Question on Rear Wheel Bearings

[ndevans]

Sorry to open up the rear wheel bearing question again. I don't seem to be getting good life out of my rear wheel bearings. I don't have accurate figures to hand, but since about 2017 I have changed the bearings on each side at least twice, and that is about 5000 miles per bearing. Either I am doing something wrong, modern bearings don't last long or there is something about my car that causes them to wear and fail quickly. All have been C3 type bearings, the type with a small amount of play.

I have JBW Minilite style 14" wheels front & rear, with 175/70 tyres until a year ago, 165/70 now. I have had the alloys since 2014. The offset on these is 22mm, I believe the offset on standard Minor rims is 0. Is this related to bearing life?

FWIW I press in the bearings using a vice & a flat piece of metal across the top of the bearing until it is in as far as it will go. Am I doing something wrong, is my wheel setup causing problems, or are modern bearings not as good?

[svenedin]

A few things come to mind.

1) Maybe the new bearings are not as good as the originals
2) Are you using the correct oil in the axle?
3) Is oil getting to the bearings properly? Are the seals fitted the right way around? Did you lightly pack them with grease (this ensures they don't run dry from the start, they are intended to run in oil)
4) Did you measure the projection of the bearing from the hub so as to select the proper thickness gasket (this sets the preload on the bearing)?

Incidentally, I don't have a press or a bench vice. I know the proper way is to press the bearings in but if there is one advantage of driving the bearings in, it is that the note changes when the bearing is fully home and there can be no mistake. However, if you are pressing in you can measure the projection of the bearing from the hub and it should clearly show if there is a problem.

Stephen

[ndevans]

A few things come to mind.

1) Maybe the new bearings are not as good as the originals
2) Are you using the correct oil in the axle?
3) Is oil getting to the bearings properly? Are the seals fitted the right way around? Did you lightly pack them with grease (this ensures they don't run dry from the start, they are intended to run in oil)
4) Did you measure the projection of the bearing from the hub so as to select the proper thickness gasket (this sets the preload on the bearing)?

Incidentally, I don't have a press or a bench vice. I know the proper way is to press the bearings in but if there is one advantage of driving the bearings in, it is that the note changes when the bearing is fully home and there can be no mistake. However, if you are pressing in you can measure the projection of the bearing from the hub and it should clearly show if there is a problem.

Stephen

H

1) Entirely possible, but I'd like to think not. If so, I won't be the only one.

2) Yes, EP90 hypoid

3) The seals should be fitted with the lip facing out, i.e. towards the wheel, which is what I've done. I have not packed then with grease, maybe that is there problem?

4) Yes, I measured bearing face projection and selected the gasket size accordingly. I've done this every time except the first one I did. On this one, the paper gasket leaked because I'd used the wrong thickness, I replaced it an all was well. The bearing itself did not fail iirc for about another 2 years.

[philthehill]

N
You are doing nothing wrong in the way you are fitting the bearings.
Are your wheels 5 1/2 J ? The J means that the wheel is central over the hub/bearings.
If the wheels are the J type the offset of the wheels will not effecting your wheel bearings.
I run 7J wheels similar to those fitted to your car and have not experienced any problems with rear bearings wear or failure
The C3 bearings do have more play than I would like to see but UNIPART were supplying Made in England 6207 C3 rear hub bearings way before the importation of foreign made bearings. I do have some SKF 6207-2RS1/C3 bearings made in Malaysia though.
For the axle I am currently rebuilding I have managed to obtain some very good used hub bearings by R&M Made in England marked 42-97 LU35
I would suggest that you continue with the C3 rear hub bearings and replace at frequent intervals or try and obtain some good S/H standard bearings.
The seal should be fitted with the lip seal spring towards the hub bearing.
Phil

[ndevans]

They are 5.5J x 14, yes.

IMG_20250601_151614760_HDR.jpg (769.77 KiB) Viewed 111 times

This is my spare hub, which I am in the process of fitting a new seal & bearing into.

IMG_20250703_132306225~2.jpg (1.54 MiB) Viewed 111 times

I have not pushed the seal down in place yet, but that is how it will be positioned, with the lip facing the bearing.

[philthehill]

The 5.5J wheel will not put an excess of loading on the bearing even if a spacer is fitted.
As I said above you either live with the current poor quality C3 bearings or find some good (possibly used) original bearings. They are about.
The seal is being fitted the correct way round.

[philthehill]

Here is a link to some Made in England Minor rear hub bearings listed as NOS. These are the same as the ones I am using for my axle rebuild:-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225979768377 ... R8iZl5D6ZQ

[ndevans]

Thanks Phil, that's reassuring. The only thing I have not done so far is apply grease to new bearings before fitting. I guess there's no point doing it retrospectively?

[philthehill]

There is little point in applying grease to a Minor rear bub bearing unless the bearing is going into long term storage.
The bearing is lubricated by GL4 EP80/90 oil.
The bearing on initial assembly could be filled with grease but there is little point in doing so as once turning the EP80/90 oil will soon wash the grease out of the bearing. Pre use greasing is more of a personal preference than a necessity but the bearing should be well coated in EP80/90 after fitting.
I always fill the back of the hub seal with grease to give the seal the best start in life.
I often see sealed bearings advertised for Minor rear hubs. The only problem with a sealed bearing is 'how does the lip seal get lubricated'. The lip seal is normally lubricated and kept cool by the EP80/90 oil which passes through the bearing to the lip of the seal. That movement of oil cannot happen if the bearing is sealed. Therefore if you have a sealed bearing because that is the only bearing available the seals should be removed (easy job) to allow the transfer of EP80/90 to the hub seal.