03 2WD front wheel bearings and ball joints

[LWDUPPONG]

I am trying to get info on the best aftermartket front wheel bearing assemblies and ball joints for a 2WD 2500HD. I'm starting to get a little bit of noise and want to replace with the best ones I can find. I put a lot of miles on and want a good product. Or do I just go to my local NAPA and get what they have to offer?

 

[rbattelle]

For the bearings, I think either the factory or Napa (Timken?) should be just fine.

In my opinion, Moog makes the best "normal" ball joints (and oh by the way I just happen to have a brand new set of Moog adjustable uppers I want to sell).

The "best of the best" in ball joints are probably the Carli joints. But they're spendy.

Ryan

 

[SHobbs]

Wheel bearings or any bearings I always go with Timken as far as ball joints and tie rods I stick with Moog. If you do the ball joints you might as well do the control arm bushings too. I did the entire front end a couple years ago, took me about 5 hours each side.

 

[Newf Limo]

NOOOOOOOO on NAPA!!!!!!!!



I am in NAPA hub hell right now with two trucks! 2 years ago, the LF hub bearings went out on my wifes '01 Dakota, and they found the problem at Sullivan Tire when they were doing a front end alignment and annual Inspection. They charged an hour and a half for labor and the part (From Napa) $450!!!! It has a Lifetime Warrantee.



Oh! It gets better!



3 weeks later, my regular mechanic was replacing balljoints on my Ram (Moogs). The left front hub, absolutely, positively, would NOT come off! He tried every trick he knew. Finally, out came the torch, and off came the hub assembly. So I figured Great! If it was $450 for the Dakota hub, it should be $500 for the Ram! Nope! $225. 00 from NAPA with... . a lifetime warantee. Yeah, I got screwed by Sullivan tire on the mark-up. Of course, I then called NAPA, my cost on a hub for the Dakota... . $393. 00! GRRRRRRRR!



Oh yeah... . it gets better.....



The right front hub goes out on the Dakota a year later, My mechanic replaces it with a lifetime hub from NAPA... $193. 00! He charges $45/hour labor actual labor (not flat rate) and has very little if any mark-up on parts. (We love our mechanic!) I ran that part number through NAPA again myself... . my cost $393. 00.



It gets better... .



After 2 years, the first hub went out (Dakota, LF). Due to the warranty, I had to go back to the crooks at Sullivan tire. Labor only and the hub was covered. NAPA now only has a "ONE" year warranty on their "High end" hub assemblies! We had that one replaced and we can already hear the Right Front (one and a half year old ) hub assembly groaning. That will be another warranty covered hub but, I again, have to pay labor. That hub will have to be replaced with yet, another CrAPA hub, good for a max of 2 years with a one year warranty.



Oh yeah... . It gets Better!!!!!!



Last night, Myself and my Ram got to ride home on a wonderful flatbed truck provided by AAA Auto club! Yup, my left front wheel hub, replaced 5-25-07 was smoking by the time I got to work yesterday!!!!!!! Good news, it has a lifetime warranty, Bad news, it gets replaced with the same (DANA) piece of crap hub assembly, only this time, it will have a one yearr warranty!



Since I will effectively have no more warranty coverage on my hub assemblies after these last two replacements, my next choice is to get them from Parts Plus. They at least have a different manufacturer. One year warranty, made by SK Bearing Company instead of DANA.



Hope you find this information helpful.

 

[CPittman]

Whatever you do, double-check your prices at RockAuto.com. These guys are GREAT! I just bought upper and lower ball joints, front axle u-joints and all new front tie-rods and drag link - excellent prices, all Moog parts (except for the u-joints). I just picked the standard shipping and the parts were on the front porch in two days (although I think my stuff shipped out of Houston)



Give them a shot - you'll like it.

 

[jelag]

There are ASME, and SAE standards for bearings... . I don't think there is a bearing manufacture in the world that can't meet those standards... .

If you think of the investment required to make them, in my opinion there just isn't any difference... .

One of my trucks is running a set of front wheel bearing from one of my bearing vendors... They build over a million sets a year they sell to the OEM's... and their not an American based company.

One thought... . NAPA carries a lot of odd ball stuff, and to afford to keep some of that on the shelf they have to cover those costs with margins on their other items... . we do the same... I just had a customer in with a set of brake shoes off a 39 Lincoln and we had the molded set of friction to line the shoes... . mind you, that same set fits at least 100 other applications but its a very slow mover, so the margins have to cover this... .

But for us, Customer Service is part of it. .

BTW - have you thought about removing the hubs, cleaning and greasing them and putting them back in... . we've done that as well with great results... .

Just food for thought... .

 

[Newf Limo]

The NAPA hubs were made by DANA. As far as taking them off and cleaning and greasing them, no way. The only reason I have my mechanic do the work, is because trying to get these things off, even after only two years and mounted with lots of anti-sieze compund, it can be a huge &#*#&!!! (Insert you own string of colorful metaphors, they all work). Besides, how would you clean and grease a sealed (albeit poorly) hub? Not to mention I have so many other things to do besides removing, cleaning, greasing and remounting my hubs every year. The original hubs on the RAM have lasted over 140,000 miles. Replacements should last more than 20,000... no?



As far as meeting standards, the story speaks for itself. I am on my 5th DANA hub on two trucks in two years. As soon as I am out of this warranty situation, I will try Timken and or SK Bearing. They couldn't be any worse! I think the bearings are all fine but they do a crap job of sealing them and all the road salt and sand get in there and wipe them out. I'm just saying NAPA is way over priced for the walk-through-the-door customer and this particular series of parts is J-U-N-K.

 

[jelag]

These units fall apart with an arbor press, we have double rowed tapered bearings on some of the compressors we service... built the same, pressed together the same so they really aren't a problem... .

To my knowledge Dana doesn't today or ever in their past make bearings (ball or roller)... they purchase them from other vendors and install them on their axles... and the contacts I've know through the years in some of their rebuild centers have never shared that they (DANA) owned a bearing manufacturing plant... .

The 03-05 2500-3500 2WD trucks use a National or other brand, but the most common part number I've seen for this 515089... . and is made by various vendors

I agree they are very hard to remove the first time... . we keep our trucks for up to 500K miles, so for us, its common to remover, service and re-install parts... we often end up with the fight removing stuff the way you've shared ... . we of course clean all the mating surfaces and coat them with a protective coating... usually a product called PDRP which goes on as a liquid and dries like a thin film of wax, but sticks like nothing I've ever seen... . its a great product for being in the splash of bad weather all winter... . we use the same grease we use in our clutch bearings, a full synthetic that I hate... I hate to buy it, clean it up, and use it... . its down right expensive and nasty... but has held up better and longer than any other product we've ever used..... and melts at over 500*F.

Since we keep our trucks a long time, and often ask more from them than most... we become very intimate with them... . I respect those who have a different approach to repair, I've always shared what we do, as we look for the lowest cost per mile over the life of the truck... we assume that by 500K its time to throw it away... It's a real surprise how many of the trucks we've had through the years... . and have only had to buy 1 engine and a couple of transmissions... .

In my post above I used ASME, SAE but left off the ANSI Standard... .