wheel bearings
 

wat do you guys think about these wheel bearings i found on ebay, do u think they have the seals?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Timke...spagenameZWD1V

and if that isnt it does anyone kno where to get them cheep, the local auto parts store said 200 for the bearings and seals on both sides

wheel bearings
 

i bought the exact same wheel bearings. they do not have seals you should be able to get them fairly cheaply (under$20) from subaru. after purchasing them i repacked them with synthetic bearing grease haven't had a problem from them in 35,000 miles still going strong no grinding no whirring no noise at all just quiet. if you do buy them MAKE SURE TO REPACK THEM !!!!!! they come with very very little grease in/on them. if you choose not to spend the money on synthetic ( it's fairly expensive) make sure to use a high quality high temp grease

ok so those bearings will work. how do i go about changing them, ive done it on boat trailers but i dont imagine it will be very similar at all

There is a lot of information in the How To section above to the right. It is currently open for non-sponsors, although that could change sometime in the future. You should click in and poke around the files to find the information you want.

Have a look at this write-up HERE
and don't forget you will need a "hub tamer" or equivalent to take out the old bearing and install the new one. If you get it wrong you could oval the hub, and this will lead to quick premature failure of the new bearings.

Unless you are pretty sure what you are doing, you might be safer to let the main dealer install the bearing. If you are pretty handy and don't resort to the FBH all the time, you will manage it OK.

Joe:lol:

What is a hub tamer?:confused:

It's what we call a "pullers" over here this side of the pond.

I think you can rent or buy them. It uses a threaded bar to push out the bearing cleanly and without damaging the hub.

I take it you know what a BFH is?:rolleyes:

Joe:)

BFH? sorry no i dont kno alot of technical terms, let alone abreviations

i think it means big freakin(change that to ...) hammer

The replacement of wheel bearings in Subarus has been revisited by the manufacturer many times because they have had so many problems. They no longer approve of the method used in the service manual. The new way to do it involves a SST (special service tool) that all Subaru dealerships were REQUIRED to purchase. The new tool, often called a "hubster" eliminates the need to press the bearing into the knuckle with a press. They determined that this was too delicate a process to be performed and often causes damage to the bearing. this is why they now use the special tool that eliminates the press. A version of this tool is available but it is quite expensive (over $400). Most independent shops will not have this tool because replacing wheel bearings is not very common and that tool can only be used for a few styles of vehicle. For this reason, I always recommend that people have their wheel bearings replaced at a dealership. Oh, and they will check the sealing surface on the axle, to make sure that it is not worn where the seal lip makes contact (I've seen many with a groove worn in them) which will allow debris to enter. If you have them replaced at a shop where they use a press, I can almost promise you will be doing them again.

Just my $0.02

You are working in the trade and see more bulletins and bearing changes than the rest of us, so thanks very much for the input. Replacing a wheel bearing is too costly a process to mess up IMO, so I definitely take a belt and braces approach to try and ensure all angles are covered.

Going back to the Yahoo! years, and here since the Forum opened we have had many, many takes and reasons for the repeat failure of these bearings. My view is that it's not surprising replacements fail, considering so many OEMs fail direct from the factory.

It would be reasonable to presume that the factory has all the benefits of engineering advice on how they should be installed, plus all the right equipment, the right seals, the correct grease.

Yet a higher than desirable percentage of original rear wheel bearings fail.

That says it all for me. The bearings are under performers. They are incorrectly specified from the outset. The load ratings are wrong for the torque and weight and loadings that the SVX exerts on the hub.

One of our members in Australia has used another different bearing from the same manufacturer that has a higher load rating than the SVX rear OEM bearing. It is of a slightly smaller width, so has to be packed to fill the hub aperture. This bearing has performed in the desert for I think over 100,000 miles now with no repeat failure.

There isn't a write up, but if you search the Down Under forum, you should find the story.

Subaru just used the same bearing they had in use for the Impreza at that time, the practice of using from the corporate parts bin to keep costs down. That bearing is inadequate for the SVX.

For those who think that Fuji engineers can do No Wrong, they will seem less like Gods to you when the rear end of your car starts to howl at you for attention.:rolleyes::lol:

Joe:)

Joe:
The Subaru master tech I use tells me two things.

1. It's the seals which usually go first which allows contamination to damage the bearings.

2. Subaru now uses the same rear bearing for the SVX that they use in the WRX. It is also now packed with the correct grease from the factory.

That sure makes sense.

One thing occurs to me is we don't actually take care of them like we should. Most other cars you could buy, the bearings have "headroom" in the engineering, they won't fail. The last car I had that did wheel bearings was in the early 80's. We now expect them not to fail, that is what we are accustomed to.

If you check the service intervals for the SVX, we are supposed to check and repack these bearings, and I'm guessing that most people/many dealers do not do this. If we did, maybe the seal giving problems would not happen, we would see damage and replace.

Joe:rolleyes:

ok thanks for all the help but i realy need to find out how to reoplace them myself, as being 16 years old and just haveing to go back to school(loss of summer job) u can imagine i dont have money to pay a dealer or mechanic to fix my car

At my job, I replace wheelbearings on trailers, pickups, and cars fairly often. I know how to pack a bearing by hand or with the handy little cone-shaped packer tool.

None of my bearings are currently making any noise, but given that I know what I am doing and there would be no parts cost... Would it be a good idea that I just take them all apart, clean them at the parts washer and just repack them all with synthetic grease? Is this good maintenance, or just overkill?

I do not see how there could be a procedure for repacking the bearings. There is one to check free play. To repack a sealed bearing system like this would require separation, which requires a press or the hubster, both of which destroy the bearing. The inner seal, like mentioned earlier in this thread, is prone to failure that can cause contamination. Replacing the inner seal is not really hard to do, and it isn't a bad idea. I would do it any time i had the rear axles out. Also, make sure you check the sealing surface for a groove, if there is one, the axle must be replaced! I've personally performed this service many times on my car and others, and I honestly believe it would NOT BE POSSIBLE to replace the wheel bearings without a press or a hubster. There is no way you could get the inner race off of the hub, much less push the new bearing onto it. Sorry guys, I don't see how you could do it without the hubster or a press.

In the How-Tos we have at the top, there are two documents about replacing wheel bearings. BOTH refer to using a hub tamer. I agree with Nifty. Do not touch this job unless you can do it properly.

Nifty, in my post I mentioned "repacking" the bearing and I suspect we have a communications gap here. To you, repacking may mean taking out all the old grease and replacing with new. This is not what I had in mind, and would be overkill.

What I meant was take off the front seal and pack up with good grease. If I was doing that myself I would replace the seal at the time.

Just for the record, in the Services and Warranties Booklet it says the following:

22) Front and Rear Wheel Bearing Lubricate:

@ 48 months or 100,000kms or 60,000 miles whichever occurs first.

Marked (I), which is notated as:

Recommend service for safe vehicle operation.

So the word is actually lubricate, not repack.:rolleyes::)

As you work as a Master Technician on vehicles, and I presume Subaru, can you tell us if this routine lubrication of the bearings is actually carried out by the dealers at 60,000 miles?

Joe;)

Unfortunatly I don't work on Subarus, I would love to but they just aren't that common here in Oklahoma. I work on toyotas, but I work with a former Subaru Master tech and he's never heard of anyone doing that, and we certainly don't do it on Toyotas with this type of bearings. It sounds good in theory, but I think the outer seal is pressed in first, so you can't take it out without removing the bearing. If I am wrong correct me. You could take off the inner (axle side) seal though, but I don't know how you would get the grease into the bearing, as the inner race is attached to the hub:confused:. This is something I definatly need to investigate further. I haven't done this in a long time, we never see this sort of problem on a Toyota unless the car has been in an accident. Lucky us!

Here at the SVXfiles garage (and ranch), we just call it a "Big FUJI Hammer"! :D

I trust what you are saying is correct. I let the shop do mine, so I don't have first hand knowledge.

We should ask Beav what is meant by this service item 22. Beav is a Subie Master Tech, although he sold his SVX a while back. He should know what it means.

I'm willing to bet it does not get done, either at 60K or later.

Joe

Weird pronunciation, Diana, but I know which hammer you mean.....:p:D

:)

hey nightrider, you should be able to do this your self if you have access to some type of press, a large socket set, a few basic tools, and you are at all mech. inclined. i've done this on two SVX's with good results, just make sure you take your time and think things through. new seals are a must, and dont get them confused, lable them if you got to, the inners and outters fit in the same but are not interchangeable, you will damage them if you put them in wrong and have to get them back out(this will cause early failure). about the grease, every one will tell you something different, i decided to only trust myself and repacked them with full synthetic bearing grease, it was under $10 i think, just think if it as good insurance for not haveing to replace the bearings again. those e-bay bearings are good but i found the same ones online for a bit cheaper, just do a google search and save some $$$. e-bay not always the cheapest way to go, just sometimes. i'll shoot strait with you, it's a lengthy, frustrating, dirty job to do in your back yard but worth it if you want to make sure it is done right or don't have a couple hundred buck layin' around. this job could take you a day up to a week so plan on that, you don't want to rush things and be starting all over again. tip: if doesn't look like it will work, then it probabily won't, so don't, just go to the auto store and barrow the right tool. good luck, hit us back if you get stuck.