oh no! (front) wheel bearing woes!

Jay Wrix · #1 01-16-2012, 04:32 PM

Alrite, so I just got some major bad news,

went to replace exhaust & tires, so the shop gives me a call at work and tells me that my front wheel bearings are shot!

half inch of slop in front left, a bit on the right,

I seriously have got to ask, is my babey worth dumping 2k+ on at twenty years old, and 136k... (2nd tranny)

are the wheel bearings that bad to do that they should cost 600 bucks? and parts. Im pretty mechanically inclined, do you think I should be able to repair myself, and save a pretty penny, anything to look for, are they that bad?

how much should I pay for bearings, shop said 110..... booo!

I just want my wonderful svx back!

92snowmachine · #2 01-16-2012, 05:05 PM

you can probably do them yourself. 600 sounds like a lot. if you have that much slop you probably will have to replace the hub as well on that side. don't skimp and buy cheap bearings, the won't last as long.

Conn SVX · #3 01-16-2012, 05:24 PM

Sounds like a lot. Bearings can be $100, but $500 labor sound steep. My PO had mine done before he delivered it to me. I will look at the records and check the price ..

1986nate · #4 01-16-2012, 05:59 PM

Just buy used front spindles from someone and swap them yourself. Much easier than messing with the bearings. You will need an alignment done afterward.
Also, if your bearings have that much play, shouldn't you have noticed something amiss?

Conn SVX · #5 01-16-2012, 06:24 PM

Agree seems like the front end would have been very loose and noisy. I had a loose front wheel nut and I knew it. Wheel bearing would have been loud..

kwren · #6 01-16-2012, 07:04 PM

The real tragedy in our crooked world today is that you probably don't even need a wheel bearing... much less two.

Keith

oab_au · #7 01-16-2012, 07:15 PM

Yes I agree with this ^.
I have been around for 12 years, and the number of front bearings that I have heard giving problems are very few.
Half an inch is a hell of a lot.

Harvey.

Jay Wrix · #8 01-16-2012, 08:04 PM

ya know, thats what I thought, I figured i woulda noticed that much slop, im used to driving a 2x4 87 f150, with a half mile of wheel slop, but the subbies always felt firm,

. I do know my front halfshafts are blown to hell, but the tech at the shop who is fixing the exhaust said the wheel was moving a half inch, i do get a thump in my wheel occasionally when slowing down, but its mainly in the rain, i assume thats my awd, along with a counter steer under hard breaking,

I feel i would have noticed this last time I had the car in the air last winter at a buddys shop, or that he would have being a master tech for ford?

I can hear a grind from a wheel bearing, but I really have always thought it was the rear, and I planned on getting to that over the summer hoping more cash was at hand.

I like the spindle idea,

what else could it be??? I really dont have the money to drop if it climbs above 2 grand, ive already got tires comin, and a silented exhaust.

sadly the 1500 saturn is lookin better, and it isnt a stick...

Conn SVX · #9 01-16-2012, 08:20 PM

Did you get it back yet? Check it yourself.or get a second opinion. From someone you can trust. Your Ford guy sounds good.make sure the axel nut is tight .

1986nate · #10 01-16-2012, 08:24 PM

Jay, it's a bit of a drive, but I can check it out anytime from the 28th through the 6th in Sheboygan, WI. I also know someone who knows Subies (including SVXi) in Green Bay/Pulaski, WI who might I'm sure can help you out at any time if I ask him and give him a heads up.

AlcyoneSVX · #11 01-17-2012, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Wrix

I seriously have got to ask, is my babey worth dumping 2k+ on at twenty years old, and 136k... (2nd tranny)

Don't give up on your baby! This is a car worth keeping!

For me, the joy that this car brings me far out weighs any of the issues that I've had (and believe me, in the past 15 years, I've had several).

If you haven't already read it, you should read "Judgement Upon My SVX" in the General SVX babble section. I think you'll find it inspiring.

Best of luck!

dcarrb · #12 01-17-2012, 05:28 AM

I had the front wheel bearings replaced on one of mine; they announced their impending departure with an all-too-familiar whine that progressed toward a roar at speed. Hard to imagine the racket that bearings would make if they were so far gone as to allow lots of play in the hub. Scary.

Don't recall the itemized costs but remember well the descent into the money pit: First came the bearings. Then the discovery that the ABS tone wheels were cracked (these things are just stupid expensive), then there was a damaged ABS sensor...

Ended up being the biggest repair ticket in all my years of SVX ownership.

dcb

immortal_suby · #13 01-17-2012, 06:17 AM

I had to replace my front bearings somewhere around 220,000 miles after they developed some play.
Went to a local junkyard and got the entire front hub/housing assemblys for a steal and just swapped the whole assembly in on each side.
http://www.subaruparts.com/diag/?mod...category=280-A
The only hard part I remember was removing the ABS sensor without damaging it. I had to buy a new one on one side. Those suckers are in there tight.

92snowmachine · #14 01-17-2012, 09:59 AM

check to make sure your axle nuts are tight, if they aren't then there isn't anything holding the bearing together. they may be damaged but would have to be really worn to have that much slop with the axle nut tight.

Crazy_pilot · #15 01-17-2012, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Wrix

I seriously have got to ask, is my babey worth dumping 2k+ on at twenty years old, and 136k... (2nd tranny)

The question is, is it worth it to you? In my case, absolutely. I think I'm up to 3 or 4 times that I've shelled out $1-$1.5K on my car. Wheels and tires, head gaskets, cams, replacement engine, coilovers... (Hmmm... Maybe I have a problem?)

As for wheel bearings though... Easy stuff. Well, can be anyway. If you have some wrench time under your belt you can remove the front knuckles, buy the bearings, and have a shop press them in for you. I did this for my rear bearings and never regretted it. Gave me an opportunity to learn the car and to free up and lube everything in the suspension. Lots of antiseize in there means everything comes apart nicely now.

To check on them jack the front of the car up, grab the tire at the top and bottom, and give it a shake. If it's as bad as the shop is saying it should be evident right away.