Front wheel bearing replacement thoughts....

[Blip01]

Having just today replaced one of the hub assemblies on my 2001 LS thought I'd pass on a few things. Hopefully it helps someone who is looking at this repair.

The bad bearing made a constant drone sound that varied with speed. When turning it changed to more of a growling sound. I drove on the bad bearing for a while before getting around to replacing it. I had checked both front sides a couple times and never found any play.

The hardest part was figuring out which side was bad. I was fairly certain it was one of the fronts, and from reading here and some other sites I was pretty sure it was the passenger side. Most advice indicated that if the sound grew louder when turning left then it would be the passenger side that was bad, as that is where the weight was shifting. That is how my car was acting, but it turns out it was the driver's side that was bad. It may be worth pulling the tire and brakes from each side and giving the hub a good spin before replacing anything. I replaced the passenger's side, went for a test drive and still had the noise. I then wound up putting the original passenger's side hub assembly onto the driver's side. That solved the problem.

The hub assembly is the same for each side, so if you do misdiagnose which side is bad(like I did) you can just throw the hub/bearing assembly onto the other side. I bought my new hub off of ebay for around $65.

Installation was actually much easier than I had expected. Raise the car, remove the wheel, (4) bolts for the caliper, and (4) bolts that hold the hub onto the car. A breaker bar and hammer definitely help with the hub bolts, they have some pretty stout thread lock and corrosion.

Once I got the four bolts off that hold the hub on I was surprised to see the assembly fall right off. From reading I had expected it to be fused to the car by corrosion. This wasn't the case. I've owned the car since it had 30K miles on it, and it's at 150K now. The hubs have never been removed since I've owned it, so i guess i got lucky.

If I hadn't replaced the wrong side first the entire process would have taken me about an hour or so. This is definitely a doable DIY repair!

 

[FASTLLS]

A breaker bar and hammer definitely help with the hub bolts

Air tools work better..

 

[rwurst918]

I did both of mine at the same time. It is only a matter of time before the other one goes out anyways. For 130 bucks and about an hour of time, I can't complain. It took me four hours and a torch to get my sisters Explorer 4x4 hub apart.

 

[FASTLLS]

Agreed.. I replaced both sides at the same time..

 

[MMAFIGHTER121]

I'm getting to this next weekend. Good to hear its not as hard as on some vehicles.

 

[pragmatic]

OK mine howled on left turns. Replaced passenger side 2 years ago. Noise went away. Noise is back (on left turns).

I was going to go for the passenger side rear now I'm not sure. Any hints on isolating which bearing it is?

 

[Blip01]

OK mine howled on left turns. Replaced passenger side 2 years ago. Noise went away. Noise is back (on left turns).

I was going to go for the passenger side rear now I'm not sure. Any hints on isolating which bearing it is?

Just listening while driving doesn't help much. The vibration seems to come from everywhere.

I'd suggest pulling the wheels one at a time and also the brakes. The you can spin just the hub and you may hear/feel which one is bad.

 

[MMAFIGHTER121]

i've spent 3 hours now trying to get just one of the hub assemblies out.. ugh... Upstate New York in the Salt City! Is there a tool for pulling these since we don't have the axle to pry it off of with? I've tried PB Blaster, hammering it from the back, torch sweating it, prying it... and I've gotten it to budge maybe a half inch.

 

[cammerfe]

If it's moved a half inch, it's almost off!!

KS

 

[MMAFIGHTER121]

yea one just acme off... and it took me 3 hours!! on to number 2 which was the BAD one!!

 

[Broseph]

Reviving an old one.

Heard some clicking/tapping while spinning the hub during a brake change passenger side (also some road whining and noise when turning) so I need to replace the hub. I’ve heard Timken and SKF are the best quality.

However, Rockauto has two Timken listed with very similar measurements. Anyone know which is correct or better?

Any brand preferences?

2002 LINCOLN LS 3.9L V8 Wheel Bearing & Hub Assembly | RockAuto

 

[Broseph]

I’ve heard Timken and SKF are the best quality

However, Rockauto has two Timken listed with very similar measurements. Anyone know which is correct or better?

Any brand preferences?

2002 LINCOLN LS 3.9L V8 Wheel Bearing & Hub Assembly | RockAuto

I went ahead and purchased the more expensive Timken. I’ll respond back once they come in. Hoping they’re not made in China like Moog and everyone else seems to be doing lately

 

[Broseph]

Timkens came in today. I’m a little leery of the fitment although most dimensions look the same. Clearly the Timken is shorter from bolts to sensor housing, especially the sensor area. The measurements are within a few thousands of an inch or the same as other manufacturers.

The inner flange where the inner wheel diameter touches is thinner especially at the top. And although wheel pilot is not tapered, making it look thicker, it’s actually thinner than the OEM

I have an email out to Timken to make sure this hub does fit. Overall quality and machining looks good and smooth, but the pictures show there is no squared notch in middle of hub and the face doesn’t have the groove in the middle like the OEM.

I have no idea what “Made in: 15” means, unless that’s 15 countries.

I wonder how SKF compares to the OEM. More to come when I hear back from Timken

 

[Broseph]

I have an email out to Timken to make sure this hub does fit. Overall quality and machining looks good and smooth, but the pictures show there is no squared notch in middle of hub and the face doesn’t have the groove in the middle like the OEM.

I have no idea what “Made in: 15” means, unless that’s 15 countries.

I wonder how SKF compares to the OEM. More to come when I hear back from Timken

Well, if anyone wants to know, I contacted Timken, "15" turns out to be China which isn't uncommon for any manufacturers anymore, even the "higher quality" ones. However, pictures from Timken show a much closer to OEM hub then the ones I received (thicker inner hub and tapered pilot etc.) On top of that, the wiring was split and broken, so I'm in the process of returning these...ugh.

I have an order out for SKF which I've read good things about as well. Plus they offer a 100,000 mile warranty, so I'll report back on those when they arrive.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

That code "15" is probably an internal Timken code, because it doesn't match international manufacturing codes.

The missing "notch" in the new hub is probably not that important, but the flat face of the hub is probably going to make future wheel removal a nightmare. They did it to save a machining and tooling step... thus saving money.

The back of the new hub assembly concerns me more with its condensed
size. Less space means smaller parts,,, which to me means faster wear.

This is a disappointment, and partly why I went with a different manufacturer years ago when I needed hubs. Timkens haven't been made HERE for quite a while. Unfortunately... Precision brand isn't even making hubs here anymore,,, and it's sister company Moog stopped a few years back.

I found a couple of supposed USA manufacturers/suppliers on the net, but I would call to double check. Not affiliated with any of them.

MIBearings LLC
MIBearings LLC

1. Cached
2. Similar

Wheel Bearings & Wheel Hub Bearing Units made in the USA! We provide Quality Wheel Bearings and Hub Assemblies Worldwide! We carry wheel bearings, ...

Wheel Bearings Inc
wheelbearingsinc.com/

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2. Similar

You typically see the same imported hubs with different labels slapped on the box. With WBI that is not the case! Everything we offer is either "Made in the USA" ...

BCA Bearings | Wheel Hub Assemblies & Bearings
BCA Bearings | Wheel Hub Assemblies & Bearings

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The leader in North American OE production of wheel hub assemblies, BCA provides high quality replacement parts that meet or exceed the OE engineering ...

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Rant:

Unfortunately,,, the recently imposed tarrifs haven't done much yet to spur USA production. It's just caused the prices to increase on the junk stuff. But part of the problem is the mindset of the consumer. They want the best "cheap" part that money can buy... which usually means foreign crap. This forces manufacturers to move production in order to stay competitive.

We've been sawing our own legs off for a long time now,,, and the trade agreements haven't helped. In 2011 we borrowed billions of dollars from to prevent a government shut down.... from a country that de-valued their currency, and flooded the U.S. market with their junk. Wanna guess who? That's right... china. Sadly,,, it only took 10 years from when the "towers" fell, for "Made in America" pride to go down the toilet.

..... off soapbox.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Another possible source of USA wheel hubs.

Wheel Hubs | NTN Bearing

 

[Broseph]

This is a disappointment, and partly why I went with a different manufacturer years ago when I needed hubs. Timkens haven't been made HERE for quite a while. Unfortunately... Precision brand isn't even making hubs here anymore,,, and it's sister company Moog stopped a few years back.

I found a couple of supposed USA manufacturers/suppliers on the net, but I would call to double check. Not affiliated with any of them..

I think it was an internal Timken code vs international. Shame

I agree, tariffs are a possible long-term solution, not a short term answer. Thanks for the links. If SKF looks suspect too, I might look into these.

 

[BCA]

The shorter depth of the black plastic cap could just be a generational thing (newer design). I say this because when I replaced my bearing with the Timken HA590213, the depth, style of the casting, and overall appearance was virtually indistinguishable to the original bearing that was in my car.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I agree that it's a different design,,, however if you look at them both you'll notice that the hole for the ABS sensor is also located closer to the bearing(s) on the new hub. The older, (OEM) style has a deeper cap because the tone ring for the ABS is housed in that cap.

To me... that says that the bearings in the new hub are smaller,,, to make room for the tone ring. Probably changed from roller bearings to ball bearings. I might be wrong, but I thing the newer design might have a shorter lifespan,,, plus with the other, (cheaper), manufacturing shortcuts the new Timkens are something I would personally not buy unless stranded and desparate.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

If SKF looks suspect too, I might look into these

My past experience with SKF has been either made in the U.S. or somewhere in Europe. I'll be able to tell you in a few days... because I ordered a pair of SKF hubs for my LS.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

and the SKFs are made in china. Dammit!!!!!!! Probably why I went with Precision last time. The country code on the box is 47... which is Norway,,, so the code has to be related to corporate location.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

on the interesting side of things... the SKF housing is deeper behind the flange than the Timken or OEM pictured above. So it seems SKF is still using full size bearings and housing the tone ring in there too.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Maybe this thread should be re-titled, "finding the best made chinese hub".

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Oh... and the SKF has the recess in the face of the flange like the OEM above,,, so wheel removal should be easier.

 

[Broseph]

Oh... and the SKF has the recess in the face of the flange like the OEM above,,, so wheel removal should be easier.

Yep. I actually got the SKF too and noticed everything above that you mentioned. So while they have "Sold out" to China, it does appear to maintain at least some of the more nuanced machining that the OEM showed (ie. the face channeled with a recess and the deeper hub.

Shame for both Timken and SKF, but even more so on the Timkens since all the forums etc that I researched everyone seemed to rave about them. Albeit most were a few years old, so things may have changed.