Wheel bearing maintenance

[gick70]

What is the specified maintenance of front wheel bearings,miles??

 

[Steve83]

Click this, read the caption, and the footnotes.

(phone app link)

 

[DirtDonk]

Every 30,000 is about what I used too. If you drilled down into Steve's information and checked out the "Normal Maintenance Schedule" you'd see that it's the same for wheel bearings either way. Every 30k whether babied, or rode hard and put away wet.

I generally felt that 25k to 30k was acceptable on a daily driver, and that's just about what I ended up doing every time. Chilton's lists it as 24k or 24 months, whichever comes first. Chilton's was pretty much what most of us went by in the old days before we thought of spending 100 bucks or more on factory Ford shop manuals!

Other criteria, pretty much every time you did any brake work, or cleaned out the locking mechanism if they needed it, or otherwise had anything else apart up front.
Any time you have it off the ground you can check the action and see if it needs any service before the normal scheduled time arrives.
Kind of a critical component, so not the kind of thing to ignore.

Also generally accepted that you should inspect and if necessary re-pack them EVERY TIME you got in some water when going off-road. If it got over the hubs, it could get in the hubs.

If lubed and adjusted properly, the front bearings and hub components can and do last the life of the vehicle.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

If you don't expect to drive yours enough to reach that milestone, you'll have to use your best judgement on the time vs mileage thing. You can probably go longer than 24mo on a good grease, but at some point you just want to go in and inspect if nothing else.
If it's not driven much it can still rust on any uncoated surfaces inside just from moisture in the air.

Of course, there really should not be ANY uncoated surfaces if it's done properly, but if you were not the one to do that last maintanance, or otherwise have not been in there yourself, when in doubt, check it out.

Paul

 

[taipeichris]

Steve 83! Paul!

You guys are awesome! Hahaha... I might be a little bit over the recommended mileage for a repack.

Believe it or not I was going to repack my front bearing this afternoon just after I changed my radius arm bushings. BUT my secret stash of wood blocks was gone, disappeared, vanished and by the time I got it all lifted up with new wood blocks then my Pitman arm puller broke I just didn't get to it.

AHHH... life is what happens when you make plans.

Thank you both and have a good week!

 

[DirtDonk]

Hey, when it's up in the air, you're practically done!
Have fun. Hopefully they're in good shape and only need a little TLC.

Paul

 

[blubuckaroo]

Also generally accepted that you should inspect and if necessary re-pack them EVERY TIME you got in some water when going off-road. If it got over the hubs, it could get in the hubs.

If lubed and adjusted properly, the front bearings and hub components can and do last the life of the vehicle.

Paul

We use ours to get to my favorite stream fishing spot, where there are always deep water crossings. (I love that part);D
I repack hubs, change all gear oil, and flush the brake lines after trout season every year.

The front wheel bearings on ours are the originals at over 300K miles.

 

[DirtDonk]

You're definitely one of the examples I cite when it comes to bearing maintenance and longevity.

Doing the extra things like fully packing the spindle with grease and sealing up the locking knob better can do wonders for not letting any water get in.
I still have the Spindle Luber tools I bought in the '70's and '80's for the 44 and the 60.

Paul

 

[Steve83]

I'm a BIG believer in filling the hubs (NOT the hub locks) with grease.

(phone app link)


(phone app link)

 

[Steve83]

Also in using the right tool to pack the bearings.

(phone app link)


And I pack the inner seal, and the back of the inner bearing to further reduce the airspace in the hub.

 

[Rustytruck]

I do my bearings every 2 years whether it needs it or not. I grease my drive lines and steering every year. Tighten my exhaust system every year after breaking an exhaust manifold due the exhaust system and manifold being loose.

 

[sprdv1]

And life always gets in the way right lol

Steve 83! Paul!

You guys are awesome! Hahaha... I might be a little bit over the recommended mileage for a repack.

Believe it or not I was going to repack my front bearing this afternoon just after I changed my radius arm bushings. BUT my secret stash of wood blocks was gone, disappeared, vanished and by the time I got it all lifted up with new wood blocks then my Pitman arm puller broke I just didn't get to it.

AHHH... life is what happens when you make plans.

Thank you both and have a good week!

 

[sprdv1]

I do my bearings every 2 years whether it needs it or not. I grease my drive lines and steering every year. Tighten my exhaust system every year after breaking an exhaust manifold due the exhaust system and manifold being loose.

Definitely doesn't hurt to keep a scheduled time to do it. Keep it free flowing and hopefully avoid other issues down the road

 

[Rustytruck]

its just easier I follow the holidays and assign a task easy to remember and usually around holidays I get extra time off.