Getting my bearings

[cheri1122]

Two days ago, the bearing in the front passenger wheel on my Dodge van went bad - again. It had been replaced in mid February, less than 60 days earlier. I asked the mech who replaced it whether the first repair was defective, & all he would say was that it shouldn't have gone bad this fast. (Is there a brotherhood of mechanics, like doctors, & cops, with the "never rat on a fellow mechanic" " philosophy?!)
I'll admit that I don't do a pretrip before every run, but I do one at least two or three times a week, and it wouldn't have mattered if I had looked at the wheel - can't see the bearing anyway - but, #####, I hate that kind of surprise!
So here's my question - did the bearing fail due to being slopped in the first time? Because if that's likely the reason, I will go after the first place that fixed it - but if it's not their fault, then I'd rather not hurl false accusations. Any suggestions, guys?
(And - thanks)

 

[RichM]

Wheel bearings certainly should last longer then 60 days,bet the guy didn't lube it after he put the new one in.

 

[greg334]

Cheri,

With all the miles I put on vehicles, I only replace front wheel bearings once – 1973 dodge van because of failure but I have restored a lot of cars and know that it is not easy to screw up a pair of bearings.

The thing that comes to my mind is that they did not clean the spindle or the hub. If the bearing failed (which usually means that there is pitting, disintegration of the bearing material and metal flakes in the grease), the hub and spindle needs to be thoroughly cleaned to the point almost if not all grease is removed and the bearing packed properly with the proper grease. Pounding out the race (the cup of the bearing) and replacing it without doing this will destroy a set of bearings very quickly, maybe within a few miles. Setting the free play will destroy the spindle, seal and the bearing if it is too loose, somewhat like wobbling on the spindle but if it too tight, it would over heat the bearing and mess the seal up with grease running out of the back.

Also yes a lot of mechanics will keep their mouth shut. But truthfully a lot of them are incompetent to the point they are parts changers and it has been that way for a long time.

What would I do, park the van in the front of the place and tell the manager to fix it right and tell him you ain’t paying a dime for this and expect some compensation for your loss of revenue.

 

[cheri1122]

Having had the second repair done, (& paid for) already, that's not possible. I can, however, write a nice letter, informing the shop owner of my request, (reimbursement for the second repair, AND the load I was forced to transfer because of it), and what I can do should he not comply - starting with alerting more than 3000 drivers of a shop to avoid, and I can get assistance from OOIDA, as well. There are probably other things, but I think that will do for a start, no? Thanks, guys - y'all are OK! (No matter what ATeam says)
JUST KIDDING, PHIL!

 

[davekc]

I would agree with the others as they were not lubed or were over tightened. For what it is worth, when running down the road for a short while, put your hand on the wheel. If it is excessively hot compared to the other, it is most likely a bad bearing. Hopefully you won't have to do that for awhile.



Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Crazynuff]

You won't have that problem with some newer vehicles . The bearings are sealed and when a front bearing goes you have to replace the whole hub assembly and parts usually have to be ordered

 

[LDB]

I have two suspicions on this. One, the first repair wasn't done properly and two, the second mechanic could be afraid to say anything due to the litigious nature of society. At the least he could then be subpoenaed to testify and at the worst he could be sued by the other shop or mechanic for defamation or something.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[TJ959]

Although it may be unusual there could be another reason for the bearing failure. I spent 20 years as an automotive aftermarket auto parts rep and I can assure you that it's not un-heard of to have a defective part. Though many of the defective parts I wrote off to warranty were probably not defective, many were. In the case of defective parts most companies warranty their parts for at least 90 days and many pay labor claims as well. The problem here is that you need to return your defective parts. The mechanic that repaired your van should have known this and should have returned the old parts to you. You then go back to the shop that origionally repaired your van and make a claim with the old parts in hand. If he doesn't want to do anything about it ... then it's time to get mad about the repair.

 

[Moot]

Cheri,

If the original mechanic screwed up givem hell. The squeakly wheel gets the grease. Or at least it should. Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[randy123]

test

 

[randy123]

sorry about the test....now to the wheel bearings....what did it cost.. alot of mechanics do not change the bearing race (outer seat for the bearing) one of three things caused the failure..1. the race was not changed..2 the bearing was to loose or to tight...3 lack of grease...did you get the old bearings back.... and if the hubs were not cleaned proper the old bearing material would have killed the new ones....

Randy

 

[cheri1122]

So many questions - so few answers, aaaarg! I can't remember exactly what the first repair cost, & don't have the info at my fingertips, (I'm on the road, in Va, at the moment), but I do know that it cost less, including the tow charge, than the second repair, which did not require a tow.
The mech didn't return the parts to me, (I am waiting for his return call now, to find out why), but I was under the impression that when a bearing "blew", there wouldn't be anything but fragments to return, so it didn't occur to me to ask before.
When I have the info, I will update - thanks for the help, again.

 

[greg334]

>So many questions - so few answers, aaaarg! I can't remember
>exactly what the first repair cost, & don't have the info at
>my fingertips, (I'm on the road, in Va, at the moment), but
>I do know that it cost less, including the tow charge, than
>the second repair, which did not require a tow.
> The mech didn't return the parts to me, (I am waiting for
>his return call now, to find out why), but I was under the
>impression that when a bearing "blew", there wouldn't be
>anything but fragments to return, so it didn't occur to me
>to ask before.
> When I have the info, I will update - thanks for the help,
>again.

I am curios, when the second time this happened, how did you know what it was.

also got to tell you, mechanics don't care, they throw away what ever they can. I went rounds with one mechanic with on an A/C repair, the insurance company would not pay for the repair unless i sent them the parts that were replaced and he threw them out. The mechanic wanted me to go though the dumpster of scrap to find my parts and i explain to him and his manager i won't only complain to D/C, file a complaint with the people who license the dealership and the mechanic and also file a police report that the parts that i own are considered stolen becuase i did not pay for the new ones and they were not cores.

 

[rollingstock]

If your first bearing had a catastrophic failure, I wonder if the spindle might have heated to the point that it warped (bent) from heat. It might have and it would not necessarily be obvious to the eye. If this is the case, the spindle being bent, the bearing will be forever in a binding situation. You will never be able to keep the bearing from failing.

Hope that helps
:7

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Rolling stock is on the right track.

My Dodge van(now retired) I went thru about 4 or 5 inside bearings.
Done all of the above and then someone in here mentioned his van did the same thing!

SPINDLES!!! My spindles were 5-6 thou undersized---- wear. Replaced them and not a problem again!