It is generally accepted that a failed wheel bearing front suspension does not annoy the owner with anything other than an unpleasant sound when driving at high speed. In fact, with significant wear and complete destruction, this part may well cause one of the front wheels of the car to lock, the consequences of which can be simply sad.
The main reasons for the failure of wheel bearings
The standard service life of a wheel bearing is 100 thousand kilometers. During this period, natural wear occurs due to metal fatigue and production of lubricant, the renewal of which in this case is not provided for by the design. In practice, not all parts maintain their service life 100%. One of the main reasons for this is increased loads caused by operating conditions.
The front wheel hub bearings experience perhaps the heaviest loads compared to other similar elements of the car. Their direct participation in all maneuvers - turns, braking and starting, driving on a bad road - leads to additional production, which “kills” the part ahead of schedule. Practice shows that it is careless driving style and poor road surface that in most cases causes the replacement of wheel bearings.
The second common reason is the low quality of the part (poor quality of metal, lubricant, insufficient quantity of the latter, etc.) or its incorrect installation, usually expressed in inaccurate pressing. In this case, the bearing may become noisy or fail within a few thousand kilometers after it has been replaced.
Finally, rapid bearing wear can be caused by severe wear on the hub or steering knuckle. Severe wear can cause the bearing to malfunction or cause water, sand or other foreign particles to enter it.
Wheel bearing service life, signs of wear, diagnostics
The service life of bearings is directly affected by the operating characteristics of the vehicle, timely maintenance and the quality of manufacturing of components. As a rule, the service life of bearings is one hundred thousand kilometers. Frequent travel on bad roads, as well as ignoring adjustments to remove play (in tapered bearings) entail increased wear of the rolling elements, as well as their tracks on the races. Getting sand and dust inside reduces the life of the bearings.
However, critical wear of the components cannot be allowed, otherwise there is a risk of bearing destruction, which is accompanied by the wheels jamming or falling off the axle. The main sign of wheel bearing wear is the appearance of a distinct hum when driving from the wheels. With minor wear, the noise is not loud, but will increase over time. It is possible to use a car with such symptoms, but it is advisable to diagnose the wheel bearings as soon as possible and adjust or replace them.
A signal of critical wear is the appearance of a crunching sound. This indicates bearing failure. If these symptoms occur, the vehicle cannot be operated, and the damaged component must be replaced.
Diagnosing wheel bearings is not a difficult task, anyone can do it. It is necessary to hang the wheel and spin it to determine if there are any wedges or jams. Then rock the wheel, holding it at the bottom and top. Backlash on radial cylindrical products is not allowed, but on angular contact bearings it may be present, but it is insignificant.
Play in cylindrical products indicates severe wear and the need for replacement, since they are unadjustable. But play in tapered bearings can be eliminated.
How to extend the life of the front suspension wheel bearing
If we are talking about a new car or a used car whose suspension is in good condition, then you can avoid an early replacement of the wheel bearing if you drive carefully. As noted above, it is additional loads, primarily unevenness on the road, that lead to increased wear of this part.
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To extend the service life of the wheel bearing , strictly follow the installation instructions. It is necessary to remove the bearing from the packaging immediately before installation to avoid foreign particles getting on its surface. Before installation, clean the hub and steering knuckle and ensure that they do not show signs of heavy wear. Purchase spare parts from trusted manufacturers.
Premature replacement of the front suspension wheel bearing on Kalina can be caused by poor quality of the part, its incorrect installation and natural wear, the rate of which depends on the nature of the vehicle’s operation. To extend its service life, try to eliminate these factors.
How long does a wheel bearing last? Good and difficult question. Many factors influence this parameter. The article at the link talks in detail about durability and service life. There is also a calculator for determining the service life of the front hub and rear hub bearings of a passenger car. You need to select several parameters for calculation using the switches, namely:
- Average speed in the city - everything is clear here, choose the average speed at which you move within the city.
- Average speed on the highway - select the average speed at which you move along the highway.
- Bearing design - you need to know what kind of bearing you have, with balls or rollers, and also indicate in which hub the part is located.
- Coefficients for calculation (on the right side of the calculator) - each item with a brief description, choose the one that suits you.
Replacing the front wheel bearing
The front part of the car is heavier and more often experiences loads when driving, so the chassis requires more attention. If you do not replace the front hub bearing in time, it may crumble, the inner rim of the wheel will break, and the wheel disc will cut off the bolts with which it is attached to the hub. All this will lead to the loss of a wheel, which at speed can end tragically.
The front wheel bearing replacement procedure consists of several steps:
- the car is placed on a lift and the wheel is removed;
- unscrew the hub nuts and remove the brake caliper;
- the ABS system hose mount, the car steering gear rotary arm and the brake disc are dismantled;
- the strut fasteners are removed, and the hubs are freed from the lower and upper ball joints and the drive mechanism;
- the hub is dismantled;
- the faulty bearing is removed and a new one is installed in its place;
- all dismantled parts are put in their place.
How long does a wheel bearing last?
To determine the service life, after selecting all the items, click on the “Calculate” button. You will receive the bearing service life value in kilometers, that is, the approximate mileage of the car after how long it is recommended to change the wheel bearings, or at least make a diagnosis. The calculation error is 10-15%. In case of a calculation error (the message “NaN” appears) or for a new calculation, you should refresh the page and select all the coefficients again and perform the calculation again.
Wheel bearings cannot be called consumables in a car. The service life of this unit is quite high, and with the advent of HUB-type bearings on the market, which do not require lubrication, preload and other adjustments, the mileage of these parts has become even higher. Unfortunately, domestic factories producing passenger cars and light commercial vehicles still use old types of bearings - single-row roller bearings. The only exception is AvtoVAZ, which long ago switched to double-row roller bearings for hubs of the HUB-1 type, a closed type. The Transservice.Avtobusiness magazine conducted a study of the retail market for wheel bearings for Russian-made cars and found out how successfully domestic manufacturers of auto components maintain their positions in their traditional segment.
The objects of our research are the front wheel bearings of VAZ 2110, UAZ Hunter, GAZelle cars. I don’t think there’s any need to explain the choice of cars. At the moment, these are the most common original Russian-made cars on the market. The study was conducted in 4 cities of Siberia: Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Barnaul, Omsk. Specialists from the analytical department of the Transservice.Avtobusiness magazine collected information from 200 retail outlets using a telephone survey. The survey participants were asked questions about what brands of wheel bearings for each car are represented in the retail network at the time of the study and what are the retail prices for these products? Here are the results we got.
Wheel bearing humming on Skoda
The article discusses frequently asked questions about the Octavia A5 wheel bearing
- which support bearing to take besides the original - brand and cat. number, - list of main consumables for the front suspension and hubs with prices for Skoda, - catalog number and price of the rear hub for Skoda, - on Skoda A5, are the hubs interchangeable or not? - the right wheel bearing of the 1.8 TSI hummed - cat. number and how many bolts, - the front left wheel bearing hummed of 1.6 - how many bolts are there, - replacing support bearings on a Skoda without removing the strut - procedure, - is it necessary to do a wheel alignment when replacing right support bearing - what tool is needed to replace the front hub on an Oktash.
Which company is better to buy support bearings - Skoda A5
Good: SKF, Lemferder, Sachs, original. Factory equipment - cost INA.
Catalog number - VKD 35025. 6N0 412 249 C - original.
Symptoms for replacement: grinding noise when turning the steering wheel in place.
List of main consumables for front suspension and hubs with prices for Skoda
Wheel bearings vary depending on the motor.
Catalog number and price of the rear hub for Skoda
How to know when the time has come - a hum and vibration appears. Wheel bearing, kit - SNR R154.54
Is wheel alignment necessary when replacing the right support bearing?
Of course we need it.
Are the hubs on the Skoda A5 interchangeable or not?
Yes. The hubs are the same.
How many bolts are used to secure the front hub of Skoda 1.6 - 1.8 - 1.4
Usually on 1.6, 1.4 turbo and atmospheric 1.8 there are 3 bolts. But when ordering, keep in mind that the front hubs in our cars differ in the number of mounting holes - 3 or 4 holes. There is a chance that there may be 4. In order not to make a mistake and correctly order a new hub, you need to determine on your Octavia A5 what type of front brakes (1ZE or 1ZF).
1ZF (3) - brake discs - 280×22 5/112 If code - 1ZE (4) - dimensions 288×25 5/112
It is NOT difficult to change it yourself. Time: 30 minutes.
for 1.6 bse - 3 bolts. Wheel bearing SNR R154.61 Left, right, no difference.
The bearing comes complete with the hub. Bolts are sold separately.
On 1.8 2012 there are 4 bolts. And buy the central bolt itself too. SNR 154.61 or NK 754309.
What tools are needed to replace the front hub?
The 12th sprocket is an M12 spline, and a multi-faceted head (like 24) to unscrew the CV joint.
The hub and support bearings have arrived, tell me which ones are better to take for the Skoda
And how long do they go? Skoda Octavia A5.
Clubmates' response
1. The rear one was recently changed and is fully assembled.
I took the company snr . At a price of 2000 rub. I've done about 1.5t.km so far it's ok. Changed it at 170t.km mileage
2. Changed the right, front. The mileage was 38,000 km. The bearing is assembled with the hub. Now the mileage is 72,000, the rest of the bearings are normal.
Replacing support bearings on a Skoda without removing the strut - procedure
- remove the wheel, - unscrew the top nut of the stabilizer link, - take it out, slightly unscrew the nut securing the support to the rod, - unscrew the support from the body, - compress the spring, - completely unscrew the nut securing the support to the rod, - press on top of the rod with a long screwdriver so that it goes down and take out the bearing, change it and put it in place.
Collections on the topic:
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Photo report of replacing the adsorber valve on the Skoda Octavia A5 1.8 TSI
The starter turns, there is gas, the battery is fine. But it won't start. Skoda Octavia 2012 1.8 tsi.
Who changed the floating levers on a Skoda?
Has anyone changed the ignition module on a Skoda?
Oil leaking - Oktasha
With a slight pressure on the brake, the Octave begins to move faster
A noise appears, disappears when the clutch is engaged - Octavia A5 2007 1.6 BSF
Causes of wheel bearing failure
Wheel bearing inside the hub
In principle, if we are talking about really high-quality wheel bearings, then they are made from materials that can withstand just crazy loads. Thanks to this, the hub ones run for 120 thousand kilometers or more. But sometimes, this period is reduced and, moreover, significantly. We list the main reasons for reducing the service life of a wheel bearing:
- frequent wheels falling into potholes at high speed;
- loss of lubricant;
- improper tightening when replacing;
- crooked pressing when replacing;
And so, if a car falls into a hole with a wheel, and even at high speed, the wheel bearings, like the entire suspension itself, experience enormous loads, not to say overload. And if this happens often, the hub ones may die ahead of schedule. Careful driving significantly extends the life of many and very different parts of the car, including the wheel bearing.
If the protective boots are damaged, grease leaks from the inside of the bearing and the bearing dies. Therefore, when replacing hubs, you need to ensure that the protective elements are installed correctly and are not damaged during the installation process.
As for improper tightening, this is a reason that falls within the competence of specialists who replace wheel bearings. If the bearing is tightened too much, it may overheat, which negatively affects its service life.
Well, distortions when pressing the wheel bearing lead to the fact that the loads that the bearing perceives are distributed unevenly. And this leads to uneven wear.
It should be noted that the last two factors that reduce the life of a wheel bearing relate to the work of the mechanics who perform the replacement. Therefore, trust such work, as well as your favorite car in general, only to reliable and proven professionals. Moreover, if you drive your car carefully and do not test its strength strictly and regularly, you will not have to replace wheel bearings often.
