Third Gen Explorer Wheel Bearings

[Ifixyawata]

Hi All:

I know this is a common failure on these vehicles but I didn't think it would be time to replace these again yet.

I bought the Mountaineer in my sig back in 2015 and shortly after we got it, replaced both front wheel bearings. The experience wasn't too bad considering the vehicle came from the south, but still, I bought the $100+ each Timken hub/bearing assemblies as I didn't want to do it twice. The car had 112k on it at the time. It now has about 154k and is exhibiting the same symptoms as before:

-Grinding feeling coming through the pedal and steering wheen when the steering wheel is even slightly pushed off of where it's centering
-Noise corresponding with above grinding feeling
-No discernible play in bearings with the vehicle jacked up.

I'm expecting to hear that Timken bearings aren't all they're cracked up to be anymore and if I do have to do this again I will likely buy the cheap $49 bearings if I'm going to have to replace them every 3 years anyway.

Anyone have any input on what else to check or where else to look?

Anyone else have lackluster experience with Timken?

 

[StevieC]

I wouldn't go cheap on the Bearings but I would avoid Timken, they have seemed to go down hill lately.

As for what to check have you checked the alignment?

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted by StevieC
I wouldn't go cheap on the Bearings but I would avoid Timken, they have seemed to go down hill lately.

As for what to check have you checked the alignment?


Alignment was supposedly checked and checked out okay right after we bought it and put new tires on it, but not since then and not since wheel bearings. Tires do seem to wear pretty decently evenly. I do a 5-tire rotation on a 5k interval.

 

[SatinSilver]

Looks like Rockauto has a Centric front bearing/hub for $78 plus shipping if going the cheap route. A step up from that would be the SKF bearing/hub for $144 + shipping. Put both in your basket and you never know the SKF might have cheaper shipping versus the Centric one.

 

[spasm3]

How difficult is the job? And how long will you keep the vehicle? If you are going to keep it or its a lot of work to change, then SKF. If its and easy change( incase you have to do it again in a few thousand) you could try a lesser bearing. I tend to use timken and skf, although i'm hearing timken may be less quality than it used to be.

 

[MNgopher]

Go with a cheap bearing/hub and you will be replacing them yearly. Literally, they are a put them on to sell the car and that's it kind of a bearing. Several of us at work with 3rd and 4th Gen Explorers have seen this, along with in the work fleet. SKF seemed to be the least troublesome of the bunch and would be my recommendation for a replacement.

Also, figure out which one it is - no need to do both if only one is growling.

 

[StevieC]

If you had the tools you could pull a new one apart and pack it with Amsoil Severe Duty grease. We did this with one on my dad's Caravan. You need a press though to do it properly. I got the idea from the off-roading community.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted by MNgopher
Go with a cheap bearing/hub and you will be replacing them yearly. Literally, they are a put them on to sell the car and that's it kind of a bearing. Several of us at work with 3rd and 4th Gen Explorers have seen this, along with in the work fleet. SKF seemed to be the least troublesome of the bunch and would be my recommendation for a replacement.

Also, figure out which one it is - no need to do both if only one is growling.



I have the opposite problem with my Jeep. I got tired of replacing the Timken bearings every 6 months and bought the cheapest I could find on rock auto and those seem to alst a year

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted by StevieC
If you had the tools you could pull a new one apart and pack it with Amsoil Severe Duty grease. We did this with one on my dad's Caravan. You need a press though to do it properly. I got the idea from the off-roading community.


I have a shop press but getting to the bearing is involved enough that I'd rather bolt out-bolt in. Removal isn't super complex but time consuming: remove caliper, rotors, big front axle nut, push the axle back in to get to the 3 15mm bolts that hold the hub in place. Plus there's the integral ABS sensor to consider.

Originally Posted by MNgopher


Also, figure out which one it is - no need to do both if only one is growling.


That's another issue, it seems to growl whether you're turning/lane changing to the right or left, same either way. Even when the bearings were brand new there was still a slight vibration that could be felt in the pedal and wheel when the wheel was anything off-center. I'm thinking I may need to explore other avenues here but I'm not sure where else to look. There is no play in any of the wheels that might indicate the bearings are THAT bad. Could this bee a front or rear differential thing? I've followed the 'if it ain't broke' method of under-car fluid changes on this so far, espeically with evidence that the transmission and differential lubes had been changed recently prior to purchase, but I did sit in the third row one time and could hear some droning at highway speed from the rear differential, so that's something that deserves a second look. Now that I've gone off on a tangent, the viscous coupler in the transfer case seems to be getting kind of tight in it's old age too.

 

[14Accent]

Did you check the REAR bearings? Those are super common. Jack up the rear and shake those suckers.

 

[NHGUY]

..and those rear bearings press in.....good luck.

 

[MNgopher]

Definitely check the rear bearings too. Went through that on my 4th Gen Explorer. Left rear bearing was bad, but it sure sounded like it came from the front. Even a very good mechanic I had look at it was stumped. Luckily it was bad enough that the tire could rock a bit on inspection. Your hint that not all the vibrations and noise went away after replacing the fronts is a clue that the issue may be elsewhere...

And that is one job I let a mechanic handle with pressing the bearings out and in. Fordtechmakuloco on youtube has a nice video on that with the basic message if you really want to, here is what you are getting into...

Good luck!

 

[dogememe]

SKF/National seems OK, it's the "better" ones we sell at work. the cheaper ones (SomethingPro brand) are JUNK! So many warranties!

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by Ifixyawata
Originally Posted by StevieC
If you had the tools you could pull a new one apart and pack it with Amsoil Severe Duty grease. We did this with one on my dad's Caravan. You need a press though to do it properly. I got the idea from the off-roading community.


I have a shop press but getting to the bearing is involved enough that I'd rather bolt out-bolt in. Removal isn't super complex but time consuming: remove caliper, rotors, big front axle nut, push the axle back in to get to the 3 15mm bolts that hold the hub in place. Plus there's the integral ABS sensor to consider.



That's all we have and we did it. There is a sensor in my dad's as well.

 

[14Accent]

Moog now makes loaded rear knuckle assemblies for those. I highly recommend those over trying to save the knuckle, if you discover a bad rear bearing.

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
Moog now makes loaded rear knuckle assemblies for those. I highly recommend those over trying to save the knuckle, if you discover a bad rear bearing.


I like the idea of that but a quick Google search shows me those are $250 - $300 each

Originally Posted by MNgopher
Definitely check the rear bearings too. Went through that on my 4th Gen Explorer. Left rear bearing was bad, but it sure sounded like it came from the front. Even a very good mechanic I had look at it was stumped. Luckily it was bad enough that the tire could rock a bit on inspection. Your hint that not all the vibrations and noise went away after replacing the fronts is a clue that the issue may be elsewhere...

And that is one job I let a mechanic handle with pressing the bearings out and in. Fordtechmakuloco on youtube has a nice video on that with the basic message if you really want to, here is what you are getting into...

Good luck!


I have shaken (left right, up down and diagonal) and can't get any wiggle on any of the 4 wheels.

I've seen Fordtechmakuloco's video and as such had already planned to take the rear knuckle to someone to have the bearings pressed in/out should they be bad.

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted by StevieC

That's all we have and we did it. There is a sensor in my dad's as well.


I'm considering this more and more, but I lack any kind of dies or receiving cups (?) or whatever you call them for the press.

 

[StevieC]

My dad just uses a round large impact socket between the press and the hub. To take it out he just hammers it out. No damage done to the bearings inside or the hub. He has done it this way for as long as I can remember.

Something like this:
SHOWN HERE

 

[Black_Thunder]

If you can take off the knuckle assembly yourself take it to a machine shop and they will press it out and a new one in for like 30 to 40 bucks as it won't take them long and a new bearing will be around 50. then you can reassemble it yourself and save some coin


when i did one of those i had access to a press so i did it myself and put in a national bearing.



when i've done the fronts I've been using Moog or Precision hub assemblies and have had good luck with both of those brands.