Death by crappy bearing...

[King_V]

Well, looks like this is the big one. And now, officially, it's for sale. Well, once I get my next vehicle situation straightened out.

So, in this thread, I'd originally asked about drive-shaft interchangeability, because I thought the bumping and noise was from a u-joint that had gone bad very suddenly, and that MAYBE my drive shaft could be warped.

Then I realized that it was a wheel bearing. I'd NEVER heard one go like THAT before.

So, the results?

Inner bearing:

Well, that's not bad at all.

Spindle:

Yep, it's scored. See that thing still on it, that's the inside ring of the outer bearing. So far I haven't been able to remove it.


Speaking of the inner bearing:

Ok, those thin curved lines are metal . . I don't know where they got peeled off from. Those short chunks to the right of the curved lines, I assume, were once the rollers.

Dammit.

Sad thing is, I replaced the outer bearing in December. Another sad thing is that there were no unusual noises or anything. The car was going along just fine. Then, kablooie.

Sadder still, I sold The Blue Rajah to a friend two weeks ago, as he needed cheap wheels for the short-medium term until he could save up to get his regular car fixed.

And, The Machine (aka New Toy, aka Secret Car) has classic insurance. So, using that for work is a no-go.

The timing is.... unfortunate. There's never a *good* time for it I suppose, but this is particularly awkward. Even if it would've failed, say, Friday instead of Sunday night, it might've made things easier.


While I know it can be repaired, replacing the spindle and doing all this is beyond my ability, and time is a huge issue at the moment.

[magnus77]

I had my front bearings replaced when I took it to the shop because I thought it was out of alignment. Turns out they were BONE dry. Been driving like that for about a year beforehand. Definitely going to replace the rear when i swap my diff in this summer.

Glad your okay and even more glad mine didnt blow up on me.

[King_V]

Hmm, I didn't know they could get dry and still hold up! Damn!

Thing is, there's plenty of grease still there. This is speculation on my part, but I imagine that the new bearing I put in was marginal, but not bad enough to have been caught as a defect, and just prematurely failed. The damage that one little part can do, though.. sheesh.

And, thanks. As upset as I am with this, I know that such a sudden failure could've gone VERY badly for me given that I was doing between 60-70 MPH when it went.

[gadget73]

Don't bother removing it, you need a spindle. The metal is wasted where it sits. It was quite probably too tight if it did that, or the spindle was worn and allowing the inner race to spin anyway. Or both.


While it would be possible to repair that, it involves a lot more work and effort than its worth. You'd need to have someone build it up with a welder, then re-cut it on a lathe. I bet someone on here has stock brake parts laying in their scrap bin for less than the machine work would cost.

[King_V]

Don't bother removing it, you need a spindle. The metal is wasted where it sits. It was quite probably too tight if it did that, or the spindle was worn and allowing the inner race to spin anyway. Or both.

Hmm, I'm going to now reassess, and say that it could be a marginal bearing, or that I overtightened. My tightening of the nut had always been more art than science.... blah.

Think it'd be good with a new bearing (assuming I can get that thing off) for maybe 10-20 miles of driving one time?

[mcninetyone]

I'd replace that spindle and the bearings and go on down the road. It's not that hard!
Junkyard is full of them.

[King_V]

Well, I might give repairing it a shot. But that's likely to be a Big Project for me. In the meantime, I might pick up something cheap to get around in until I can take care of this.

[turbo2256b]

i HAVE A SPINDLE aaround the shop somewere

[gadget73]

I doubt tossing a bearing on there will get it done. I'd just bite the bullet and swap the spindle. Its honestly not that hard, though it is a pain in the ass. If the ball joints are good and you're careful about it, you can swap that spindle in an afternoon. The possible sticking point is whether or not you can get the spindle off the ball joint without trashing the boot. Usually a BFH applied in the right spot will knock it right loose without any fuckery, but thats not a guarantee. If the ball joints are hosed, then you'll need to factor in time to deal with that. Lowers press in, upper originals are rivets, replacement uppers are bolts. The bolts are of course way faster to replace a second time.

[King_V]

Hmm . . I might give it a shot... though I do admit that I'd been planning on (gasp!) buying a *new* car later this year.

This may have just sped up the process.

[pantera77]

Either way you'll get a lot more money for the car repaired then it's it's current undrivable state.