wheel bearings

[1990LTD]

how many of the things live in my car?

[91grandmarquis]

inner and outer on the fronts. Ive never done the rear but would assume the same. I changed the front with the brakes.

[tim marks]

there are no "wheel bearings" in the rear. there are however two bearings that the axles ride on in the rear, one on each side.

[sly]

rear axle has one pinion bearing, two carriage bearings (these 3 are in the diff) and 2 axle bearings near the wheels - one on each side (as stated by tim).

The front has inner and outer bearings on each hub (as stated by 91 grand marquis).

[91grandmarquis]

The fronts are like $6 a piece too... so I recommend you change them every time you do brakes.

Thanks for the info on the rears as well.

[BerniniCaCO3]

How often do I need to change the rear drum brakes?
I was told a couple weeks ago at my inspection that mine are 3/32" thick, but that they only start at 5/32, so don't replace them just yet.

What makes disc brakes better than drum brakes?

[1990LTD]

When you buy them do they come in a set or do you buy 2x inner and 2x outer?

[86VickyLX]

When you buy them do they come in a set or do you buy 2x inner and 2x outer?

You gotta buy them seperately, and get the seals too.

[1990LTD]

seal = dust cap? the only thing i see on rockauto that mentions wheel bearings are wheel bearings and wheel bearing dust cap. is it listed as wheel seal?

[85crownHPP]

The fronts are like $6 a piece too... so I recommend you change them every time you do brakes.

Inspecting them and re-packing with fresh grease at every brake job is sufficient... but you're right, they are cheap enough to replace if you wanted to.
More than likely they need them anyway since that's one thing that's often neglected.

[85crownHPP]

seal = dust cap? the only thing i see on rockauto that mentions wheel bearings are wheel bearings and wheel bearing dust cap. is it listed as wheel seal?

Its usually called a grease seal, 'hub grease seal' or something similar.

[gadget73]

Disc brakes cool better than drum brakes do. They don't neccesarily have better stopping power, but they won't fade as fast. Rear brakes last way longer than fronts because they don't get as much pressure. The weight shifts forward when stopping, so the front brakes do most of the stopping.

Replacing them on an old car isn't a bad idea, but they last a long time if they get repacked once in a while. If they're over 100k miles, or have been neglected tossing them in favor of new ones so you know what you have is a good idea.

[1990LTD]

"Wheel seal" is the only thing there.

[BerniniCaCO3]

That looks like it!

When you unpack it, here's what it will look like:

-remove wheel
-pry off the stamped sheet metal cap
-pinch the wire pin and slide it out; I presume it's a fail safe if the lug comes loose.
-take off the lug
-behind the lug is a tamped sheet metal seal,
-THEN you can pull off the rotor. The two bearings are embedded in the rotor. I may be wrong, but I think only the inner bearing has the seal you pictured. There is none on the outer.

They're about $35 apiece, if you need 'em replace the rotors too The bearings are timken bearings (brand name), aka tapered roller bearings, for which timken is known for. The other half of the bearing is already press fitted into your rotor, so while your bearings come with new ones, it's not worth trying to remove the existing surface and press fit the new ones in. Unless you have a hydraulic press and excessive free time.

Bearing grease is $5 for a small tub, put on gloves and roll the bearings around in your palm to get the grease all through it.

[85crownHPP]

You don't need a press to get the bearing races out... they come out and in easily with a punch and hammer. They only need to be replaced if the bearings are trashed and have scored the races. Even if this is the case, you do not need to replace the rotor if the friction surface is good. Just make sure to clean out the metal bits well
To pack the bearings by hand you have to press the open end into a palm of grease until its forced through. just smearing them around is not sufficient.

here's a helpful thread: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=12441