I had a shimmy between 60-70 on speedo for a long time. At slow speeds it felt like the brakes were dragging a little. So I finally jack it up and check the wheel bearings. Left front is loose right front maybe a little loose so, I tighten them up and go out for a drive. Things feel worse so I decide to do a visual on them. Yikes, both outers fell apart.

Dave

Wow that's unnerving............

It is good that you found it before ? I just hate pounding out the races. Good luck Mark

wow. those are even worse than mine was.

QUOTE (Headrage @ Jul 13 2005, 06:22 PM)

Wow that's unnerving............

better to find it like that.... I had a balljoint on my old pickup give out at 50 with NO warning... damn near flipped because of it! very scary feeling... one minute, everything cool, next you are driving on 3 wheels and your tie-rod is acting like a pole-vault

how are the spindles?

Jen

Have you cleaned those up, or were they that dry when removed? They look like they were never packed

At least 914s aren't like old fords, where the bearing is what holds the axle in.

Doh

That bearing was about 8 months old. It's mate for the other side (that I hadn't gotten around to installing yet) had a defective seal upon close inspection. Needless to say I changed bearing brands.

Once after a 4 hour road trip I started to hear a roaring sound from the front end. Once I got to my destination I pulled the front tire, then pulled off the grease cap....... The grease poured out like soup.

Pulled the rotor and the bearing came out in pieces.

ahhhh, that was my first wheel bearing change.....sniff, sniff.....

QUOTE (bondo @ Jul 13 2005, 05:07 PM)

At least 914s aren't like old fords, where the bearing is what holds the axle in. Doh That bearing was about 8 months old. It's mate for the other side (that I hadn't gotten around to installing yet) had a defective seal upon close inspection. Needless to say I changed bearing brands.

had that happen to my Mach I.....the power slides around corners didn't help

QUOTE (DNHunt @ Jul 13 2005, 03:20 PM)

So I finally jack it up and check the wheel bearings. Left front is loose right front maybe a little loose so, I tighten them up and go out for a drive. Things feel worse so I decide to do a visual on them. Yikes, both outers fell apart. Dave

You are aware that you don't "tighten" bearings, right????

QUOTE (jr91472 @ Jul 13 2005, 08:30 PM)

...grease poured out like soup...

greases don't intermix well. it's best to pick a grease and stick with it. if for some reason you decide to "repack" the bearings but you don't know what's in there, it's best to REALLY clean out everything - like solvents and brake cleaners - chemically clean. DO NOT spin the bearings dry with compressed air.

i like Mobil-1 grease, but Swepco moly grease also gets excellent reviews and i may switch to it later on. (it's also great for CV joints, a very demanding application.)

QUOTE (Mueller @ Jul 13 2005, 05:36 PM)

QUOTE (bondo @ Jul 13 2005, 05:07 PM) At least 914s aren't like old fords, where the bearing is what holds the axle in. Doh That bearing was about 8 months old. It's mate for the other side (that I hadn't gotten around to installing yet) had a defective seal upon close inspection. Needless to say I changed bearing brands. had that happen to my Mach I.....the power slides around corners didn't help

Hmm, now that you mention it... There was this one right turn on my commute home...

YIKES, DAVE, THAT LOOKS KIND OF NASTY,

QUOTE

You are aware that you don't "tighten" bearings, right????

???
Last week noticed that my recently replaced front bearings were seeming a little sloppy after about 1000 miles, so I loosened the lock coller and each side tightened about 1/3 turn. Did I do sumthin wrong? I don't think so....

Dave, good thing you caught it brefore it siezed up at 60 or 70.

What wheels do you run ? And or do you use spacers?

For anyone who uses off set wheels or spacers, on the 914 bearings, keep an eye on them, The large offset wheels and spacers, don't put an even load on the small 914 bearing, the 911 bearing's (and front end) are a much better choice for spacers and large wheel offsets, due to the larger spindel and larger bearings.

The best choice for wheels, is a wheel with an equal, inner and outer wheel width , or as close as possible, for example: 8" wide wheel optimum would be 4" inner spacing and the outer 4", that way the wheel is putting an equal load on the bearing. Unlike a 6" inner spacing with a 2" outer spacing, The 6 inches is putting twice the load on the bearing (extra 2" leverage) thats always pressing the bearing one way.

But, I know, can only use what you can afford, just keep a closer eye on the front end, if you do use other than optimum spacing.

QUOTE (V6914 @ Jul 13 2005, 09:08 PM)

Dave, good thing you caught it brefore it siezed up at 60 or 70. What wheels do you run ? And or do you use spacers? For anyone who uses off set wheels or spacers, on the 914 bearings, keep an eye on them, The large offset wheels and spacers, don't put an even load on the small 914 bearing, the 911 bearing's (and front end) are a much better choice for spacers and large wheel offsets, due to the larger spindel and larger bearings. The best choice for wheels, is a wheel with an equal, inner and outer wheel width , or as close as possible, for example: 8" wide wheel optimum would be 4" inner spacing and the outer 4", that way the wheel is putting an equal load on the bearing. Unlike a 6" inner spacing with a 2" outer spacing, The 6 inches is putting twice the load on the bearing (extra 2" leverage) thats always pressing the bearing one way. But, I know, can only use what you can afford, just keep a closer eye on the front end, if you do use other than optimum spacing.

you missed the mark a little on this. the wheel center line should line up center line of the hub[ or the center of the distance of the wheel bearings]. this puts the load of the wheel equal to both bearings.

QUOTE (ArtechnikA @ Jul 13 2005, 06:06 PM)

......it's best to REALLY clean out everything - like solvents and brake cleaners - chemically clean.  DO NOT spin the bearings dry with compressed air.

Could you expand on this? I take it you do not want to wash out the grease with solvent and then blow dry the bearings leaving residue from the solvent. What process do you suggest for cleaning out existing grease?

I think you can use a quickly evaporating solvent to remove all existing grease, apply a coat of the new grease, thoroughly wipe it off using no solvent, then pack the bearings with the new grease.

Sounds a little like overkill to me but what the heck. I may have the whole thing wrong.

-Jeff

try washing out grease with solvent and then use brake clean or carb cleaner to wash out remaining deposits let air dry [ should take but a minute] then pack um up.

QUOTE (messix @ Jul 13 2005, 10:18 PM)

QUOTE (V6914 @ Jul 13 2005, 09:08 PM) Dave, good thing you caught it brefore it siezed up at 60 or 70. What wheels do you run ? And or do you use spacers? For anyone who uses off set wheels or spacers, on the 914 bearings, keep an eye on them, The large offset wheels and spacers, don't put an even load on the small 914 bearing, the 911 bearing's (and front end) are a much better choice for spacers and large wheel offsets, due to the larger spindel and larger bearings. The best choice for wheels, is a wheel with an equal, inner and outer wheel width , or as close as possible, for example: 8" wide wheel  optimum would be 4" inner spacing and the outer 4", that way the wheel is putting an equal load on the bearing.  Unlike a 6" inner spacing with a 2" outer spacing, The 6 inches is putting twice the load on the bearing (extra 2" leverage) thats always pressing the bearing one way. But, I know, can only use what you can afford, just keep a closer eye on the front end, if you do use other than optimum spacing. you missed the mark a little on this. the wheel center line should line up center line of the hub[ or the center of the distance of the wheel bearings]. this puts the load of the wheel equal to both bearings.

Your correct, my statement was to make aware the pit falls of offset wheels and spacers, how ever incorrect it was. And I hope it will make people think more, and ask more questions, and service there cars better.

I, wonder how many people, as soon as they can, will jack up their cars, pull off the wheels and check there bearings, and the smart ones will go by a pair of inner bearing seals $3 to $4 apiece, some grease, pull their rotors, repack their bearings with new seals.

People will start feeling every little thing in there steering now, or at least the ones that read this post,

Paranoia, can be a good thing.

QUOTE (scruz914 @ Jul 14 2005, 02:44 AM)

Could you expand on this? I take it you do not want to wash out the grease with solvent and then blow dry the bearings leaving residue from the solvent.

no, that's not quite what i was saying, sorry i wasn't clear...

solvent wash good -- carb cleaner to cut through the grease followed by brake cleaner works.

air dry good.

the key word of what to avoid is "spin."

it's tempting (and kinda fun - try it with a failed bearing sometime...) to hit the rollers with the compressed air stream and watch 'em spin around. high-speed, spinning, *unlubricated* rollers. not good.

brake cleaner dries quickly and leaves no residue. wash 'em with that, leave them to air-dry in a shop towel for a few minutes, repack, and be good to go.

I installed the wreaked bearings over the winter of 2003-4. They had a trip to WCC about a dozen AX and probably 12,000 miles total.

When I said tighten, I meant adjust the slop out. I did tighten the clamping nut.

I do run some extra offset to the outside (Empi's I'm afraid). I was aware of the extra loading of the outside bearings.

Dave

I never try to clean and repack my existing bearings. I just by new, packem' and install them. Thier so cheap, just get new. Cleaning old ones is a PITA.

Paul

QUOTE (URY914 @ Jul 14 2005, 09:56 AM)

I never try to clean and repack my existing bearings. I just by new, packem' and install them.

you still have the OEM 4-bolt front brake disks, yes?

i do try to limit how many times i R&R bearings from aluminum hubs; the bearings are a press fit, and the hub does wear over time... some day i'll get those tricko billet hubs, but it'll be a while...

i'll tell ya. if i'm going through the hassle of taking the front end apart, it's new bearings and races. even trade dave. i spray oil on your car, but tell you your wheel shimmy is because of the wobbling left front tire that i saw when we were tearing up skate creek road. oh, no leaks!! . you get my pm?

k

I drove it into work this morning. smooth as glass with the new bearings. Kevin, the left front was the worst bearing.

Dave

QUOTE (DNHunt @ Jul 14 2005, 05:36 AM)

I installed the wreaked bearings over the winter of 2003-4. They had a trip to WCC about a dozen AX and probably 12,000 miles total. When I said tighten, I meant adjust the slop out. I did tighten the clamping nut. I do run some extra offset to the outside (Empi's I'm afraid). I was aware of the extra loading of the outside bearings. Dave

I rebuilt my front end, including new front bearings, at around 95,000 miles. The old ones still looked fine although I had never repacked them, only checked free-play. This included 40,000 miles with ATS wheels which had a little more positive offset (to the outside).

Any idea why your's went out at only 12,000 miles, Dave?

I've often wondered about the effects on bearing wear and steering effort of using wider wheels and spacers for flared fenders?

I suspect they were poorly adjusted for a good portion of the time. As I said I had a front end shimmy for quite a while. I wrote that off to tire balance and didn't check it out cause, it wasn't too bad until recently. I think the adjustment prior to the last drive really did them in. It's all speculation. I will say this, I won't ignore a shimmy next time.

Dave

QUOTE (ArtechnikA @ Jul 14 2005, 03:35 AM)

it's tempting (and kinda fun - try it with a failed bearing sometime...) to hit the rollers with the compressed air stream and watch 'em spin around. high-speed, spinning, *unlubricated* rollers. not good.

I have heard of people getting killed doing this. Bearing spins up to unbelievable speed, cage shatters, "bullets" fly.

YOU WILL DIE!!!