gsac132 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 ok everybody,lets see if we cant puit this failure to bed,ive replaced my wheel bearing twice and it seems as though its about to fail again.So rather than blame subaru or the bearing manufacturer im going to blame myself due to ignorance on my part. so question number 1 is about the seals. there are 3 seals the one seal is obvious.i know it goes on the inner cv shaft side aginst the shoulder then there's another seal it will fit on either side when i first did the job due to a bad bearing there was a seal on the hub.but that same seal will fit on the cv side or the inner end on top of the first seal of the hub.there is also what looks like a dust seal so which side does it go on question number 2.ive also read the torque on the cv shaft nut has a range of 135-165 ft lbs. what is the recommened torque. im thinking one of these two reasons can be causing the failure. I,m driving a 99 forester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) no idea on seals - might be a diagram at opposedforces.com make sure you do your final torque on the axle in the air - some people drop the car onto the ground to final torque - that's specifically to be avoded according the the FSM section I read. I put a big screwdriver in a rotor vane and 'buck up' next the caliper to toque the axle nut. Edited June 15, 2015 by 1 Lucky Texan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I had same problem on my 99 OBW. Finally figured out that the hub was damaged, and that caused continuing early bearing failure. I went to a wrecking yard, and got a hub from a 99 Forester, as it is the same as one that fits my OBW. Installed the hub, and have been driving on it for 3 years now. I gave up on ever replacing wheel bearings again. Much less hassle and time to just replace the hub unit, and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsac132 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 no idea on seals - might be a diagram at cars101.com make sure you do your final torque on the axle in the air - some people drop the car onto the ground to final torque - that's specifically to be avoded according the the FSM section I read. I put a big screwdriver in a rotor vane and 'buck up' next the caliper to toque the axle nut. ok thats a mistake that ive made i torqued it on the ground Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsac132 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 I had same problem on my 99 OBW. Finally figured out that the hub was damaged, and that caused continuing early bearing failure. I went to a wrecking yard, and got a hub from a 99 Forester, as it is the same as one that fits my OBW. Installed the hub, and have been driving on it for 3 years now. I gave up on ever replacing wheel bearings again. Much less hassle and time to just replace the hub unit, and be done with it. i know thats the easiest but i cant find any junk yards around that have them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 replace the hub if you have repeated bearing failures. you can buy a new hub from Subaru and install it with your next set of bearings. or get a used knuckle assembly with a good hub in it: www.car-part.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe5 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 For what its worth, the parts stores have tried to sell me wheel bearings that already grinded like crazy straight out of the box. I told em to get me another one off the shelf and of coarse it was nice and smooth as it should be. Even worse is they just put the crappy one back on the shelf too for the next poor guy that doesn't get a chance to inspect it. That said, I think your best bet is to follow the above suggestions to swap out the knuckle, just making the point that poor quality bearings aren't likely helping the situation...(not sure what bearings your using though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) might be worth getting a Japanese bearing off Amazon, RockAuto or an OEM from a dealer. but honestly, I have no faith that Subaru bearings are much better than GOOD aftermarket brands. Too many early bearing failures to praise those Subaru parts . But. I might avoid Chinese or developing-nation-made parts. and they must be installed perfectly straight. maybe pay a shop to use their press? Edited June 15, 2015 by 1 Lucky Texan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Lots of reasons that a bearing can fail. Deform hub, deformed knuckle, lack of grease. Improperly fit seal allows water/dirt in, etc. There are only two grease seals for the bearing. The inner and the outer. The dust cap/cover is on the axle and is not usually changed when changing a bearing. How are you installing the new bearings? Press? Hammer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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