A couple of weeks ago, I took my son’s truck to get a radiator replaced. While there, the mechanic told me I needed to get my wheel bearings replaced. I chose not to have the work done at the time.
I have serious doubts though, a little more than a year ago I had some brake work done and I know they repacked the bearings then. So why would I need them done again so soon?
Also, don’t you have to take the wheel off to even know that the bearings need to be replaced? Why would they take the wheel off for a radiator replacement?
I’m thinking about going back to that shop and having them physically show me what the heck they’re talking about. If I do that, I need to know what the heck I’m looking at.
Thanks for any advice or tips. The truck in question is a 2003 ford ranger.
I can’t comprehend knowing bearings need repacking by observing a stationary assembled vehicle. On the other hand, some problems can make sounds while moving. I think a chirping coming from a wheel while the vehicle is being maneuvered around a parking lot, into a service bay, or onto a lift could be an indication of a bearing issue.
P. S. Either way yes, ask them why a radiator job got them checking the wheel bearings. Could be that the mechanic noticed something on the axle when the truck was on the lift, and took the initiative to poke around.
Years ago I had a car ('82 Cutlass Supreme) whose wheel bearings could be disassembled/cleaned/greased/reassembled. I’ve had three cars since then, and all have had wheel bearings that were permanently-assembled sealed units. Nothing to service, you could only replace them. I don’t know if that’s just the particular car models I’ve had or if its an industry-wide trend; maybe your truck is unique in having bearings that can be repacked?
The only justification for replacing sealed units is if there was noise during rotation (I had a wheel bearing that growled when going around right turns; this was after the rim thumped a curb during an ice storm), or slop (due to extreme/dangerous levels of wear on the bearing races). The latter would be apparent when the wheels are in the air, e.g. during a service inspection. If your bearings are of the type that can be repacked, it’s possible they were assembled poorly during the earlier brake work you mentioned and this is what’s causing slop (the castle nut has to be snugged up juuuuust right). If they have run loose for a year, they would at least need to be disassembled and inspected for damage before reassembly.
Ask the radiator folks to show/tell you what’s causing their concern.
This bit of wisdom is echoed in a “Wheeler Dealer” episode I watched some time ago. Ed China replaced and packed some bearings and said that it would be wise to follow up in a little while to inspect and re-adjust the castle nut once the new bearings have been seated.
Does the owner’s manual list a repack interval? I’m not all that familiar with Rangers, but on a lot of other small 4x4 trucks the front hub design required fairly frequent repacks. IIRC on the classic Toyota trucks it was 30k under absolute optimum conditions and you were supposed to do it even more frequently if you drove in dusty or wet conditions. Hardly anyone ever did, though, and I can remember during my wrenching days seeing more than a few trucks come in where you could just tell as soon as the front wheels came off the ground that the bearings were dry.
A bit of googling around I see that the 2003 Ford Ranger has a full assembly for the front wheels and repackable bearings for the rear wheels.
When the bearing assembly on the front of my wife’s 2003 Chevy Venture started to go, there was a definite sound, kinda like an propeller airplane that was different.
With the vehicle up on a lift, it would be possible to test the wheels and if they rock back and forth from top to bottom, that is a good indication that the bearings are going.
The easiest way to determine if you need a replacement is listen for the airplane sound and jack up that wheel completely off the ground (use jack stands) and see if you can move the top of the tire back and forth with respect to the body of the car.
If the bearing are overheating grease can/will be sprayed from the center cap. You can diagnose it from 20 feet away.
If you jack the car up, grab the tire at the top and bottom and wiggle you will be able to find any play in the bearing. Play usually means you need a repack.