What Would Make My Wheel Sound Like This?

[FishingFool]

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So it was my first time ever changing wheel bearings on a trailer. Looked at tutorials and videos online and it didn't seem that bad.....

I bought a cheap Harbor Freight bottle jack to make it easier and faster to lift the trailer. POS kept compressing itself near it's maxed height. . I had a couple blocks of brick and it still wasn't enough, LOL.

So I grabbed the stock jack from the truck. It's slow, but at least it works. It's the bottle with a twist knob ****. Slow.

Anyways, removed wheel first, then removed hub. Was thinking afterwards, why did I remove the wheel.

Then it was a ***** getting the races out. I couldnt get it out with my screw driver and hammer. Looked around to see what I could use. I see the handle from the POS Harbor Freight jack. I was able to use the handle and knock out the races. Wasn't quite the purpose of this jack, but at least it wasn't a total waste.

Now I'm trying to put the race back in. Used the old race to whack onto. Now the new race is flushed and dont know what to use to get it into place without damaging the race. Remembered a tutorial where someone used a huge socket. Ran to NAPA and found a 35MM socket that works pretty good.

Eventually, I was able to finish everything. It took me 5 hrs to do 2 wheels.

But my driver side is making that rubbing sound. Also, you can see how wobbly the wheel is from the rear. I thought the tire was rubbing on the fender, but it's not. Also, not the block of wood either.

Passenger side sounds fine.

[AJ's Dad]

Sounds like you might not have gotten the race seated all the way in on the side that is making the noise. The rubbing noise normally means that you have tightened the spindle nut too tight but if your wheel is wobbely the nut is not too tight. I would take that side back apart and see if that race is all the way seated. If not, knock it down tight against the ridge and put everything back together. I usually tighten the spindle nut down pretty tight until the wheel doesn't want to turn freely. At that point you will hear the rubbing sound. Then I back the nut off slowly, checking until the wheel turns freely with no drag and no rubbing sound. It's not a bad idea to check the wheels for wobble after it's been on the road for a few trips. You may want to retighten those spindle nuts after a little while.

Good luck

[Bodofish]

SOP for wheel bearings is:
Tighten wheel nut finger tight. Spin the wheel and tighten by hand again, only finger tight. Back off 1/4 turn and pin the nut with the cotter of bend the washer.

That will give you sufficient clearance when the hub warms up.

[G-Man]

One other tip, when putting in races and seals, use a scrap piece of wood or dowel between the hammer/clamp , etc and the race or seal you are trying to fit. This will help prevent unwanted deformation, nicks and scratches.

[hewesfisher]

While at HF you should have bought this $30 kit for doing your races and seals, that's what it's made for, and it eliminates a lot of frustration.



When driving races into the wheel hub you'll know they're seated when the hammer strike starts ringing. It's a definite tone change once the race seats into the hub.

After you get everything together you need to seat the bearings to the races. Usually there is a torque spec that you need to tighten to while spinning the wheel then back off 1/4 turn and install the cotter pin. In lieu of that, I tighten the hub nut just until I detect a slight drag on the wheel while turning, then back off 1/4 turn and install the cotter pin. I've been doing this for many, many years and have never burned a bearing on a car, truck, or trailer.

[Amx]

What they all said about tightening.

To remove the races I have a solid steel bar about 3/4" dia. and about a foot long. That bar will dent on the end before the race will break/chip etc. Knock on one side of the race, then shift the bar to the other side of the race and knock again. Thus making the race 'walk' out. If you keep hitting on only one side of the race the hub could split from the side load of the race trying to come out sideways.

To make sure there is room for the race to drop out under the hub, I put the hub on a couple 4" x 4" blocks. When knocking out the small outside race I have the hub on those blocks between the lugs/studs. I don't like any pressure exerted on the lugs/studs so they don't try to come out of the flange, or you will have lug nut tightness problems later on - on the road as the lugs will try to slide back into position and then the nut will be loose.

[FishingFool]

I didnt know about that race kit, otherwise, I would have bought it.

I'm pretty confident the races are seated properly. I will double check the side that's making the noise maybe next week if the weather holds.

Anyways, does my hub look like it's on all the way? Both sides are like this, but I'm pretty sure with the old setup, it was closer towards the "step down" spot on the spindle. You see where the shiny part is that's in view, I think that was covered up before.

Could it be because I used a different brand and seal? The parts number and sizes are the same.





PS, how much is a typical bearing job at a shop? I may have a shop do it and see if they allow customers to watch and learn.

[Toni]

I called my Les Scwab last year about them. I was quoted $270. My trailer is from the '70's. I felt them to see if they were warm after driving a ways and they weren't so I didn't do anything.

[MotoBoat]

Bearing replacement! Most times it goes smoothly, and sometimes not. The real battle here is making certain the races are seated, without damaging them. Meaning, scratched or gouged. The socket is the trick, but must be just undersize to fit inside the hub. I wonder if: A) Your races are seated. And or B) If you have the right bearing set for your hub. I would call another bearing place and ask them for the part number for the correct bearing set for your boat trailer. If not the same brand, see if they can cross reference. If that part number jives, then that worry is out the window and carry on with making certain the races are seated properly. It sound to me like the race is to small or to large for your axle hub. I am thinking to large, since the wheel is sloppy when tight and will turn. If to small, the race would not be set on the flat shoulder of the spindle and cause the hub to appear not as close as before. Also there would be binding and possibly no wheel spin. Internet diagnosis is a crap shoot at best. I was given the wrong bearing set before. Caught that before installing, but was a hassle to drive back down and have that corrected. By the way, when the races are seated there is a different, more solid sound made with hammer and socket. And a vibration is felt by the operator.

A mechanic will use a large hydraulic press to remove the old and seat the new races. He or she will make the job seem too simple. I can not stress enough, make sure the parts are correct!!

[Amx]

Make sure they aren't chinese bearings and races. If they are take them back and get AMERICAN made stuff.

[FishingFool]

Make sure they aren't chinese bearings and races. If they are take them back and get AMERICAN made stuff.

Are there even american made versions? I bought mine from Etrailers, the TieDown set. They are Chinese. The ones I removed from the hubs were also Chinese.

[Amx]

I bought mine at NAPA, they had chinese, but I got American.

[MotoBoat]

I must admit, buying American is a good theory. But an American bearing set that is the wrong size won't solve the problem. I jack up the boat trailer before a long trip. Which is a guarantee at least once a year. I check for wheel slop. Spin the wheel and listen for a growling noise or slightly rough feel when spinning slowly with one hand on the tire during full rotations. A very small amount of slop is not a concern. But the rough sound of pitted bearing or race is. Honestly, the hand full of bearing replacements I have done on various boat trailers and vehicles over the years. I was never concerned with where the bearing were made. But them I always went to a truck and trailer parts place. Like Six Robles or any of the ones that also sell trailer parts. Like axles, leaf spring, galvy rims and trailer tires, brakes. I figure they know there stuff. I am certain any or all the bearing sets I purchased were Chinese. Not a issue with any of them. One boat trailer I have had since 1993. Replace maybe two set in 19 years. On average, that trailer is dipped in salt water 20 times per year. Fresh only a couple times a year.

Need to get this fixed before moving to Woodinville!!

[hewesfisher]

If the new parts were ordered using the numbers off the old bearings they are probably correct and I would not worry about it. I doubt the races are too big or they never would have gone into the hub anyway, and certainly not too small or they'd have just fallen into the hub. The proper race has an interference fit requiring it to be driven or pressed into the hub.

The most probable issue here is either or both races are not fully seated in the hub. To correct, that hub needs to be removed and inspected. You can easily see if the race is seated by looking at it from the rear. There should be no gap between the race and the hub, if there is, you need to drive the race in until there is no gap. If it were me, I'd pull the hub and double check, much better to know than to lose a wheel while towing. One thing I'll ask, were the bearings packed before installation? It is critical to pack the bearings prior to installing them.

While I only buy US made bearings, I wouldn't toss the ones you have. Use them, take care of them, and they'll probably be fine. Besides, most bearings are made in China these days, even Timken which was long a US standard in bearings.

The proper way to check your trailer bearings is to pull the hub once a year, clean all the grease from the hub and bearings (so they look like fresh from the package), inspect the bearing rollers and the inner bearing race (not the ones in the hub) for galling, pitting, or discoloration. Clean & inspect the hub races for galling, pitting, or discoloration. If no damage is detected, re-pack the bearings (required!!!), pack the hub cavity, re-install bearings and seals, adjust bearings, and install new cotter pins once bearings are adjusted. Out of pocket cost is seals and cotter pins plus your time. Peace of mind knowing your bearings are in perfect running order, properly lubed, and adjusted is priceless.

[MotoBoat]

What Phil said is good advice. Not being a bearing specialist. My thought was there is way more bearing/race size options than one could imagine, maybe not. So, the thought process was the outside race diameter could be correct for the hub. While the inside race diameter, "could" be to small or large for the spindle. As stated earlier, it is likely the races are not seated. But since we are internet mechanics. Lets throw stuff out there and lay as many options on the table as can be thought of.

Going back and looking at the picture provided. There is a shiny spot on the spindle, indicating (likely) where the old grease/dust seal was located and spun on the spindle. That should not be visible when the hub is in its final position. What would cause the shiny spot is:

1) Incorrect inside diameter of race. Not likely, but a possibility to not overlook. Race would have to be on the
small side. Again, if we are internet mechanic's. Explore all the possibilities.
2) If either the inside or outside race is not seated correctly. That would cause the front bearing and race to far forward on the spindle. In a incorrect position and might cause slop when tight. There are many steps on the spindle, correct positioning is the result of a properly seated race. Both of them.

Again, good advice. But not to sure what another poster was trying to say, and do not want to guess. Since there are two sets of bearings and races (4 parts in total) all of them are installed in the hub:

"inspect the bearing rollers and the inner bearing race (not the ones in the hub) for galling, pitting, or
discoloration".

I did not grasp whether both hubs were done or just the one. But once the other hub is off. Slip the new set of bearings and matching race onto the bare spindle. They should slide on easily and have no wiggle to them. If already in the hub. Then this would not be possible.

[FishingFool]

What Phil said is good advice. Not being a bearing specialist. My thought was there is way more bearing/race size options than one could imagine, maybe not. So, the thought process was the outside race diameter could be correct for the hub. While the inside race diameter, "could" be to small or large for the spindle. As stated earlier, it is likely the races are not seated. But since we are internet mechanics. Lets throw stuff out there and lay as many options on the table as can be thought of.

Going back and looking at the picture provided. There is a shiny spot on the spindle, indicating (likely) where the old grease/dust seal was located and spun on the spindle. That should not be visible when the hub is in its final position. What would cause the shiny spot is:

1) Incorrect inside diameter of race. Not likely, but a possibility to not overlook. Race would have to be on the
small side. Again, if we are internet mechanic's. Explore all the possibilities.
2) If either the inside or outside race is not seated correctly. That would cause the front bearing and race to far forward on the spindle. In a incorrect position and might cause slop when tight. There are many steps on the spindle, correct positioning is the result of a properly seated race. Both of them.

Again, good advice. But not to sure what another poster was trying to say, and do not want to guess. Since there are two sets of bearings and races (4 parts in total) all of them are installed in the hub:

"inspect the bearing rollers and the inner bearing race (not the ones in the hub) for galling, pitting, or
discoloration".

I did not grasp whether both hubs were done or just the one. But once the other hub is off. Slip the new set of bearings and matching race onto the bare spindle. They should slide on easily and have no wiggle to them. If already in the hub. Then this would not be possible.

I did both sides, with the same bearing kit. The bearings and races of the kit, part numbers matched the old ones in the hub. The only thing that was slightly different were the seals. The old seals were the one with the brass colored seals. Whereas, the ones I installed are the black ones.

Both sides show that shiny area on the hub. When I was doing my passenger side, I made sure 100% sure my races were in all the way. I'm 99% sure my passenger side is in all the way too, but I will double check because of the noise.
I tried thrusting the hub back into the spindle. Tapping it with a hammer around to see if it would go further in, but it wont. That's as deep as I could get it.

[edge540]

Your in luck!

Its pretty simple, Either you didnt drive the races all the way in or you have the wrong parts. Trailer bearings are stupid/simple and you can only screw em up a couple ways.

There are some simple steps to doing a job like this. These are things I do automatically from years of wrenching but on the first try you might not be sure.

Great advise by all the guys on here but here is my .02

Once you have the trailer safely jacked up and supported.

1 Compare old bearings, races and seals to the new parts. You should be able to Eye ball them and know that there the same. Ideally you need pair of calipers and knowledge of how to use them.

2 Inspect the axles and hubs were the bearings and races ride for discoloration, wear = slop and problems.

3 Clean everything. If you don't have a parts washer use cans of brake cleaner or or a couple gallons of diesel in a bucket.

4 Pack the bearings. You can hand pack or use a bearing packer but either way you do it rite and dont stop till there fully packed. This means that you have forced grease from one side all the way through the bearing till is comes out the other side 100%

4 Drive in the races. You drive these in all the way until they bottom out and you can hear a obvious change in the sound as you drive them. There is no doubt that there in all the way, If something isnt going stop and figure out whats wrong.

5 Drop the inside bearing into the hub followed by the seal. Take your time and tap the seal into place by working around and around as it works its way in. A block of wood or dead blow hammer will work well here.

6 Install Hub. Carefully slide the hub onto the axle to avoid damage to the seal. Slide it fully into place and hold it while you slide the outside bearing, washer and nut onto the axle.

7 Tighten the nut. While rotating the hub, tighten the nut. Work it down till its snug but not "He-man tight". Back it off about a 1/4 turn and install the cotter pin.

8 Cap/bearing buddie. Tap this in like the seal. Take your time and work this in by tapping the edges around and around.

9 Its easy, but then I do a few of these a week. PM a number if you need help.

Good Luck

Steve

[tjblocker]

Though I've never installed wheel bearings on a boat trailer before, as an e- machinist mate in the Navy I have installed a good many bearings and know that installing new races can be pain. And if it is not done right your going to do it again sooner than you want.
A trick we used to use on board ship is to take advantage of the fact that cold shrinks metal and heat expands it. To install a race on a pump or motor shaft, we used to place that shaft in a freezer for a time and the race in an oven at about 250 degrees. Usually the race goes on the shaft without a hammer or at least very little use of a hammer (I've seen them go in place with no effort). Ice and hot water might help in the case of wheel bearings.
So far I've not had this pleasure with my boat but if I did I think I would give the hot and cold thing a try. Might help anyway.
Tom

[basspro]

Fishinfool,

If you can't get the bearing issue figured out bring it down to Limit Out Marine. We do brake and bearing jobs down here on a daily basis.

Russ

[FishingFool]

Fishinfool,

If you can't get the bearing issue figured out bring it down to Limit Out Marine. We do brake and bearing jobs down here on a daily basis.

Russ

Hi Russ,

I thought of you guys as an option, if I couldn't figure this out, but Torklift Central is literally down the road. Maybe 1/2 to 1 mile. I wouldn't feel safe driving to your location in the current condition.