How to know if wheel bearings need replacing? (2 Viewers)

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I am working on brakes and wheel bearings. Just got everything cleaned up and looked at the spindles. Can you guys give me an assessment?

Driver's side:
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Passenger's side 1 and 2:

P1000405.JPG



P1000406.JPG
 
Drag your nail over the lines and pitting and see if you can feel them. If so, how deep do they feel.
 
Drag your nail over the lines and pitting and see if you can feel them. If so, how deep do they feel.

I cannot feel any of it with my finger tips, very smooth. Can't feel those pits at all.
 
Why not just borrow the proper tools for free from an auto parts store? Are they a weird size or something?


I've heard they don't have the right size. But you would think they have enough truck stuff that they would. I may call them.
 
If those were mine, I would probably hit some of that with an emery cloth before I put the hub and bearings back on.
 
If those were mine, I would probably hit some of that with an emery cloth before I put the hub and bearings back on.
This... If you cant feel it with your nail then you should be good. Should be something just superficial.
 
In most cases the only way to know if bearing & race need replacing. Is the clean and inspect.
Bad.
Bearing LH 00LX 557k (2) small.JPG

Bearing LH 00LX 557k (12)c.jpg

Bearing LH 00LX 557k (12)cc.jpg


Bearing LH 00LX 557k (11).JPG

Wheel hub has cut out points, used to knock out race. Brass dowel works well to knock out. A steal punch/chisel can also be used. With steal, care must be taken to not damage the wall of race seat.
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Hub reconditioning (1)c.jpg
 
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Wrong. Use the old race UPSIDE DOWN and you will be able to remove it after seating the new race.

And why won’t the new race fully seat?

Please put the hacksaw away.

The new race presses into the hub, past the face of the hub, and thusly the old race must be pushed into the hub a short distance to fully seat the new race. Then the new race is partially pressed in, no? This is what I am getting at. This is what I encountered with the old race upside down. If you have a press, use it
 
Even if you use old race right (large) side in, that's fine. Just flip hub over and knock it out. Large in, make easy to catch edge to knock out.

I've done by freezing races & bearings overnight and heating wheel hub. Also just done job, at room temperature. Really not all that much different.

Trick is walk out and walk in. That is, work out and in evenly. Don't get race cocked in the hub, and it easy.
 
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This... If you cant feel it with your nail then you should be good. Should be something just superficial.

I can feel the lines with my nail, not with my fingertips. The pitted looking areas not so much. These don't have to be replaced? I was freaking out when I saw this.
 
I can feel the lines with my nail, not with my fingertips. The pitted looking areas not so much. These don't have to be replaced? I was freaking out when I saw this.
Ok, so how bad do they feel with the nail? Do they feel deep and really catch on the nail or does it feel like a slight bump?
 
Ok, so how bad do they feel with the nail? Do they feel deep and really catch on the nail or does it feel like a slight bump?

Not deep. It felt like a surface texture on something you might buy new that was not fully polished if that makes sense. So smooth to the fingertip, but can feel very slightly to the nail.
 
Not deep. It felt like a surface texture on something you might buy new that was not fully polished if that makes sense. So smooth to the fingertip, but can feel very slightly to the nail.
Then do like @JunkCrzr89 said and hit it with some emery cloth to smooth it down some, clean it real good with degreaser then reassemble everything, with lots of grease and be done with it!!
 
Then do like @JunkCrzr89 said and hit it with some emery cloth to smooth it down some, clean it real good with degreaser then reassemble everything, with lots of grease and be done with it!!

There should not be anything spinning on those surfaces right?
 
The spindle only holds the bearing inner race inline. It is not a bearing surface. Just polish with a sand paper like emery or crocus cloth so race does not bind, and should be fine.

Make sure you have good flat surface on hub flange, gaskets, seals and grease cap to keep water out.
 
I'm not getting younger... The face in the mirror tells me that everyday, all day! Best to avoid mirrors I have figured out. Getting up off the floor is getting rough. Lifting transmissions and engine blocks by myself will never happen again. But I still have some very careful and slow moves still left in me. So I want to do some of this heavy stuff while I still can.

So I am doing all 4 corner Brakes, front Bearings, 4 calipers, shocks, etc. I also need to do the CV joint cleanup and reboot, as well as diff mounts and inner tie rod ends. I am also going to do the Master cylinder and send off the brake booster pump for cleanup later.

So I have decided while I have things this tore apart, I'm going to rehab a lot of stuff if it needs it. 2002 LC 215K all road miles.

Right now, I am torn down to the spindles.

How do I evaluate:

1) Upper Control arms and Ball joint
2) Lower Control arm and Ball joint
3) Outer Tie rod ends
4) Steering Rack itself
5) CV joints and axles

and anything else you think I should evaluate
 
So the first three are actually pretty easy. For them play is pretty apparent, once you get the spindle carrier off and the ball joints are free, move them around and see what it feels like. If the ball joint just flops around easily of pushes in out, they are toast, same with the outer tie rod end (I believe). If you look at the last page of my build thread I posted a video of my upper ball joint. Based on what I have seen from others, the movement in it is normal, there is some restriction to the movement (meaning it doesn't just fly around when I flick it) and there is no upward movement at all.

Steering rack you should see start leaking or feel slop in the steering, but not 100% on that.

CV Joints and axles are a feeling and listening for noises. Clicking, popping, grinding, etc. are all indicators (when coming from the CV) that it is bad. Also torn boots can be indicator depending on how long they have been torn, amount of grease left inside, and how much contaminant is in there.
 
I'm not getting younger... The face in the mirror tells me that everyday, all day! Best to avoid mirrors I have figured out. Getting up off the floor is getting rough. Lifting transmissions and engine blocks by myself will never happen again. But I still have some very careful and slow moves still left in me. So I want to do some of this heavy stuff while I still can.

So I am doing all 4 corner Brakes, front Bearings, 4 calipers, shocks, etc. I also need to do the CV joint cleanup and reboot, as well as diff mounts and inner tie rod ends. I am also going to do the Master cylinder and send off the brake booster pump for cleanup later.

So I have decided while I have things this tore apart, I'm going to rehab a lot of stuff if it needs it. 2002 LC 215K all road miles.

Right now, I am torn down to the spindles.

How do I evaluate:

1) Upper Control arms and Ball joint
2) Lower Control arm and Ball joint
3) Outer Tie rod ends
4) Steering Rack itself
5) CV joints and axles

and anything else you think I should evaluate
 

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