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my hub bearing is odd...

muddeprived

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
I put on new hub bearings last summer and noticed something fishy about the driver's side bearing when I was doing u-joints today. Mounted, it's nice and tight, but once I remove the hub nut the bearing wiggles. It feels like how a worn out clunking bearing would feel but once i put the nut on it stops wiggling and is tight. The passenger hub doesn't do this. I know I installed em right and torqued em down to 175 ft lbs. I'm guessing I should replace that bearing, even though it's tight when the nut is on?
 
i wouldn't bother replacing it. this same thing happens in FWD cars all the time. Meaning when you loosen the axle nut the bearing feels loose, and it tightens back up when the nut is tight. Just wait until you hear grinding/roaring noise from that bearing, or the wheel feels loose by just jacking the jeep up and wiggling the wheel.

As for why one is tight and the other one is not when the nuts are loose, i do not know. However one time on a FWD car i messed up using a on-the-car type wheel bearing replacement press, and pressed on the inner race a bit before i realized it. anyway, after i did both bearings, the one i pressed on the inner race was acting like your drivers side bearing is now. and the other one was like your passanger side, nice and tight. drove on those bearings for years no problems. :dunno:
 
i wouldn't bother replacing it. this same thing happens in FWD cars all the time. Meaning when you loosen the axle nut the bearing feels loose, and it tightens back up when the nut is tight. Just wait until you hear grinding/roaring noise from that bearing, or the wheel feels loose by just jacking the jeep up and wiggling the wheel.

As for why one is tight and the other one is not when the nuts are loose, i do not know. However one time on a FWD car i messed up using a on-the-car type wheel bearing replacement press, and pressed on the inner race a bit before i realized it. anyway, after i did both bearings, the one i pressed on the inner race was acting like your drivers side bearing is now. and the other one was like your passanger side, nice and tight. drove on those bearings for years no problems. :dunno:


yeah I'm gonna let it go for now. It was just weird seeing it like that. I checked the bearing before removing the tire (wiggle test) which I always do when I do a repair. I'm a mudder, it's a habit :). There was no clunking. Then I noticed it when I had it in my hands but it wasn't clunking when I tightened it back up. These are my 8th set of bearings between both my tj and xj so i've been through quite a few and never seen em done this.

I thought my simple u-joint replacement was gonna become a u-joint-stub shaft-bearing replacement. My stub shaft ear hole is enlarged very slightly. Cap just floats in there effortlessly. I need to get that replaced.
 
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