15 replies to this topic

[Qik Nip]

When I was wrenching the car to prep it for an instruction event this weekened, I noticed that the RF wheel bearing had just the smallest top to bottom play - but only when the wheel was at a precise location. If you rotated it just a few degrees, it had zero play for the remainder of the 360 degrees. My read was that only one ball bearing on one race was going into failure.

 

While I've swapped out the hub, I haven't done a post mortem dissection yet to confirm my suspicion. But I wanted to share this experience since it was a first for me. Every other front hub bearing failure I've experienced was assocated with movement (top to bottom) that was apparent at all "clock" locations.  

 

I suspect this one would have gone that route if I had put the car on the track, but given the rapid rate at which these go from loose to gone, I don't know if this would would have been at the wobble or the gone phase before a session was complete.

Rick

[Bench Racer]

Love the info to this point. After post mortem dissection please post findings.

[bmarshall1]

When you spun the tire with the car on the stand did it sound smooth or have a noise like one would expect?

[Kevin Anderson]

I have excess play with bearing failure and I have also had no play at all in hub yet it was no good as well. So I suppose play when positioned just right is possible

[ccraft]

I have a front wheel bearing out right now. I'm just wondering what hub do you guys replace them with , do I need a performance part or do I just buy one off the shelf at a parts store? By the way I'm a newbie as I'm sure you can tell from my question.

[Johnny D]

You want to go with the best you can get, not Chinese, no disrespect.

replace the grease with redline or a higher grade.

Do a search here on the subject.

J~!

[Bench Racer]

Adding a bit on front hubs. The primary issue with front wheel bearing failures is the outer bearing races are ground into the hub materal and induction hardened. Induction hardening of this hub has a shallow depth. This thin depth of hardening fails because of the lateral load applied racing. I brought home a failed front hub from the Farm and am going to clean up and inspect.
Get them from a salvage yard.
Get them at a parts store.
If your not a mazdamotorsports member join and check out the improved front hub they have.
SaulSpeedwell (look up Saul under "membership" on this site) AKA Mark Bennett of this site has an OEM improved front hub.
Re-pack front hub. http://www.tomhampto...cking.Hubs_.doc

[ccraft]

Wow, great info. thanks.

[Jim Drago]

BTW Mark no no longer does the hubs
Jim

[FTodaro]

Nice video Mark, a follow up . I have had hubs that get a little movement in them after several miles . You lift the car up grab the wheel at 12 and 6 and you can feel some play, i have torn the hubs apart, no damage to the race and repacked them. is that play a sign that the hub is failing, that the inner race is expanding??

[mellen]

Nice video Mark, a follow up . I have had hubs that get a little movement in them after several miles . You lift the car up grab the wheel at 12 and 6 and you can feel some play, i have torn the hubs apart, no damage to the race and repacked them. is that play a sign that the hub is failing, that the inner race is expanding??

i had that happen this last weekend. new hubs on and after one race one wheel was loose and there appeared to be no damage at all. still replaced it but also not sure why so little use and it went bad.

[Qik Nip]

When you spun the tire with the car on the stand did it sound smooth or have a noise like one would expect?

It was absolutely smooth!

Rick

[ChrisA]

i had that happen this last weekend. new hubs on and after one race one wheel was loose and there appeared to be no damage at all. still replaced it but also not sure why so little use and it went bad.

 

I tighten and loosen the spindle nut towards the upper tprque spec range twice and then tighten to my desired running torque. This helps to fully seat the hub on the spindle and remove initial thread stretch if you are using new nuts. 

[Armando Ramirez]

If you do not mind sharing, what is your "desired running torque"?

[DrDomm]

This may be a stupid question/basic fundamental thing I don't understand...why is the race toward the lugs called the inner race (in Mark's video)?

 

And the problem with that grease is not that it's expensive, but that you can only buy a 40 gallon drum.  $1400. 

[Bench Racer]

When talking about one complete bearing the race that slips on the axle is the inner race. The race that fails is machined into the parent material of the hub. The more normal in the bearing world is for a bearing to have a seperate inner race as these bearings do and also to have a seperte outer race that get pressed into the hub. As the hub is assembled to the axle the bering closest to the center of the car is the inner bearing and the bearing farther from the center of the car is called the outer bearing.