Im just wondering how important it is to clean and regrease a cars wheel bearing. Working as a bicycle mechanic, this is something I do on a daily basis to every other bike we work on. And so Ive always wondered why I dont hear about wheel bearing going out on cars, or why I dont hear about having them serviced...Im assuming they are sealed bearings, but still it seems like they should need serviced every so often. I drive an early 90s ford truck, nothing fancy. Is this something I should consider doing, or should I not worry about it unless they start making noise?Thanks!
you rarely hear them going out on cars because most of the time the symptom gets disguised by worn brakes, when its the wheel bearing your brakes will get worn quicker, if you have a hub rotor designed for brakes then every time someone takes out the rotor they should have cleaned and repacked that rotor. if you have a floating rotor the bearings are pressed in and not really practical for servicing
The right time to repack (re grease) the bearings is every time you do brakes like if you do the front brakes and you happen to cut (resurface) the rotors, the is the time to repack the bearings and that is done once the rotors are cut and then when you do the rear brakes, they usually don't have bearings that need grease because the get lubricated by the gear oil inside the rear differential so if you only replace the front brake pads without cutting the rotors then don't worry about repacking the bearings, more likely whenever you need to replace the rotors then for sure you will have idle new bearings or repack the old bearings before you Transfer them in to the new rotors. Hope this info. is helpful
Bikes and cars are 2 different animals, wheel bearings usually last for a long time, I wouldnt worry about them,
It depends on if your truck is 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive, on a 4 wheel drive truck the front bearings are not serviceable and are replaced as a sealed unit when they either have axial movement in them or when they are making noise (usually starts to humm or groan and changes with speed and turning) on a 2 wheel drive truck the front bearings are serviceable and are usually inspected and either replaced or re greased when you have your brakes replaced, it is usually not necessary to have them worked on in between brake jobs. The rear bearings on either a 2x4 or 4x4 truck are lubricated by the rear axle fluid and are usually only replaced if making noise, there is no way to grease them besides changing your rear axle fluid
First, check to see if your upper and lower wheel bearings have zerx fittings. If they do not, you cannot service them. Whenever your tires are rotated or serviced have the mechanic check them. He will try to shake the tire by grabbing it on the top and bottom and attempting to move them. If there is play, you need to replace your lower wheel bearings and upper control arms - both sides. If you have zerx fittings, then every oil change the mechanic should grease them. He/She will only put in enough grease to make it come out the boot which replaces worn out grease. No one else in this forum appears to have any idea how to maintenance a car/truck. Also, from the factory most new 4WD trucks do not have zerx as they are planning on their parts wearing out and needing replacement. Upon replacement I recommend a heavier duty ball joint / control arm replacement that is greasable. I just did this to my 07 Silverado 1500 at 125K miles. I live in the country and traverse dirt roads frequently. My indicator that this was needed was tire wear on the inside of my front tires and vibration when driving on the highway. Good luck and lots of miles with smiles!
