What causes a wheel bearing to go out twice?

Question

I have a 2000 Cirrus that I replaced the Front Passenger Wheel Bearing in May 2006. It is now needing to be replaced again. What could cause this? I had it for a year before the first bearing needed to be replaced. Should I be looking for something else to be wrong?

Answer 1

lack of grease

Answer 2

Well there could be a few underlying problems. Most people will tell you that a lack of grease is the cause. That is very possible, but less likely then the technician OVER greasing the bearing and other parts. If the bearing is covered in gobs of grease and everything else is dripping in the stuff, the parts have no where to expand when they got hotter as you drive. That will cause numerous failures within the bearing itself.

Im not 100% certain about your particular vehicle, but if they have repariable bearing units then it's very possible that they were not reinstalled correctly. They need to be set up in a specific manner and if that's not done correctly there's no chance of them lasting a year.

I hope this helps. Good luck resolving the issue.

Answer 3

Greasing it matters, do it right by first cleaning axle shaft of all old grease. Then using "Wheel Bearing grease" put a blob of grease in your palm and take the bearing in the other hand and force the bearing into the other hand that has the grease so that it is forced thru the bearings around the whole bearing. Put the bearing on a clean axle shaft and then add more grease until it is just full, then put on the flat washer and the axle nut and tightenen it up until you feel the nut wanting to stop - then back up 1/6th of a turn(that allows space for the grease.) Put on the lockring and split pin.
That'll last 5 years minimum.

Answer 4

Trash during the last installation. Wide rims that are offset to keep from rubbing the frame put a tremendous force on outer wheel bearing. During installation tighten the bearings really tight to make sure the races are seated, then loosen & torque till no slack - Then turn till the cotter pin hole is aligned.

Answer 5

The biggest cause of wheel bearing failure on the front axel is improper torquing. You might have gotten a cheap Chinese bearing the first time. Make sure you get a quality bearing this time. Timken, National, CR, or other brand name. Make sure the mechanic properly sets the torque.

Answer 6

It sounds to be either it was installed incorrectly, was left too loose or too tight, or you may have another problem that is causing them to wear too quickly. A properly installed one should last for many, many thousand miles. Two things I can think of quickly is that the seals may be bad letting moisture or water in, make sure to replace all of them next time or it may have dirt contamination in the inside of the hub that was not cleaned out when it was replaced.

Answer 7

You didnt tighten the bearing to the right amount of torque..... if you tighten too much you will burn the bearing out. I tighten mine while spinning the wheel.... when I see and feel resistance on the wheel I back off the nut an 1/8th turn and then put on the lock nut cover and cotter pin.

Answer 8

The person who packed your grease for your bearings must have done it wrong, or they got contaminated while installing, under torque or over torque will cause them to fail but I'm guessing the guy who did your wheel bearings failed is cause they were contaminated and they packed the bearings wrong and the grease just faded over time...

Answer 9

has anyone bumped a curb while parallel parking? the bearing hub may be out of round and causing stress on the bearing..... or the other possibility is a poor install of the replacement....some guys are pretty crude out there.....hope this helps

Answer 10

The bearing may not have been torqued right when it was installed. Either to tight or to loose. Someone may have used an impact tool and over tightened.

Answer 11

You changed the bearing race and roller,I would take a look at Spindle&Rotor.The tire may also have unusal wear caused from the above.