Lets talk wheel bearings.

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:46 pm

So I took my Jeep in to get a few things fixed. The mechanic told me that my back passanger wheel bearing is getting ready to go. I dont know why he didnt replace it then but he told me that I would "know" when it goes out. What kind of things should I look for when it goes. Can I do any damage to the rear axle when it does go? Am I going to be stranded when it does? How can I repare it without the dealership? Any special tools? Sorry for all the questions, I have no idea about wheel bearings if you can tell!

PitViper · **Posted:** Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:45 pm

You should notice vibration before it goes out.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:48 pm

That, or a slight knock or hum that varies with speed.

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:44 pm

Alright. So when it goes out, am I going to be stranded? Can I limp back home without further damage to my axle? What am I going to need (aside from the part!) to replace it? Thanks!

Dirty Silver KJ · **Posted:** Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:33 pm

If there is reason to think the bearing is going bad, replace it now. Ask your mechanic why he said it's going bad - he will likely say it has roughness or excessive end float - if he can't give you a good answer get another mechanic, I say this because I'm a mechanic and he should be able to explain the problem he points out to you. If the bearing goes out it may leave you stranded, I would not advise driving far on a bearing once it makes noise (roaring, thumping, whining or whatever) as it could damage the axle shaft and keep in mind it could cause metal particles to get into the housing and contaminate the fluid and this is obviously not ever good for the gears). Parts needed would be bearing, seal and gear lube at a minimum - the axle has to be removed to replace the bearing. Hope this helps ... I'm new to Jeeps so I can't be more specific, ask a Jaguar question and I'm your man.

Good luck,

Mike

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:48 am

Thanks a ton Mike! Just the answer I was looking for. I will call the mechanic tomarro and talk to him.

Bruce H · **Joined:** Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:43 am **Posts:** 3

I took my wifes 05 4x4 in for a right rear wheel bearing going out. Obvious rythmic grinding noise while driving and I verified it with a mechanics stethescope
with the wheel and brakes removed and the wheel rotating under power. The diff area was nice and smooth sounding like a well-oiled mechanism should sound. The wheel bearing area sounded ready to fall apart; nasty grinding noises. I do all my own work when possible. I was going to just replace it myself as the bearing was only $15. Then I found out the bearing rides on the axle itself and assumed the axle would also be toast and would let the dealer do it under warranty (27K). He call me the first day to say the bearings wouldn't fix the problem and they had to order the axle(s) from LA. I'm in San Diego.
I said OK. Next day he calls to say the noise is gone and it wasn't the axle or bearing after all. They found the differential fluid had "gone bad" and that by replacing it and "servicing" the diff and adding the proper additive the noise went away. All this sounded like pure BS to me. They went from "needing to order axles from LA" to "we serviced your diff".
I'm 56. I've heard bad bearings over the years. This is a no brainer bearing noise to me. It does seem diminished somewhat , but still there, and seems to be in the front end now. Hard to tell. I'm wondering if the just slapped a new bearing on the old axle and polished the axle pits with sand paper or something. I'm going to put it in the air this weekend and investigate as the service mgrs talk doesn't convince me. This is my wifes commuter car, has never been off-roaded and is driven easy. Under those conditions the owners manual doesn't have a requirement to service the diffs all the way through 102,000 miles, so the bit about the fluid being bad sounds like a smokescreen.

Is there any track record for axle or bearing problems on the Liberty?
TIA.......Bruce

Elwenil · **Posted:** Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:45 pm

The Liberty uses a Chrysler Corporate 8 1/4" rear axle, whose design has been in use in cars and light trucks for over 40 years. It is a "C-clip" axle, which means the axle shafts themselves are retained by a clip inside the center differential. Normally if a axle bearing ("wheel bearing" is an incorrect term when dealing with a solid rear axle) goes bad you will normally notice a vibration or low tone rumbling noise when making a turn. If ignored it may grind and rumble all the time and if still not corrected, endplay in the shaft can get excessive enough to cause damage to the differential center pin and the C-clip can fall out and the axle shaft will actually "walk" out of the housing. If you have an open differential, this is immediately noticeable as you will lose mobility, as if the transmission was in neutral. In the case of a limited slip or locked differential, mobility is retained through the remaining axle and it is possible to drive with the axle walking further out of the housing. This is extremely rare as the axle will normally make excessive noise and have obvious leakage before it gets to this point. In older vehicles where abuse and loud exhaust is common, say in a '68 Dodge Dart used for street racing, such things can happen.

For what it's worth driving a few miles every few weeks or so with the radio and other noisemakers turned off can give you a head start on finding problems like this. Get used to how the vehicle sounds while driving when it is in good repair and everything is operating normal. This will help you notice abnormal noises and problems before they become big problems. The 8 1/4" axle is a tried and true piece that has been used in a variety of applications for a long, long time. It will take a fair amount of abuse before it has a serious failure. For example, my '72 Dodge Charger came factory with the 8 1/4" axle and after a full life of being a daily driver for 120,000 miles I turned it into my road racing project with a built 360 Magnum truck engine and assorted suspension mods. The original axle was retained along with the factory 2.76 gears for high speed capability which resulted in a cruising speed of 120 and a verified top speed of 160+, all with only new brakes and a fluid change. No other parts were replaced or repaired on the axle. Even the seals were the original 1972 pieces and are still on the car today. I had a 8 3/4" rear to replace it when it failed, but that never happened and so the rear was never swapped.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:48 pm

Yea, as it was said above, the 8.25 is a very good diff+axle. Now after saying that, my bro's cherokee needed new rear bearing and a new axle on the passenger side around 25-30k. I would say its just a bad bearing from the factory.. Has nothing to do with the 8.25..

Bruce H · **Joined:** Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:43 am **Posts:** 3

Yeah, I'm not worried about a basic flaw in the rear; bearings DO go out. It's the diagnosis that I'm having trouble with. I simply
can't buy the line that "servicing" the diff fixed what I heard (and still do a little). I'll know more after this weekend.
Thanks.

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