Dodge Dakota Wheel Bearings
Sorry if this has already been discussed. I searched and found nothing. I am new here, this is my 3rd dakota and probably my last. What idiot engineer would design a 2 wd vehicle using sealed front wheel bearings? Sealed bearings have a very very limited life and a very very limited application and that is not a motor vehicle.
With that said - Has anyone taken a front hub apart, got the Timkin bearing, race and seal numbers and rebuilt a front hub?
With that said - Has anyone taken a front hub apart, got the Timkin bearing, race and seal numbers and rebuilt a front hub?
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Comments
Thanks
John
If the noise remains constant over varied vehicle speeds it is probably tire, wheel or front alignment related.
If the noise changes with vehicle speed, or changes under acceleration or deceleration, the problem is engine, exhaust, or differential related.
If the noise is constant, but varies in pitch or intensity as vehicle speed is increased, it is possible you have a defective wheel bearing or a bad U-joint. Sometimes if the noise changes as the steering wheel is turned, it will indicate a bad wheel bearing. But they can sometimes fool you. A lot of times a bad wheel bearing will make noise regardless of turning. With the vehicle raised, check the wheel bearings for play.
Regards,
Dusty
Regards,
Dusty
If the noise is
2003 QC 4X4 3.9L
Thanks
Brian
Twice in a year on the same vehicle is completely abnormal and is either the result of hub overheating, incorrect bearing (or bearing quality), bearing damage, or incorrect/poor installation.
Does this vehicle ever have the wheels completely submerged in water?
Best regards,
Dusty
www.recalls.gov Search thru SKF
Did your bad bearing make any noise, or was the only symptom a vibration
Regards,
Dusty
A friend of mine changed out the rear bearings and races on his wife's Venture a couple of years ago and replaced them with stuff he got from AutoZone. Within two years the races were galled and the bearings were worn down to the brass primary coating.
A lot of aftermarket stuff is not up to the factory quality.
Best regards,
Dusty
Never again Dodge,,,, Good luck Gary ... Kevin
The hub should be replaced as an assembly on a Dakota. Attempts to replace just the bearing are problematic since the these units are assembled with the hub housing at an elevated temperature to prevent damage fron uneven seating pressure by mechanical press seating.
As for sway bar links, yes, I broke one last winter after hitting the mother of all potholes. You may complain about the price of a factory link, but on my ex-wifes Avalon they are only available from the factory, too, and they're $100 a piece. Worn sway bar links are so common nowadays, I wouldn't single out Dakotas. I've seen them break on Tacomas and F150s as well. Based on the results I see with other people, one thing I will not do again is buy an aftermarket sway bar link.
Regards,
Dusty
I'm not saying that the wheel bearings shouldn't have gone farther. I don't remember if you stated how many miles on your Dak, but a wheel bearing should go at least 100,000 miles before needing replacement. Maybe I'm much older than you, but I remember the days when manufacturers specified that the wheel bearings needed to be cleaned and repacked every 20,000 miles. That type of maintenance extended replacement to around 80,000 - 100,000 miles or so. So far to-date, I've had to replace more conventional front wheel bearings than I have sealed bearings ('59, '63, '77 Chevy cars, '72 & '89 Chevy trucks).
Dodge, like most other trucks nowadays, use a sealed bearing which technically should be exposed to far less moisture and contamination than a non-sealed bearing. You have a 4x4. They do generate a little more heat than a two-wheel drive because of increased loading. Mine's a 2x4 and never had the hubs fully emersed in water, but its seen its share of mud.
After eight years I've come to appreciate my Dak. Since I needed to carry a full-size ATV, it was the smallest pick up I could find to do the job. The Frontier, which I am personnaly fond of (I was trading a '93 Sentra) was way too small. Same for the Ranger. I know too many people that owned an S10 to ever go near one. The Tacoma was cramped and underpowered. With the Dak 4.7 I manage 20-21 on the road with a full load of ATV and gear, 16-18 around town and it will out pull any truck in its class. I ask others with smaller trucks and they might be doing one mile per gallon better than me. My 4.7 at 140,000 does not or ever has burned a drop oil. Frontiers of the year I bought my Dak seem to have performance issues (sensors) and electrical problems. The S10s of the same year have gapping holes in the body and seem to have a lot of engine problems, and there are Tacomas that have frames so rusted through that they can't pass New York State inspection. Even the Rangers have a reputation for bad differentials and transmissions, so some of their owners are telling me.
I sorry to hear of your recent problems and I hope you have better performance with the Dak in the future.
Best of luck,
Dusty
PS: I have 178,000 miles on my Dakota and just recently had to put tires, control arms and tierods in it. I thought it did pretty well. Also has the original clutch (it is a 5-speed). I haven't had much trouble with my truck.
L.
Thanks for any help
around 50K miles, the passenger just recently around 60K miles. I got a used
hub for the drivers side and bought a new timken hub as spare, which is now
being used on the passenger side. When the first hub bearing failed, I went]
to Timken and got the actual bearing, but there was no way I could get the
old one out, so I scrapped the hub. On the recent failure, I went to a machine
shop and they pressed the old one out and the new bearing in. Now that is
my spare. Years ago, you could repack the front bearings, now everything is
throwaway at high cost too. The lower ball joints are going as well, even
though I grease them myself with an grease needle by injecting some grease
into the rubber boot..but this is crap. Chrysler/dodge could have made them
with zerk grease nipples. I've just bought two MOOG balljoints that have the
grease fittings. This is nothing but a plot to make money off the owners by
Chrysler dealerships! I will never use them for any repairs!