[locopny]

I am only assuming (yes, dangerous I know) that the front end is much like any other 2wd light duty front...only heavier duty.
sorry for the long post

The shop that did my brakes and rotors is telling me that they weren't the ones to damage my front bearings or had no way to discover it when the brake repair was completed.
a little back ground..
-truck was taken in for the DOT annual inspection..
-they find cracked rotors and brakes bad..other than that looks great..
-I ok the work and get the truck back.
-drive home about 12 miles and pull into the driveway with the front drivers side leaking quite alot.
-take it back where they fix the wrong side...ugh...original problem still is present as is the newly fixed side now leaks bad.
-take it back same afternoon.
-claim to fix it right this time...both sides. hard to tell as it was dripping with water from a pressure wash.
-drive it home and park it-meanwhile got some alcoas. have them mounted, and the dude swapping the wheels out points it out to me.
-its back at the original shop right now...(thinking warrantee work here) and they claim the bearings are shot causing the seal to fail so they cant warrantee.

QUESTION-->long roundabout way to ask...wouldn't it have been discovered in an inspection or atleast when the rotors were replaced? I thought the hub/rotor assembly had to come off to change either...thus exposing the bearings? Am I mistaken on the assembly of the front axle? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

Seal in question is the back side of the stemco hub..and it leaks that oil all over the brakes...which is obviously not good or safe when loaded to 25K and dragging a 7K trailer.

Thanks for the consideration and education.

 

[meat4u69]

wheel bearings would be part of the dot inspection.they should have caught them when doing the brake job,sounds like they dont no what they are doing.

 

[locopny]

Thanks for the reply..
Its scary, but this is at a Ford Truck dealer/service center. I doubt even I coulda screwed this repair up this many times-and I've never had a vehicle this heavy duty apart before.
I talked with a diesel truck mechanic tonight..Not related to the shop in question. I know what to look for/at now and how to handle this one.
New question....
Got a good source for shop manuals for something like this? Not like I'll find it on the shelf at AutoZone, or even Napa.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

I'll take a somewhat educated guess.

When tapered roller bearings (wheel bearings) wear, there is a "ridge" on the bearing cup in the area past where the rollers roll. Now if you take those worn bearings and tighten them up tight (say after a brake job) now the ends of the rollers are running on that ridge, creating extreme pressure and heat. Now your grease melts and pushed past the seals.

Unfortunately most mechanics do not understand bearings and do not recognize when they need to be replaced. (I spent a few years in the surplus bearings business and have personally handled millions of bearings).

 

[meat4u69]

i got me a full set of books off ebay about 4 years ago,they are ford shop manuals.i think i paid around $50 or $75 for them all.other than ford try that.

 

[locopny]

[ QUOTE ]
Now your grease melts and pushed past the seals.



[/ QUOTE ]

these hubs are an oil bath lubricated type...but I can understand how that could happen with the tightening of the wheel bearings.

given the age of the truck and the milage(190K)...I would have thought it was SOP to inspect that stuff. Isn't wheel bearings something that is supposed to be checked out in an inspection? I know I don't know everything about this truck...which is why I took it to someone that is a "professional" (paid to know this stuff). The down time is really starting to hurt. Yet another weekend I cant be getting something loaded up.

done venting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/depressed.gif...thanks for reading and giving your input.



guss-
Thanks for the info on the shop manuals..I'll take a look see what I find.