after replacing the front driver half shaft. I know which part is the wheel bearing, however, where the boot fits tight against that bearing and has grease and a rubber seal and is pulled together by tightening the spindal bolt, if this is bad, would it or could it cause the front end to bang when turning left or slightly under hard acceleration? it seems to fit tight, but that rubber seal could be toast? Can you fix just this because I think the wheel bearing is in fine shape...

How does it feel with the new tranfer case fluid--any difference??
I still say it has something to do with the driver side of your front diff--wish I could see the crack you described--
 



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On my 94 Sport there are three fasteners to secure the wheel bearings in place. Working from a disassembly point of view there is a jam nut, a steel washer with holes and is key ed for the spindle, and then the nut to hold the bearing in place.

On the nut which holds the bearing there is a pin which will fit into one of the holes of the steel washer. If your wheel bearings become lose then this is what I would check for. The pin on the nut is locked into the steel washer by the pin and the washer, which is keyed, is locked into the spindle. The jam nut holds the washer tight and the whole assembly should not move until something breaks.

So check the nut for a missing pin or check the washer for a broken key.
 






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