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Ranger front wheel bearing issue - race spins in rotor?


Fairlaniac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2007
Messages
215
Age
65
City
Denver, PA
Vehicle Year
1993
Engine
3.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
About 500 miles ago I installed new rotors, & bearings on my '91 4x4. Yesterday I notice a significant drag on the LF wheel and lock up under braking. I also smelled brake heat. The pictures show what I got. The rotors I bought had the races loaded new from Rockauto or Autozone, I forget which one. Anyhow a few issues. The outer bearing race spins in the rotor. It was new but look at the "pock" marks. It looks like someone knew the O.D. was too large for the race and punched some marks to hold the race. Is this an acceptable fix? I want to use the new-ish rotor. Next is the inner bearing. See the early stages of destruction on the race and the bearings. 500 miles, no numbers on the bearings, must be cheap Chinese junk? So my only real question. Can I punch some large marks to hold the race or is there another way to hold it?
Thanks!
ranger%20rotor.jpg

ranger%20bearing.jpg

ranger%20bearing%20race.jpg
 
buy bendix/spicer stuff.


punching the race and using "bearing mount" under specific conditions is an acceptable fix.

in your case....get new rotors. and real spicer bearings.
 
Last edited:
buy bendix/spicer stuff.


punching the race and using "bearing mount" under specific conditions is an acceptable fix.

in your case....get new rotors. and real spicer bearings.

i agree but timkin bearings and seals are good quality
and yes get new rotors. ( I know it sux but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet)
 
for sure when your fixing in a hurry getting good stuff is hard to do for most of the nation.

i have two sets of non spicer bearings on my truck right now. front one one side and rear on the other
 
If you got them from the Rock, call, talk and send pics. They are good guys and you will be in the computer. If from Autozone, take'm in and jump up and down, they will replace them, again, you should be in he computer unless you told them you did not want to be there.
 
And do not use any race that comes preinstalled in ANY brake rotor, it seems almost guaranteed they will be china junk (even the ones I found in top-end Raybestos Advanced (I think was the name) rotors were chinese crap).

Always buy your bearings as a set (Timken SET-37 if you have a '90-'97 with the Dana35 axle), and replace any race (chinese or otherwise) you find in the rotor with the Timken race that is a matched part of the bearing set.

IMO, this is one of the major causes for the problems that many experience with wheel bearings on these trucks.
Though I do have to add what you ran into there is clearly something that should never have left the manufacturer. Indeed I'd be making a stink about that also.
 
Last edited:
My guess is they made the hub dia oversize and staked it so they could throw the races in the hub without them falling out and get them out the door faster.
 
buy bendix/spicer stuff.


punching the race and using "bearing mount" under specific conditions is an acceptable fix.

in your case....get new rotors. and real spicer bearings.

It worked in the time before; but, unacceptable today with disks. Sort of like having pistons "expanded" when doing a rebuild. That will not work with today's engines either.
 

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