help with wheel bearings

[pinkbits]

hey everyone

I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out.. so here is the story
I have a series 2 vp and I have gone through 4 sets of front wheel bearings in not even 3 months i thought the first 2 sets were because of me changing them myself and being blonde and female so i got my mechanic to do them and the same thing has happened again (whining noise - really loud) honestly dont know what to do next any advise would be helpful

[peter p]

I had the same thing (whining noise - really loud) changed the wheel bearings same noise,took it to a mechanic he said its the wheel bearings,turns out it was tires .

[10WVN]

i had same issue but turned out to be wheel bearing and now all gone... umm checked brake pads? could be worn out or dirt stuck in there, i also had a loud whine after the bearing and turned out to be one of the pulleys and got a new one now car running quiet.

hope some of that helps or give an idea on what to look at

[wildss]

did you knock the cones out of the discs or did you just slap the new bearings in?
if the cones werent taken out the bearings will wear unevenly.
did you make sure they were fully greased up?

two thumbs up if you did knock the cones out by yourself though, thats a prick of a job

[TheIceman]

did you make sure they were fully greased up?

two thumbs up if you did knock the cones out by yourself though, thats a prick of a job

piece of cake knocking cones out. and yeah grease, ive seen people replace wheel bearings and forget to grease them.

[wildss]

um have you forgotten the first time you replaced bearing shells?
its not that easy for someone thats not in the trade..

[Cheap6]

I also say props to having a go and replacing the bearings DIY.

If it is the bearings that keep failing i.e. the noise goes away with new bearings and returns after being driven for some distance, possible causes are:

dirt or swarf, or a burr between a bearing cup and the disc

a bent stub axle on the strut causing misalignment between the bearings (almost certainly on one side only - probably the LHS as that's closest to random gutters that jump out into the path of the car)

The way to tell is to look at the wear pattern on the failed bearings.

Less likely is water contamination if new hub seals weren't fitted with the new bearings.

[agrsv8]

bent stub axle! i had a van a few years ago that kept throwing bearings in about the same time period, turned out to be a stub axle, go to the wreckers and buy one then pull everything off and compare tha pair, it may only be a small deviation but after a few months of constant stress a bearing will say no more.

[pinkbits]

Thanks everyone for all your help much appreciated

did you knock the cones out of the discs or did you just slap the new bearings in?
if the cones werent taken out the bearings will wear unevenly.
did you make sure they were fully greased up?

two thumbs up if you did knock the cones out by yourself though, thats a prick of a job

I knocked out the cones and too right it is a prick of a job! and I greased them up good and properly

I also say props to having a go and replacing the bearings DIY.

If it is the bearings that keep failing i.e. the noise goes away with new bearings and returns after being driven for some distance, possible causes are:

dirt or swarf, or a burr between a bearing cup and the disc

a bent stub axle on the strut causing misalignment between the bearings (almost certainly on one side only - probably the LHS as that's closest to random gutters that jump out into the path of the car)

The way to tell is to look at the wear pattern on the failed bearings.

Less likely is water contamination if new hub seals weren't fitted with the new bearings.

I seem to think it might be the stub axle... does anyone know how i go about getting a new stub axle or whatever it is i have to do to fix it

[TheIceman]

does anyone know how i go about getting a new stub axle or whatever it is i have to do to fix it

if it is bent, its a new/second hand strut you need. then replace the existing hardware like spring and shocker etc.. from secondhand strut with yours and replace and ya done.

[Cheap6]

A detailed how to on replacing a strut on here:

How To: Change Springs/Shock

You will first need to figure out which side of the car the strut is that you need to replace - looking at the destroyed bearings should tell you that. If they are bad enough noise will be apparent with the wheels being spun with the wheels off the ground.

The bit you need is not a wearing part, only subject to physical damage, so the wrecking yard is indeed the best source for it. I doubt that you can buy it new anyway.

If you keep your current spring and strut insert (= front shock absorber or damper), you can use a strut/stub axle from a VN, VQ (Statesman) or VP but if it's off a VN check to see that it has a sheet metal dust/water shield as early VN's don't have one fitted.

You will need to borrow or buy a set of spring compressors to swap the spring and strut insert across to the new strut/stub axle.

It's easier as a two person job as the strut has to be supported when removing and installing the three 13mm head nuts at the top (in the engine bay).

Mark one of the studs and adjacent to the corresponding hole under the bonnet before removing the 13mm nuts and match them up again when reinstalling so as to maintain the wheel alignment. Punching the marks works well but paint or a felt tip pen would do. Actually, getting a wheel alignment after replacement will be a good idea.

[pinkbits]

i was hoping i didnt have to replace the struts I had to do it last year as my strut nearly punched thru my inner guard what a bastard of a job...thanks heaps for your help guys