Just wondering what kind of service should I expect from the OEM wheel bearings. I'm coming up on 190k miles on my '02 Ram 2500 and the bearings seem fine. No noise or play in either the front or rear wheels. I noticed Timken recommended replacing bearings at 125k but then they're in the business of selling bearings. I have a feeling bearings are like U-joints or clutches etc...they'll go when they go (somewhere between 50k and 500k miles!!). Given the miles on my rig any recommendations. We have another big trip south and maybe the Baja again this winter. If I'm on thin ice I'd rather get them replaced now.

 

You never know. Larger tires and wider wheels can take a toll. One thing you might do is add some grease to the bearings through the anti-lock sensor hole. Check out www.courtsara.com. You have to pull the brakes to get at the sensor. A good time to do it is during a brake job.

 

190K on the original front bearings is pretty good. I changed mine out after one failed at 120K. They were rusted tight and took some creative work with a sawsall and air hammer to get them out. The gory details-> I ended up pulling the knuckles and putting themin a vise where I used a carbide blade to cut a relief and then used the air hammer to pound them out. The rear bearings have not been a problem but I did replace a leaky axle seal a while ago.

 

Change them. When they've been in there a long time, they can be severely rusted-in-place. (Which puts you in a pickle if you thought simply carrying a spare for a roadside repair was sufficient.) All my buddies with 3rdgens have an epic wheel bearing failure/replacement story to share.

Buy something like Timken or SKF for a long service life. Or get a free-spin kit.

 

OK...thanks for the advice. I was going to just re-set the pre-load on the rear bearings but think now I'll replace both front & rear. This rig is coming up on 20 years and I plan on keeping it another 20. Did the brakes at 150k (lots of HWY driving) and they actually had a little life in them. Shocks also at 150k but they were absolutely shot. Thought I might be pushing it with these bearings so good to here from folks that have been there. thanks again.

 

Front wheel bearings (unit bearings) lose their grease over time, and then they fail.

I might check the rear wheel bearings... make sure the brakes aren't dragging and check for play at the hub. They're bathed in oil and tend to last really well. Don't just jump in there and 'pre-load' an old bearing... bad things happen. All you want to do is take up any slack (end-play).

 

Got my truck at aprox 220k miles... now pushing 440k miles... no wheel bearings replaced since I got the truck... It is a southern truck so no real rust issues. Had the front end rebuilt at about 230k, about time for new ball joints on passenger side. Not changing anything till it needs to be done.

 

I think you need to start another thread about that