Failed Bearing Seals

[endoscott]

No noise at all that I can hear but at my age...well...anyway I am sure the dealer tech will "look" at them. There must be specs that can be measured though, right? Or is just look and spin them in your hand and "feel".

 

[gsbrockman]

No noise at all that I can hear but at my age...well...anyway I am sure the dealer tech will "look" at them. There must be specs that can be measured though, right? Or is just look and spin them in your hand and "feel".

If you’re that concerned.....simply go ahead and drop the coin on BOTH new bearings and BOTH new seals.

 

[Wiredawg]

No noise at all that I can hear but at my age...well...anyway I am sure the dealer tech will "look" at them. There must be specs that can be measured though, right? Or is just look and spin them in your hand and "feel".

spinning and feeling part of it... clean and inspect for unusual/uneven wear and pitting; inspect cage for distortion/damage, check races for pitting unusual wear. There may be more tests I'm not aware of.

I've done business with my dealer for 20 years and we have a great relationship. I trust them. When you take it in for service, ask them their opinion and if you are concerned about the, ask them to replace them.

please let us know what you decide and outcome at the dealer. Good luck for a great outcome.

Cheers, Ron

 

[BigPapa]

Replacing RR wheel seals was more common on the early 2nd Gens. As Doc said, replacing or cleaning the drum breaks was the worst of it.

I worked at a shop that specialized in repairing diesel pickups. I can recall replacing ONE set of RR axle bearings on 3rd Gen. It was a landscaping dump truck, that was abused and overloaded the majority of the time, to the point they “bent” the rear axle. Axle tubes shifted in the pumpkin.

The overwhelming consensus here is that you don’t need to replace the bearings. As GS said, if you don’t care to listen to the replies you’ve received, by all means, it’s you’re money after all. If it makes you sleep better, replace them.

 

[sag2]

FYI the inner bearing and race are MSRP $182 x 2, the outer are $95 x 2, so bearings from Mopar are $544. The seals are $53 each.

 

[endoscott]

Wow Big Papa...thats not quite what GS said...how do you figure I "don't care to listen to the replies I have received". I read every one carefully and people like GS and sag2 have tons of credibility. Is it wrong to want to understand wheel bearings from an engineering perspective regarding "measuring" and "specs"? If they "look perfect" I will likely re-use them. But at 74,000 miles they may be worn. To me its not a stretch to think slightly worn bearings could contribute to seal failure. If that doesn't make sense someone can tell me so. We tow a 5th wheel a lot to some very remote places like Big Bend NP. Its worth a lot to me not to have mechanical failures. Maybe even $500....that I will have to weigh after I talk to the mechanic. The dealership has been pretty good but I don't get to know the mechanic who does the work. Just the service writers. That is not as good as the old days in most ways.But I accept it. And don't forget I ALREADY had a front wheel bearing failure!.

 

[Ozymandias]

No - they are not worn at 74K Miles!
They are usually a life time unit, doesn't matter how many miles one throw on them.
An oil bath wheel bearing is by definition not a wear item.

The front bearings are a wear item, entirely different story there.

 

[endoscott]

Thanks for everyones input! I truly do appreciate it. Will see if I can get some pics of the bearings and if the mechanic agrees with no wear I will put them back in. I just hope he at least has a little gray hair and has seen a few of these. The only ones I ever look at are on trailers and those are not oil bath.

 

[Wiredawg]

We tow a 5th wheel a lot to some very remote places like Big Bend NP. .

Big Bend is pretty cool, isn't it? Did you go to the natural hot spring? We went canoeing, hiking, and had some pretty good presentations by the park rangers. We want to go again after the Covid thing is over.

Cheers, Ron

 

[endoscott]

Way cool! Fascinating part of the U.S. Beautiful scenery.

 

[Wiredawg]

We are visiting all the National Parks in the US. Surgery put me outa commission in 2019 and COVID messed up this year. Next year, hopefully.

 

[endoscott]

Thats a good goal for sure! We have hit quite a few in the Western half of the country. Someday we will get over East.

 

[Cummins12V98]

You are still under warranty so I would leave bearings as it's on their dime.

 

[endoscott]

Bearings did indeed turn out to be in serviceable condition as many of you suggested so we just replaced the seals.