Front Wheel Bearings

[G B L]

Thanks for the info on the titanium, I will check into it.  

The disc brake parts here in the northeast have other causes for shorter pad and rotor life.  

[Loafer]

On 3/18/2017 at 2:14 PM, Beta Don said:

Going to a wider tire on a wider wheel with a different offset would likely exacerbate the problem and not solve it  -  The load on the bearings would be much higher with a wider tire on a wider track wheel

But  -  The 'real problem' could be just the quality of the bearings themselves.  If you pay someone to do the change and they have a choice of a $40 bearing, a $70 bearing or a $100 bearing, guess which one they'll probably buy for you?  -  $400 for labor to install a $40 bearing isn't any bargain

www.rockauto.com lists 5 different wheel bearings ranging in price from about $40 to $117.00 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2012,transit+connect,2.0l+l4,1501993,brake+&+wheel+hub,wheel+bearing,1672

Don

Good info Don, thanks!  They mention a Timkin that is hearted.  Is the heart a recommendation?  Again thanks, I'll keep RockAuto in mind. 

[Batman Connect]

On 3/25/2013 at 8:46 PM, Precisionair said:

Once again, WTF does the above babbling have to do with a Transit Connect?

Um ... everything to do with a transit connect?  My front bearings are doing the same thing. In the shop right now for set #4 in just over a year.  I’m at a loss too. 

[Batman Connect]

On 3/6/2017 at 11:58 AM, Doc Hoy said:

This post will not add anything of substance to the discussion. But I had a left wheel bearing replaced in my 2011 at 160k Miles. I bought it used with a bearing making noise. $800 to replace the bearing. Right hand side is the next candidate. It is distressing to read about the high frequency of wheel bearing failure on these trucks. Mine is a company truck and I depend on it for income.

Me too ... I have a 2012 that is currently having the 4th replacement in just over a year.  The dealer said they have to be pressed in just right or will go out right away.  I’m willing to let the dealer try it but pep boys won’t give me my money back and admit defeat - they would rather keep doing it over and over again.  Ugh

[Batman Connect]

On 12/8/2017 at 6:28 PM, williaty said:

I realize this bit of the discussion was a while ago but...

 

Speaking as someone with a suspension design background, increasing unsprung mass is ALWAYS the wrong choice. Unsprung mass is anything that's between the road and the springs so we're talking tire, wheel, rotor, hub, knuckle, caliper, half the strut, etc. Increased unsprung mass always makes it harder for the suspension to track the road resulting in less performance, less safety, and greater risk of crashing.

 

If the truth is that the bearing is under-sized for the job, then realistically the impacts don't matter. The extended dynamic loads during cornering and going to be putting more wear on the bearings than hitting normal bumps in the road. If you want to try to do something to soften the impacts anyway, the only thing you can do is to move to a smaller wheel and run a tire with a taller sidewall. Shock loading of the unsprung mass, and the entire chassis for that matter, is inversely proportional to sidewall compliance (taller sidewalls flex more easily). Taller sidewall, smoother ride. Find out if 15" wheels will clear the brakes and then run tall tires.

 

More likely, if the TCs are experiencing a higher failure rate than the Focus on the identical part numbers heat is to blame. The van is heavier and all that extra energy gets converted to heat each time you stop. Most of that heat goes into the front brakes. For another car with major wheel bearing problems (Subaru Impreza), I helped develop a solution that dramatically increased bearing life. We simply made thin (around 1mm) titanium spacers to go between the brake rotor and the face of the hub. The shims resulted in dramatically less heat transfer during braking from the rotor to the bearings. By keeping the bearings cooler, they lasted longer. A LOT longer.

 

What did you make the spacer out of?  I have issues with my 2012 TC AND My 2008 Subaru Impreza. Ugh

[williaty]

1 hour ago, Batman Connect said:

What did you make the spacer out of?  I have issues with my 2012 TC AND My 2008 Subaru Impreza. Ugh

We had them laser cut out of titanium. I don't remember which alloy/grade. Ti has really shitty thermal conductivity for a metal, so placing the tiny shim between the rotor and the hub acted like a tiny little insulator, keeping the hub cooler.

[mrtn]

5 hours ago, Batman Connect said:

Me too ... I have a 2012 that is currently having the 4th replacement in just over a year.  The dealer said they have to be pressed in just right or will go out right away.  I’m willing to let the dealer try it but pep boys won’t give me my money back and admit defeat - they would rather keep doing it over and over again.  Ugh

 

That's not right. I replaced a front wheel bearing maybe twice in 10 years/190K miles.

[G B L]

19 hours ago, Batman Connect said:

In the shop right now for set #4

Even if the bearings are too small and don't last , 4 sets in a year sounds like an installation issue.

[Fifty150]

20 hours ago, G B L said:

4 sets in a year sounds like an installation issue

 

 

Or aftermarket parts which aren't very well made.  When I was a kid, my dad always went to Grand Auto & Scherba's because they sold parts for less than dealership prices, and offered the lifetime warranty.  A lifetime warranty on a cheap aftermarket auto part.  

 

 

 

   Auto parts stores used to offer "lifetime warranty" on all sorts of parts......water pumps, alternators, universal joints, drive shafts.........Not because O'Reilly's or Auto Zone sells superior auto parts.  Their parts are terrible compared to OEM parts.  Most people don't own old cars long enough for those parts to fail again, and again, to take advantage of the warranty.  If you replace a water pump at 200,000 miles after 20 years, you probably won't own that car for another 5 years or drive it another 50,000 miles.

 

Does Pep Boys install OEM parts?

 

 

 

 

[G B L]

4 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

Or aftermarket parts which aren't very well made

That is more likely to be true on a more complicated parts.  That wheel bearing is a simple product that is made in a big factory by equipment that has been automated for over 75 years. There are quality issues for sure, but 4 sets in a year ?

The one issue that the video addresses but then ignores is torquing the axle shaft nut. when the tec uses an impact wrench on the nut even to run the new nut on is not good. 

If the bearing is loose or too tight the bearing will self destruct quickly, especially if run at full load.

 

[Fifty150]

11 hours ago, G B L said:

quality issues for sure, but 4 sets in a year

 

11 hours ago, G B L said:

torquing the axle shaft nut

 

 

On my truck, there is a similar part called an "axle spindle nut".  The factory torque spec is 295 ft lbs.  Stamped right on the part is "do not re-use".  

 

 

People re-use them.  People do not install with the proper torque spec.  The wheel bearings go out.  But in the case of the truck, it is also rumored that it was bad engineering.  Some say that the truck's weight is just too much for the little bearings.  Some say that the OEM sourced bearings are poor quality, and that you can get better quality from aftermarket companies Centric and Powerstop.  On this particular model, the bearing is built into the brake rotor - as a 1 piece assembled unit.  The bearings always go out way before the rotor warps or the brake pads wear down.  When the truck was still under warranty for the 1st 5 years, the dealership replaced the OEM Ford Motorcraft brake rotors and pads 3 times - after technicians confirmed brake noise and less than desired stopping performance.  After the warranty, I installed Power Stop brakes.  They lasted longer, and stopped better.  But the bearings also gave out before the pads wore down and/or the rotors wearing beyond useable.  

 

As I look around, I don't see a lot of aftermarket performance parts for the Transit Connect.  Has anyone found aftermarket front end components which are suppose to be an upgrade?

[G B L]

11 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

But the bearings also gave out before the pads wore down and/or the rotors wearing beyond useable.   

I can fix that move here and the brakes will turn to junk faster so it can all turn to crap together.

As for the performance parts you are right  not  much interest.

[Fifty150]

In snow states, the entire underbody turns to crap together.

[o2bad455]

On 12/9/2017 at 12:31 PM, G B L said:

The gen 2  wheel bearings are larger than the gen 1, that alone helps some.

How much larger?  Can the Gen2 assembly (housing/upright/knuckle) be used in a Gen1?  If not, is there enough meat in the Gen1 housing to bore it out for the larger Gen2 bearings?

Edited May 9, 2023 by o2bad455

[o2bad455]

Or might there be a same-sized roller bearing that could be substituted for the Gen1's OEM style ball bearing?  Upgrading a ball bearing to a roller bearing can offer advantages of increased load capacity and longevity, but the disadvantage of slightly higher frictional losses.  It would be great if such a roller bearing came with a built-in ABS reluctor ring, but I'd also consider without.

Edited May 10, 2023 by o2bad455

[G B L]

Here are the two bearings . not as much as I thought!