non greasable wheel bearings?

in my service manual it says that the front wheel bearings cannot be removed and re-packed w/ grease. wtf? it says the only way to service them is to replace the hub. i have a '94 cherokee and am planning a 1,220 mile road trip this summer and am not comfortable going w/o knowing my bearings are well lubed. i just got the cherokee w/ 138,000 miles on it and don't know its history or how well it was maintained. are the hubs oil filled or is it just grease?

The service manual is correct, the front axle has sealed wheel bearings.

I changed mine at 220,000 miles. If the jeep has not been beat in you likely have a few miles to go.

I would replace them - the longer you wait - the more difficult they will be to get off...i've heard if they fail or seize - you're in big time trouble...although, i drove on mine and they were humming loudly for maybe 5,000mi...stupid.

Those bearings are sealed, you do not grease them. If you have the funds and are not comfortable with their age/mileage, replace them. That way you will have confidence on your trip and many more years of good service. Good luck!

You'll note that the bearing assembly has a pilot that fits into the steering knuckle - this is usually the part that seizes into the knuckle.

I find that putting a light coat of never-seez (not on any threads - if you use it on the bolts, reduce the installation torque by half!) helps to prevent this in future. Never-seez can be used on much more than bolts!

5-90