Wheel bearing question?

[SeanVr4]

So how do I check to see if I need them? Long story short, I had the front of my vr4 up on jacks and then the cops came by and told me i cant leave it like that (long story) so i had to put it down asap bc they were going to tow my car....so i put it down with wheels but didnt put the axles back in....so are my wheel bearings messed up?

i just called advanced auto and you have to get the whole assembly which is like 150 per side....

thanks in advance
sean

[BleedScarlet]

move wheels horizontally
if they wiggle, need new bearings

(jack it up first)

[SeanVr4]

^u mean try and move them left and right not try to wiggle them right? bc i thought if they wiggle u need new ball joints?

[BleedScarlet]

yeah, left and right
if they're loose=new bearings.

that's what I do on my bike, anyways. I believe it's the same for cars.

[Monochrome]

I'd be willing to bet you do need new ones.

They can still be bad even if they're not worn to the point where the wheel "wiggles". The problem is you won't find out until you're driving the car and can hear them.

[Duck Vader]

That is what I was going to say. Mine went bad on the XJ and the only way to really tell is to drive it.

[SeanVr4]

^so drive the car then get wheel bearings? i just dont want to spend 150 per and not have needed them right away

[Hans_GZP]

put your axles in and then test. The axle sandwhiches the bearing together. The bearing can slightly seperate without the axle being in, but once you put it in it will tighten the bearing back up.

And shop elsewhere for the wheel bearing assemblies. They are way cheaper then $150 each.

[TajMan]

If you need them or not I bet its because of their age and wear.

I doubt you "ruined" them doing what you did, as long as you assemble the car correctly with the old parts at this point.

[Monochrome]

[quote=""TajMan""]If you need them or not I bet its because of their age and wear.

I doubt you "ruined" them doing what you did, as long as you assemble the car correctly with the old parts at this point.[/quote]

Pull the axles out of your hubs and let the car sit for half a year sometime.

The wheel bearings can't take the weight of the whole car. Without the axle to hold its shape, the angle the suspension puts on it wears it out prematurely. Granted, Seans is several hundred pounds lighter in the front.

[TajMan]

I thought it was 1 day or something, and it would be ok.
1/2 a year?
I honestly can't see how the 3/S suspension works in my head at this exact moment so don't listen to me.

[SeanVr4]

[quote=""Monochrome""]Pull the axles out of your hubs and let the car sit for half a year sometime.

The wheel bearings can't take the weight of the whole car. Without the axle to hold its shape, the angle the suspension puts on it wears it out prematurely. Granted, Seans is several hundred pounds lighter in the front.[/quote]

well it had axles for like a year in there but now it hasnt had them in there for maybe 2-3mths now lol

hans - u sure i can get them cheaper....u need to buy the whole assembly....like the whole big arm and all....

[Hans_GZP]

Hey, I do this for a living. I think I know .

You don't need to buy a whole "arm". The front bearings bolt into the steering knuckle. They include the wheel hub as well. I know someone that could get them for almost half that price.

[EvilNCarnate]

I think I got mine from rockville for like 80 or so shipped. It was like 71.xx before shipping, you can see my thread on 3SI. I had some issues which turned out to be my ball joint. I plan on putting the new wheel bearing in some day but plan to do both sides at once. I tend to go overboard when I fix something, I dont just fix the item that breaks I like to fix the items that are also incorporated. So for my one ball joint I bought tie rod ends, sway bar endlinks, wheel bearings and ball joints... just waiting cause I know I will need an alignment after its done.

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php ... ost4186257