You can look up a local distributor on thier website

http://www.timken.com/timken_ols/bea...distribute.asp

 

Great How to Hanr3.
Timken's are the best, We will only use Timken bearing's onour locomotives at work.

 

Thanks.
Yea, I am a diehard Timken user as well. Sure they cost more, however they last longer and offer a smoother operation the most others.

 

That's a nice write up. Good to mention the anti-sieze. Makes things easier next time.

 

Hi Tim - thanks for the pics! What were the clues that something was going wrong with the hub? I have 85K on my '99 Blazer and just wondering. Also what is your mileage?

 

Teh signs of a failing hub assemble, bearings are.
Un even tire wear.
Drifting.
Pulls to one side.
Grinding noise in turns at first, eventually all the time.
Some or all of them may happen.
To check the bearings.
Jack the tire off the ground. Grab it in the 3-9 o'clock positions and rock it back and forth.
Do the same with the 12-6 o'clock positions, and rock it up and down. You will feel the tire move. Up and down movement is almost always the bearings. Have someone look at the tie rods ends, idler arms, and ball joints while you rock itto rule them out.

Most alignemnet shops will do free front end inspections. Also if the beaings are shot, it wont easliy align. The machine will keep blouncing around and a decent tech will know there is a problem.

 

Great how-to - verrrrry nice. Getting ready to do it to my new ride - 2000 LT 4x4. Just wondering what y'all think of the Autozone Dynapak bearing assemblies. The $90 difference per pair over the Timkens is tempting to my budget and they have the same 12mo warranty.
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Don't know about hte Dynapacks yet. I just put one in my Mother-In-Laws car. We'll see how it holds up. Then again she hardly drives anywhere so it might out live her.

 

Hey - I'm a computer programmer too, and I've found that if you apply the same troubleshooting skills that you use in your job, you can be very successful at figuring out problems with your vehicle too. Welcome to the Forum!

Raphael

 

I make the 3rd computer programmer to complete this task due to this tutorial. Thank you! I did encounter a few hassles along the way, but nothing major.

1. The middle bracket that holds the ABS sensor wire was a pain. The nut was frozen on the bolt and the whole thing just spun free. Hit it with some WD-40 to help it along. Trying to get a small wrench behind the control arm so I could hold the bolt while ratcheting the nut off without seeing it gave me some grief, but I got it out with a little persistance.

2. Getting the new hub assembly seated back on the axle was the toughest part. First, I wiped the splines clean, then applied anti-sieze. The whole assembly would go no farther than1/4 of an inch. I ended up putting the axle washer and nut on by hand, then had to slowly tighten the nut with the 36mm socket to get it seated. That took the longest. After that it really is as easy as putting bolts into holes and tightening them.

The symptoms I experienced tofigure out it was the wheel bearing was the constant "hum-hum-hum" and grinding sound, as well as my ABS kicking in a little at the end of stops. Thanks to this forum, I was able to test it by jacking the front up and doing the 12-6 push-pull test. The whole thing was loose with lots of play. I'm glad the wheel didn't just pop off while my wife was driving around with my daughter in the back.

After getting it all together, I did the test again. There's a small amount of play at 3 and 9, is that normal? Anyway, I test drove it and it was nice and smooth, no sounds, and the ABS didn't kick in again.

PS. I used the Timken from Autozone. ($185) and sorry about the long post!