I installed new hub bearings from Napa last week, and after 300 miles both of them were bad! Is there some trick to installing them, or something I missed, or was it luck of the draw (or un-luck) They replaced them under warranty, but i can't afford to have this keep happening. Thanks!

 

How tight did you tighten the axel nut?? too loose or too tight will cause the bearing to fail. I dont recall the torque spec, also ensure you clear and lightly oil the axel splines so it wont interfer with torque when tightening the axel nut

 

I bet it was a bad batch of bearings, I really don't think axle nut torque will make them fail I am using two of my old front bearings on a home made trailer and there still working fine.I replaced mine while I was doing ball joints before a road trip and had the old one sitting in the shop so I had a steel block machined to take the unit bearings , then welded it to a 4" square tube and the axle shaft hole I just plugged .I hauled 4000 lbs on them still ticking .so im betting you got cheepo or bad bearings.
My.02

 

Your lucky your trl does not loose a wheel! the hub assy is 2 normal wheel bearings back to back with the races in the middle, the axel shaft holds the assy together! the Hub is only pressed thru the inner races,

I've "tightened" many GM and ford front wheel drive hub assys, which appear to have a loose or worn hub, by tightening to the proper torque, you are actually adjusting the wheel bearing, you cant do this on a excessively worn or noisy bearing

 

I second the bad bearings. Worked on GM/Dodge and seen guys wammy the nut down with the impact all day long without problems. Me, I prefer to torque them, just a stickler for that stuff, besides don't have $500 in stinkin torque wrenches for them to collect dust so might as well use them right.

 

I got to thinking about what you said ,So I went out this morning to check out my trailer wheels and everything is still tight and true maybe I will run a big threaded rod down the middle of the hubs and pull them tight to be on the safe side I got to see if that will work though

 

A big bolt with a heavy duty washer would work if there is room on the inside of the bearing as to not contact where you bolted the hub assy to. hard to explain what I'm picturing in my head

 

No i got what you mean ,Ill just unbolt the hub and use a big bolt and XHD washer on the inside to grab the race. better safe then sorry

 

I'm seeing that my u-joints are worn, and I'm getting a vibration from teh right front. Would that cause it?

 

the hub bearings are loaded to the proper adjustment by a predetermined spacer in the hub/bearing assy, so the torque on the nut will not affect the load on the bearings as long as it is tightened .... i never used a torque wrench on mine ....i just tightened them as much as i thought was good enough (all i could with a 3/4 drive ratchet and 2 foot cheater)

 

I've heard of tales of the cheapest grade of Napa front bearings being broken right in the box new.
The better bearings are over $100 more each.
The super-cheap Chinese ones have only been around for about six months.
My local Napa won't carry them anymore due to too many returns.

Torque on the 4wd unit bearings makes absolutely no difference as long as they're tight.

 

About 2 years ago, my brother put a pair of Napa front wheel bearings in his Chevy at 140K. They are almost identical to the bearings in my 95 Dodge. First one failed in less than 1000 miles. The other side was also bad when he pulled it apart. They were both torqued correctly. I believe he got Napa to refund his $ and he bought a set at Chevy. When I put the new ones in my Dodge at 285K I went back to the dealer. They cost only $50 more per side than the Napa bearings and the originals lasted 285K! Dodge must be doing something right.

 

Are you sure about that?? Ever hit a wheel bearing and have it loosen up or tighten up on ya?? I have....made some cable reels, hit the wheel bearing the right way and it tightens, opposite and it loosens. If you hit the dodge bearing while trying to remove it without the nut in place you could loosen the bearing.

 

Well I ended up putting new ones on under warranty, as well as the u-joints, ball joints and brakes. Everthing seems good so far. I have a few local buddies and some local shops that say it is critical that the spindle nut be torqued to the right ft lbs (175 ln ft) so I rented a torque wrench from advanced auto parts (its free with a deposit) and torque everything to the right specs. I am trying to eliminate all possible variables in the system. Next time I replace them I am going with a free spin kit. It really isn't that much more expensive considering all you get. Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

Doesnt matter where you buy the bearing, Napa, Autozone, Murrays, they dont make them. There are only a handful of manufacturers for these BCA((or is it BNA??)) and Timken. Timken won the contract to provide ALL the units for new Dodge's, anything else is aftermarket. Most stores give you an option of manufacturer. We ((AAM)) provide the hub forging and Its my understanding that Timken will quit making these, no warranty or service parts. We will be done supplying Timken in a few months. So if you prefer those TImken units buy now.