The bearings on the front passenger side keep going out. What could cause this?

Tiny
KIM58
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 SUBARU LEGACY
  • 22,765 MILES
We have replaced the bearings on the front passenger side twice, and we think they went out again yesterday. There is a thumping noise coming from the front of the car and you can feel it. We have checked the tire rod ends, ball joints, and the tires.
Friday, October 21st, 2011 AT 1:56 AM

5 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,938 POSTS
If the bearings are not set in correctly or they are damaged by the pressing on the inner race when fitting they will fail, they must be pressed in square only by the outer race and the drive shaft must be torqued up correctly as well.
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Friday, October 28th, 2011 AT 11:11 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Jack up the front the car with both front tires off the ground put the car on jack stands. Then put the transmission in neutral then put one hand on the front coil spring then spin the tire as fast as you can with the other hand. If the front bearing is bad you will be able to feel it in the coil spring. Compare the left to the right. Let me know what you find.
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Friday, October 28th, 2011 AT 11:24 PM
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
STUPID QUESTIONS

ARE YOU LUBRICATING THE NEW BEARINGS?---DO YOU KNOW THE BEST TECHNIQUES?

I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT YOUR CAR,

DO YOU HAVE A REFERENCE TO GO BY?

WHAT PROCEDURE ARE YOU USING TO PRE-LOAD THE BEARINGS?

THE MEDIC
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Saturday, October 29th, 2011 AT 3:18 AM
Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,990 POSTS
First, if you dont use a QUALITY bearing, the chances are it will fail early! And I actually prefer a scrap yard (OEM) bearing in spindel tested by me(spin it, is it silky smooth without even a HINT of imperfection) to new cause it's easier to install and no chance of screwing up install and making it fail early! Bad install can cause early fail also.
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Saturday, October 29th, 2011 AT 3:25 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Inspect the driveaxle CV Joints and Boots
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Saturday, October 29th, 2011 AT 6:21 PM

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