SOB, I have the DW 50k miles ago and I've got it again! Last time it was a tierod end. This time, I'm thinking it's bearings going bad on the front passanger side.

When I'm doing about 70mph, I hear a rythmic humming. Started last week. It hasn't gotten any worse but today I hit some bumps on I95 and dang it, I've got the DW!

Anyone know how much it will cost to get a new hub/bearing assembly installed? I'd do it myself but I know I'm just going to get frustrated trying to take the old hub assembly off.

Thanks.

 

well maybe someone will post a link to the cheap (if you call it that) assemblies. if you buy it at the dealership, it will be on the + side of $400 for the bearing assembly. guestimate 3 hours labor charge, so prolly $600-700 to have the dealership do it all. I know it sucks, just telling you what I went through 4 months ago when I had a U-joint in the front axle grenade...

Ucan eliminate the wheel bearing assembly for good by converting the front axle to the locking hubs, but the conversion is $1800. My repair cost me $1200, so I would have almost been there. The $1200 killed me enough so I went back with stock stuff, but I have a side bank acocunt setup as a repair fund for the future should something like that occur again...

 

It seems like they cost about $360 for the parts plus install, not sure how much that would be. DW can be caused buy many things wheel bearing, tire balance, worn shocks, worn steering components...ext...

given your description I would guess that the shocks are suspect...wheel bearings are also a good place to start but check them first. The rythmic humming could be U-joints or just the road surface or the wheel bearings...

I guess what I'm saying is that there are ALOT of variables that can contribute to DW, and it usually takes a combination of worn components before it actually becomes noticable (read; SCARRY). Just trying to give you some more options/ideas.

 

I don't have the DW but I'm sure that my hub/bearings are going as they are quite loud. I jacked up the front end and there is no slop in the bearing itself, ie no side to side or up and down movement. They are just getting louder. I priced the hub assembly from the dealer and it is $245 and change. I then priced them from a local auto parts store and was quoted $200 and change for timkens. Now thats about a no brainer. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

I think your parts store is mistaken. Last I checked, the front wheel
unit bearings are a dealer only part.

My 2nd gen went 145k on the original unit bearings before I sold it. The truck got used hard off road too.

 

No, you can get them from Napa with a lifetime warranty. I just picked up two of them today for a friend.

Part number is BRGBR930502 and they list at $259 each but prices vary from store to store.

Other parts stores carry them, too, but don't have the Timken bearings with lifetime warranty. I think Carquest does, but O'Reilly's, Autozone, and another one I checked do not.

 

Are they timkens or the standard Bowers? I didn't realize they had reached the aftermarket.

Thanks.

 

I'll have to look at the boxes. I know they have Timken bearings inside but they may be the Bowers units. There were two kinds to choose from, the cheap-o Chinese ones and the Timken ones. But I don't remember seeing Timken on the box so maybe they just used Timken bearings inside. I'll check.

 

I would be really surprised if they were timkens. Timkens are made in Mexico now BTW. What's the factory bearing?

I work for a specialty bearing co part time. I would be interested in seeing if I could rebuild them. Maybe add ceramic *****. That would be cool.

 

Is anything made in the US anymore?

I have seen guys try to take these hub assemblies apart and rebuild them. It's possible, but just not worth the trouble. When you crack them open, you can replace the bearings inside and it's all good to go. I just think that the work required to bust them open and seal them back up is a bit much.

Manual hubs are where it's at. As soon as my hub assemblies went out, I just did the Dynatrac conversion, instead of saying "I'll do that later." Later would have been $450 more bucks than required, and it's obvious that the hub assemblies don't hold up. I hate them with a passion, but they do serve a purpose.

 

Its gonna cost you 367.43 cents to get the nw hub assembly.

 

Last time I replaced one at the shop the bill was almost $600 for one side and got the hub from Carquest. Took three hours to get the old one out and 30 minutes to put it back together. Did ball joints on my truck last summer and ended up splitting the bearing when I was taking it off. Just regreased it and put it back together, so they are rebuidable. However, if the bearing is making noise, its already shot. A good way to test it is to take the truck on the highway and do the lane change test. Usually the bearing will make more or less noise when there is more weight on or off it.

 

coyle, you obviously didn't read the above posts. There are two prices listed at about $100 under your quote from a auto parts store. I think I'll save the hundred bucks.

Jim

 

Guys... I was thinking bearing in the hub but someone said it might be u-joints. I wish it was easy to tell what was bad but right now, I only get the rhymic humming around 65 mph and I can't tell where exactly the problem is. Tryed listening going around curves, but I don't hear it. I guess I need to wait until they get worse, but the problem with that is I've now got the Death Wobble.

Thanks everyone.

 

If it's your u-joints, I think they will only cause problems when you are turning. The u-joints don't really have any movement (so you wont hear grinding/vibrating) when you're driving strait.