Hub bearing issues

[Mikelpaul13]

Hey , I got a 2011 Liberty 4x4. For the past 3yrs I've had to replace the right side front hub & bearing & shaft. It rides nice for about 4 months or so then starts vibrating & making noise . I'm sure I wait too long to replace it because I don't enjoy doing it as I have to beat the hell out of it , air chisel it , take torches to it , etc. It is like it gets so hot that it turns into one piece . I have not had to replace the driver's side at all or the rear ones. This seems real odd to me . I have never experienced this in any other vehicle. It is about time to do this again for the year & I'm wondering if there is any advice to not have to do this next yr maybe??? I know what I'm doing & don't use cheap parts & this is very puzzling to me . Any insight is appreciated.

 

[sleazy rider]

If you’re only getting four months from a hub bearing, there’s other, bigger issues in play. Bearing should last at a minimum 100k miles in my experience. Honestly, in 45 years of old vehicles, I’ve never had to replace one with lifted/lowered/abused high performance hot rods that put the front end in the air.

Check the spindle for deformation, wheel balance(?), alignment. Is the vehicle lifted past 3” over stock? Oversized tires?

 

[tommudd]

What brand of hubs are you using

 

[Mikelpaul13]

If you’re only getting four months from a hub bearing, there’s other, bigger issues in play. Bearing should last at a minimum 100k miles in my experience. Honestly, in 45 years of old vehicles, I’ve never had to replace one with lifted/lowered/abused high performance hot rods that put the front end in the air.

Check the spindle for deformation, wheel balance(?), alignment. Is the vehicle lifted past 3” over stock? Oversized tires?

I agree with you . Ive only replaced the hub & bearing on one other vehicle in my life . This makes no sense at all . It is not lifted , still running the 16" wheels , perfect alignment , the spindle was just réplaced last yr when I did the hub . I'll take some pics when I do it & post them it's odd.

 

[Mikelpaul13]

What brand of hubs are you using

Moog.

 

[David13]

I remember bearings being destroyed by running the front right tire into a curb and against and along it. The lateral force can destroy a bearing.

Does anyone else drive the Jeep?

Usually it was apparent from a distance, as there would be large scrape marks on the side of the tire. White letters or half the white wall could be scraped off.

One of the reasons I'm happy we don't have no curbs where I now live.

We do have ditches.
dc

 

[Mikelpaul13]

I remember bearings being destroyed by running the front right tire into a curb and against and along it. The lateral force can destroy a bearing.

Does anyone else drive the Jeep?

Usually it was apparent from a distance, as there would be large scrape marks on the side of the tire. White letters or half the white wall could be scraped off.

One of the reasons I'm happy we don't have no curbs where I now live.

We do have ditches.
dc

My girlfriend occasionally drives it . Not much though only maybe 4 times last year.

 

[Shane Giggie]

My girlfriend occasionally drives it . Not much though only maybe 4 times last year.

Try a Mopar bearing.

 

[Mikelpaul13]

Try a Mopar bearing.

Yeah I'll give it a try . Thanks.

 

[John P.]

I agree, try OEM. I replaced the hubs on my impala at 206k with Moog. Both purchased from the same auto parts store. One was good, the other was not. The replacement for the bad one is working now though. My first time getting a bad Moog part right out of the box.

 

[Shane Giggie]

Yeah I'll give it a try . Thanks.

If it only last 3-4 months you have another serious issue.

 

[Shane Giggie]

I agree, try OEM. I replaced the hubs on my impala at 206k with Moog. Both purchased from the same auto parts store. One was good, the other was not. The replacement for the bad one is working now though. My first time getting a bad Moog part right out of the box.

Yeah Moog is usually pretty good but like everything else there quality is going down hill.

 

[John P.]

Thinking about the dynamics of the Front axle, it might be possible your right front CV shaft has an issue. It might be slightly out of balance, or the joints may be dry. If you get a good pair of CV Boot pliers and new clamps. I would disassemble the half mark where each ball goes. They must be returned to their respective places. Inspect inside the cups for abnormal wear. You should see where the ball bearing rides. If there is obvious creasents formed you might want to replace it, small is okay like barely noticeable running your finger over. If everything looks good repack with grease and reassemble. The joint should be snug against rotational force and flex freely. It's a messy procedure but I don't like to replace half shafts if it's not needed. Because our front axles are not powered most of the time we don't always get the loud click click click from a CV issue.

 

[John P.]

Nevermind, I see you replaced the CV axle (forehead slap). Maybe your brake caliper is sticking some causing things to roast.

 

[Sipafz]

I have a 2011 for 10 years now with 150k.

I have experienced twice where I thought I had a front wheel bearing going bad.

The first time was once the original GoodYear tires got about 40k on them a noise started to develop that sounded like a failing wheel bearing. I found that if I mounted the spare the noise would improve. I lived with it until 60k and got new tires, BFG Long Trail. The noise went away completely for 10k.

At 70k the noise started to creep back and got worse until I finally replaced those tires at 110k. Once it got real loud I again experimented with the spare and found improvement. I replaced those tires with Cooper Discovery 4S and haven’t had an issue since.

Are you positive it’s a bearing? How old are your tires?

 

[Mikelpaul13]

I have a 2011 for 10 years now with 150k.

I have experienced twice where I thought I had a front wheel bearing going bad.

The first time was once the original GoodYear tires got about 40k on them a noise started to develop that sounded like a failing wheel bearing. I found that if I mounted the spare the noise would improve. I lived with it until 60k and got new tires, BFG Long Trail. The noise went away completely for 10k.

At 70k the noise started to creep back and got worse until I finally replaced those tires at 110k. Once it got real loud I again experimented with the spare and found improvement. I replaced those tires with Cooper Discovery 4S and haven’t had an issue since.

Are you positive it’s a bearing? How old are your tires?

Tires are about a year & a half old with around 15k on them . Honestly I've hated them from the start & I'm about to start looking into replacements now . Firestone Transforce , don't recommend at all. After looking into things a little more I believe it's the rear bearing actually but replaced the front anyway since I bought it . I've never done rear bearings so I guess it's time to learn . I will check out the Cooper tires though .