Mazda Protege5 Wheel Bearings Gone BADDD!!!
I've had my Protege5 for over 10 years. Generally it has been a good car. Some premature rust. See it on a lot of P5's in my area. The one issue that comes back over and again, is that I am consistently having wheel bearings go bad. I've had four difference mechanics change the bearings over the course of the last 6-7 years. No one has an explanation though they do freely accept my $$. I have rec'd a couple ideas. One person suggested there may be an issue with the axle or bad shocks. Another more recently suggested that tire size was an issue. Quite a few years ago, I was at Discount Tire and they put a little bigger tire on than was standard. The recent mechanic said that the bigger tire size could be putting a different pressure on the bearings causing them to fail. Any thoughts?
Answers
IMO, number one reason for premature bearing failure is incorrect torque on the axle nut.
Are you using a quality torque wrench and adjusting torque to proper ft lbs.?
This may not be the problem but......... Tires, brakes, improper alignments will all cause a problem. It may also be the vehicle/ suspension. Make sure you buy good quality parts..
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
Thx for the input.
Also the quality and source of the bearings used.
The first set was replaced by the dealership. Then two sets by an experienced mechanic. I suspect both were aware of proper torque. I don't know what brand of bearings was used each time though the last two times were National. The last time the bearings were changed, the mechanic was not as experienced and may not have been aware of the proper torque on the axle nut.
I do now have new tires and recently updated suspension. I had the struts replaced after 10 years on the original set.
national is an ok bearing. US made.
Maybe you're going to have to replace the entire hub assembly this time around.
Also, if this car has a 2-bearing-per-side setup (some cars do) then there is a critical spacer in between them--if person A left that spacer out, then next time around, person B might not see that a spacer is required.