Brief Introduction: Installation And Use Of Wheel Hub Bearings

In the past, most of the wheel hub bearings for cars were used in pairs of single-row tapered rollers or ball bearings. With the development of technology, car hub units have been widely used in cars. The scope and amount of use of wheel hub bearing units are increasing day by day, and they have now developed to the third generation: the first generation is composed of double-row angular contact bearings. The second generation has a flange on the outer raceway for fixing the bearing, which can simply be put on the axle and fixed with nuts. This makes the maintenance of the car easier. The third generation of wheel hub bearing units uses a bearing unit and an anti-lock brake system. The wheel hub unit is designed with an inner flange and an outer flange. The inner flange is bolted to the drive shaft, and the outer flange installs the entire bearing together.

Worn or damaged wheel hub bearings or wheel hub units can cause your vehicle to fail inappropriately and costly while driving, and even cause harm to your safety. Please pay attention to the following matters when using and installing wheel hub bearings:

1. In order to ensure safety and reliability to the greatest extent, it is recommended that you check the wheel hub bearings frequently regardless of the age of the vehicle – pay attention to early warning signs of bearing wear: including any friction noise when turning or abnormal deceleration of the suspension combination wheel when turning.

For rear-wheel drive vehicles, it is recommended to lubricate the front wheel hub bearings after the vehicle has traveled 38,000 kilometers. When replacing the brake system, check the bearings and replace the oil seals.

2. If you hear noise coming from the wheel hub bearing part, first of all, it is important to find the location where the noise occurs. There are many moving parts that may produce noise, or some rotating parts may come into contact with non-rotating parts. If it is confirmed that the noise is in the bearing, the bearing may be damaged and needs to be replaced.
3. Because the working conditions of the front wheel hub that cause the bearings on both sides to fail are similar, it is recommended to replace them in pairs even if only one bearing is broken.
4. Wheel hub bearings are relatively sensitive and require the correct method and appropriate tools in any case. During storage and installation, the bearing components cannot be damaged. Some bearings require a large pressure to be pressed in, so special tools are needed. Be sure to refer to the car manufacturer’s manual.
5. When installing bearings, they should be installed in a clean and tidy environment. Small particles entering the bearings will also shorten the service life of the bearings. It is very important to maintain a clean environment when replacing bearings. It is not allowed to hit the bearings with a hammer, and be careful not to drop the bearings on the ground (or similar improper handling). The condition of the shaft and the bearing seat should also be checked before installation. Even slight wear can cause poor fit and cause early failure of the bearings.
6. For the hub bearing unit, do not attempt to disassemble the hub bearing or adjust the seal of the hub unit, otherwise the seal will be damaged and water or dust will enter. Even the seal and the raceway of the inner ring will be damaged, causing permanent failure of the bearing.
7. The seal of the bearing equipped with ABS device has a magnetic thrust ring inside. This thrust ring cannot be hit, impacted or collided with other magnetic fields. Take them out of the box before installation and keep them away from magnetic fields, such as motors or power tools used. When installing these bearings, observe the ABS alarm needle on the dashboard through road condition tests to change the operation of the bearings.
8. For wheel hub bearings equipped with ABS magnetic thrust rings, in order to determine which side the thrust ring is installed, you can use a light object close to the edge of the bearing, and the magnetic force generated by the bearing will attract it. When installing, point the side with the magnetic thrust ring inward, facing the sensitive element of the ABS. Note: Improper installation may cause the brake system to fail.
9. Many bearings are sealed, and such bearings do not need to be greased during their entire life. Other unsealed bearings, such as double-row tapered roller bearings, must be greased during installation. Due to the different sizes of the inner cavity of the bearing, it is difficult to determine how much grease to add. The most important thing is to ensure that there is grease in the bearing. If there is too much grease, when the bearing rotates, the excess grease will seep out. General experience: During installation, the total amount of grease should account for 50% of the bearing clearance.
10. When installing the locking nut, the torque varies greatly due to the different bearing types and bearing seats. Please refer to the relevant instructions.