Front Wheel Bearing Races - 201
 

My '92 201 w/102 has some play that can't be adjusted out in the right/front wheel bearing -- so I guess it's time for new bearings.

I assume it's just good practice to change both sides. But my main question is about the races. Should I also plan to replace the inner and outer races? If so, are they simply driven out with a drift?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Absolutely on the races...installing new bearings on old races is strictly verboten...

A drift will do fine, make sure they are of good quality and have a nice pronounced edge.

be careful who's bearings you use...many are made in Mexico/Brazil these days.. If you can try to get your hands on some Japanese Timken's...I have had very good luck w/ them over the past few years.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
Thanks for your response. I thought that was the case, after all... they are dependent on each other, so if one's worn, it would be likely that the other is as well.

That's more difficult than I thought it would be. Fastlane only offers a set made by "Ruville". Close inspection of the image shows "Mexico" stamped into them. I found some Timpkins on a site called AutoPartsGiant, but I refuse to buy anything from them again.

Sidebar Rant: DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH AutoPartsGiant.com
THEY CHARGE "HANDLING CHARGES" ON ALL PURCHASES, AND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
REPEAT: DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH AutoPartsGiant.com
(end rant)

(Whew, I feel better now.)

Any thoughts on where I can get a set of Timkins? Are these standard parts? Could I simply buy them from my local Timkin dealer?

Thanks in advance.

Wheel bearings are standard items & can be ordered from any bearing outlet.

OVERALL the quality of tapered wheel bearings are pretty much equal EXCEPT for "China" quality!

Thanks for the input, Doc.

Am I correct in assuming you regularly install these "Ruville" bearings on customers' cars -- and you've not experienced problems with them?

I haven't used Ruville's.. I know ford had Huge issues w/ their bearings made in Mexico and TMK the Japanese are tough to beat for consistent tight tolerances.

Timken has been around for Ages and when I'm (or one of my customers are) pushing a car for 110% I like to know I've put something in that's been put through the paces +.

Not to say a RV bearing won't last, as I'm sure they have been..I'm going to wager their bearing used to be made in Germany and they moved production off to Mexico....Just like SKF...

As an aside, the last set of Mercedes wheel bearings I purchased were made in the UK and the USA which I thought was intriguing...

Jonathan

MOST major parts manufacturing companies are locating to Countries that provide parts for less LABOR than the USA or Germany.

SKF made in Mexico is still made to the same quality standard as in USA or Germany.

I ran EVR (Ruville) bearings in my race car for 6 years.

Indeed they are...something I'm none to keen on, so personally I feel better and am willing to pay up for a product made in a fully realized, non-developing country.

I suppose it comes down to in this case what you feel comfortable with and I still can't help but cringe when I see Made in Mexico/Brazil/India/Taiwan/Spain and least of all China.

Jonathan

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your insight/advice on this matter. You have been extraordinarily helpful.

That's more than good enough for me. Again, thanks.

I work for a bearing manufacturer and I qualify the material that goes into the bearings. We've had trouble in the past getting good quality steel to make bearings. Lately the Chinese have been able to make steel as good as anybody else, but not consistently. The trend is that they're getting better.

When you buy a bearing, the country of origin stamped on the bearing tells you who machined it. The steel source, forging facility, and heat treater could have been anywhere on the globe. You could be buying a bearing made with chinese steel without any way to knowing it.

As an example, we have one bearing product stamped "Made in Brazil". The steel source is in Japan, the forger is in Korea, and the bearing is machined in Brazil. It is sold in the USA. So, tell me, is the bearing Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, or US?... or maybe it's Swedish, since our company is owned in Sweden?

I've also seen some horrible bearings made in our American plants. You can thank the American manufacturers who are beating us down with price and telling us where to cut corners on quality - essentially telling us how to make the bearing.

I also handle the warranty end of automotive wheel bearings. Unlike shocks and brakes, wheel bearings are not replaced in pairs (i.e., axle sets). Replace only the bearing set in the bad wheel.

If I can get them. My bearing of choice is FAG. At least for aircraft not all bearings are the same.

John Roncallo

Kestas,

Thanks for your insight. You certainly have a unique and valuable perspective on the subject.

A quick follow-up if I may... you state that bearings needn't be replaced in pairs (axle sets). That certainly makes sense in terms of safety and performance. But my thought was that replacing the good one might make sense as preventive maintenance -- since they've both been exposed to the same driving/maintenance conditions.

Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

This may be true for the non-serviceable hub type bearings. The seals wear, the grease gets old, and they can get kinda funky after high miles (>120K?). But for the old style repackable double tapers, where they can be regreased and new seals put on, they can go a long time with proper care before replacement.

Automotive wheel bearings typically fail because of improper installation or contaminant intrusion past the seals (water and dirt). They rarely fail from old age. (In technical terms old age typically means excessive Hertzian stresses that degrade the metal itself.)

When bearings are serviced, the races should be nothing less than perfect. If there's any denting, frosting, corrosion, or discoloration on the surfaces, the set (inner cone, rollers, and outer cone) must be replaced.

Kestas,

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I already ordered 2 complete sets -- they were only about $30 each -- so I guess I'll just keep the second set in my parts bin for future use.

BTW: your last post compelled me to search the meaning of "Hertzian". So I learned something else today too. (Thanks!)

jp

When I did my front wheel bearings and races, I found that the cheap jumbo sockets from Harbor Freight and a hammer came in handy for installing the new races, presuming you don't have a tool specifically for that purpose.