I don't often post at the moment but I do have first hand experience of screwing up fitting front wheel bearings...and the consequences. It's confession time.
I was distracted at the point of fitting my front wheel bearings a couple of years ago (I'm normally very careful). The upshot was that 40 miles into my journey, doing my best Hannu Mikkola impression around a left hand hairpin there was a loud "clunk" from the nearside front wheel. the steering wheel shook and my nearside wheel made a bid for freedom.
When I stopped (thankfully there was a convenient verge and hedge) the bearing had failed pretty much as Islip described in his "doctored" diagram on another thread. The inner bearing remained on the stub axle and the outer had separated. Of the outer bearing, the one race remained on the stub axle and the other in the hub (which was still connected to the drum and wheel and providing much amusement to a puzzled horse in a field a hundred yards or so down the road).
I learnt from the experience (the hard way) by having no car the next day, needing a new brake back plate and lower trunnion (which I had also just changed), new brake cylinder, shoes etc etc etc. and looking like a bit of a berk foraging around a field in a pinstripe suit trying to retrieve my wheel.
It could have been much, much worse.
So yes, in my experience, it really, really does matter which way they are fitted...
Andrew
Maggie, 1969, 4 door, Almond Green.
And Project "Traveller"...
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