126 Front Wheel Bearing- to replace ?
 

I am about to replace the front rotors & pads on my 300SE and was wondering about the bearings & seals. To do or not to do... or in simple English, Is this a regular (what interval?) maintenance issue or not.

The car is a 1987, I have had it for six years and who knows when if ever they had been replaced. At this point I do not hear or feel anything wrong in my steering/driving. Any thoughts on the matter ?

As long as you don't hear noise from them, they are fine. Just check their grease and only use the original MB grease.

i agree, except i have never used mb brand grease. in fact didn't know such a thing ever has existed.

if the wheel bearings have never been run too loose or somehow without grease or if the grease has been contaminated with dirt, it is doubtful they can be worn out, imho.

tom w

thank you much for the speedy advice.
I guess I will leave the new bearings on the shelf..

Took me a while to find the time to do the brakes, but I finally got to do them this last friday. All went well and since I had already gotten the new bearing kit I chose to go ahead and replace the old ones. I imagine they were never replaced, so from now on I'll do them once every 20 years...
I did not expect to feel a difference , but I swear that a hidden whine from the wheels, one I could never actually pin down, has vanished.

Even if bearings aren't making noise you should inspect them for discolouration. If they are straw coloured they are in need of replacement. Also look for any flaking/breaking up of the hardening.

Lastly, inspecting the race for excess wear, any perceptible lip etc, etc.

JIC, should you replace them ALWAYS replace the bearing and races together. Installing new bearings on old races is a perfect way to wear out the new bearings in very short order.


I've also had very good luck using Valvoline's synthetic wheel bearing grease.

Jonathan

if you feel like it repack them. Just buy a new rear grease seal.

I also used the Valvoline synthetic grease. It cost like 5$ for a pound of it and it will last me the rest of my life. Only reason I bought it was because. A) it was the most expensive B) it had the highest temperature rating and... C) I did not feel like bending down to grab the non synthetic stuff