Wheel Bearing Race Install Problem/Hub Damage (1998)

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Alibireason
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After reading a lot of forums and watching the same videos over and over I decided to try my hand at replacing the bearings, races and seals on my 98 Pathfinder. I had been quoted from a shop recently about needing the bearings repacked, they said there was a lot of play. Also while driving I hear a humming sound that I thought was grabbing brakes (wasn't) so I assumed it was loose bearings or possibly my tires (uneven front wear, I rotated them and replaced front control arm/ball joint). The hum is audible at lower speeds, changes with speed, and becomes unnoticeable at highway speeds.

I ordered a complete Timken set off of RockAuto and I rented a race/seal installer and got to work, feeling confident. Everything was smooth until the race install part: The outer smaller race went in easily. The inner not so much. I started with a rubber mallet pounding the perfectly fit race driver and it kept going in at an angle. I removed and retried the inner race install many times and EVERY time it went in crooked. It would start even and end up crooked. I went from rubber mallet to regular hammer to BIG hammer and no matter what it would make it to a certain point and never evenly straight. I finally went for it and used the BIG hammer with all my might over and over and over. The race made it to a point, at an angle, and no matter how hard I pounded it wouldn't budge. I removed the race for the last time and saw I had done damage to the hub where the race had been (see pic). Also after initially removing original races I noticed some small pitting that I smoothed out with sand paper (also see pic).

That was my experience, here are my questions:

Should I just replace the hubs no matter what due to them probably being 23 years old (236k miles)?

From the pics, did I do irreversible damage to the hub by failing to install the race properly?

Was the pitting shown in the pic enough to warrant hub replacement?

I inquired at ROCKAUTO and found the hubs with bearings for about $60 each (https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... &jsn=10407). I already have a set of bearings/races/seals, should I just order these hubs and pay a professional to install the races (keep ROCKA bearings for next time)?

I assume the hub comes with the smaller 6 studs not installed. Is that something a DIYer could tackle, installing the studs? Or should I have a shop do it? Then I could install it onto rotor and put it all back together.

How much would a shop charge to do these things, approximately?

Thank you!
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mdmellott
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That pitting wouldn't have concerned me. That may have existed from the original casting when it was brand new 23 yrs ago. The raised defects at the bearing seat don't look that bad but need to be filed off before seating a new race. I'd be more concerned about possible damage to the new race after repeatedly hitting it with all your might in your attempt to install it. Press fit bearings and bushings become more difficult to install with a hammer and drift as the diameter increases. Those larger ones take patience and practiced technique to set them straight initially before applying more force with a dead-blow mallet (never a rubber one) or a heavy hammer. Using a press works best. If you have an automotive shop dress up the hub you have worked on, to remove the small protruding dings at the bearing seat, and press in the new races, the cost shouldn't be more than their rate for one hour. That will vary widely depending on where you go. (less than $200 but more than $100) I cannot determine the entire condition of your hubs just from those pictures. If you buy new ones, have a shop press in new races. The studs are easy enough to do yourself with two nuts jammed together onto the stud and then wrenched into the hub.

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VStar650CL
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mdmellott wrote:
Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:12 am
Those larger ones take patience and practiced technique to set them straight initially before applying more force with a dead-blow mallet (never a rubber one) or a heavy hammer. Using a press works best.
Md is exactly right, that's not a great job to attempt with any sort of hammer. Have a machine shop or a parts store with a press push them in straight.

Alibireason
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Car: 1998 Nissan Pathfinder SE

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Thank you for the info! I will buy a new race today and call some shops tomorrow morning for quotes for smoothing out the hub and installing the races. But seriously I really appreciate you folks dispensing such wisdom. Thank you!

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mdmellott
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Alibireason wrote:
Sat Mar 27, 2021 6:09 pm
From the pics, did I do irreversible damage to the hub by failing to install the race properly?
I just noticed what appears to be a long, gouge-like dent in the sidewall of where the race gets pressed in. I can't tell for sure. I don't see it in the other picture. If that is a dent caused by the beating you gave it, that hub may need more repair work that just removing the small seat protrusions I saw at first glance.

Alibireason
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Ok that is what I initially thought. Do you think I should bite the bullet and order a new hub off of rockauto for $60 or pay a shop to repair it? I could only find Durago brand hubs...is there a better brand recommended to buy?

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mdmellott
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I personally would try using a honing stone to remove any displaced metal from the gouge so that there is no interference with the press fit of the new race. The gouge is now permanent. Any displaced metal, as tiny as it may be, into the ID of the bore will be an issue when pressing in a new race. It's simple enough to fix with the right tool. I never had to buy new hubs. Generally speaking, aftermarket parts are often quite inferior to the quality and durability of OEM. A machine shop with the right tool could salvage what you have for little or no additional cost than what they may charge for just pressing in the races.

Alibireason
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I can't thank you enough for this info. I was considering going to the local junkyards tomorrow but instead ill take it into the local machine shop after I buy a new race.

Alibireason
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I took the hub into a machine shop this morning. They told me the hub was still good and installed the inner race and checked the outer race I had installed for only $10. I picked it back up and went to work only to fail miserably. I put the inner race in and tapped in the seal. I assume there is only one way to install the seal, hard side inward with the rubber part that has the circular coiled metal facing outward (see pic). I greased everything thoroughly. When I went to install the entire hub onto the spindle, it would reach a certain point and stop. No matter how hard I pushed it would not budge any further. I tried everything I could think of, but when I looked there was a huge gap between the hub and the shield, and I could see that the seal wasn't going over the final "lip." I took the bearings themselves and put them over the spindle and noticed they reached a final point and would not go any further as if the internal diameter of the bearing was not big enough for my spindle (see pic). It felt like putting a square through a circular hole. Also with the seal installed there was wobble play between the bearing and the seal, is this normal or should it be solid tight?

Is this a normal pitfall of installing bearings?
Shy of hitting it with a hammer what technique could I be using to get the hub all the way on there?
It feels like the inner diameter of the bearings is too small for my spindle, even tho the bearings fit into the races tightly?

Any advice on how to move forward? I feel like next step is calling a mobile mechanic, but I don't want to give up just yet.
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VStar650CL
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If they're the right bearings then they should go onto the spindle with little or no effort. With tapered bearings, the outer bearing must be free to move back-and-forth on the shaft so the preload can be set. I think you probably have the wrong bearing set.

Alibireason
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Does the pic of the bearings on the spindle show that they are in fact too small? That is as far as they will go.

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VStar650CL
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Yah, the inner bearing should slide easily right up to the stop at the seal flange. If that's as far as they'll go then the ID is clearly too small.

Alibireason
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Ok thank you. I'm guessing I have the correct seal because it fit well, and the races fit according to the machinist. But the bearings are the ones I need to get the correct size? I assume ID is internal diameter, right? The bearings fit the races well, but the internal diameter is not the correct size? So I need bearings that have a bigger ID?

DenisMcG
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I good be wrong, but the spindle should be the same diameter from front to back. If the bearing went on that far, it is likely that there is a burr or nick that is not allowing it to go any further. Pull the bearing and check the spindle for an deformations. If there are, file them down and try reinstalling the bearing. Of course as I do not have a Pathfinder, I could be totally out to lunch.

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VStar650CL
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DenisMcG wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:42 am
I good be wrong, but the spindle should be the same diameter from front to back. If the bearing went on that far, it is likely that there is a burr or nick that is not allowing it to go any further. Pull the bearing and check the spindle for an deformations. If there are, file them down and try reinstalling the bearing.
Spindles are rarely the same diameter in and out, the OD at the base (inner bearing) is almost always larger than the tip (outer bearing). You're quite right about nicks and gouges, if there are any and that's the problem, they should be filed flat. This looks like more than a deformation problem, since both bearings are stopping far short of where they should and not just the inner bearing. That implies a problem with the bearing ID's.

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mdmellott
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Alibireason wrote:
Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:19 pm
Ok thank you. I'm guessing I have the correct seal because it fit well, and the races fit according to the machinist. But the bearings are the ones I need to get the correct size? I assume ID is internal diameter, right? The bearings fit the races well, but the internal diameter is not the correct size? So I need bearings that have a bigger ID?
Don't guess on any of this. The OD of the races and the seal fit well but the ID you need is critical also. The ID on the bearings appear to be too small. There is no telling if the taper angle is correct either. Since the taper bearings are matched to the races, there is no guarantee that a proper bearing replacement will fit the taper angle of the races you currently have installed. If the ID of the seal fits snugly over the step on the king pin then those seals may be correct but personally I wouldn't trust it if Timken provided part numbers that do not fit your Pathfinder in the first place. Sad to say, but as for the bearing sets, you should start over with new ones and remove the races you purchased. I bought OEM replacements for my '02 so I was absolutely assured of a proper fit and would never have to concern myself with the long term durability of the product.

Alibireason
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Whew thank you. I looked up the bearings on Nissan Parts USA and found them for $70 and $80 each. I didn't see the races or seals but I'm going to head to my local NIssan dealership to see what they have.
I bought OEM replacements for my '02 so I was absolutely assured of a proper fit and would never have to concern myself with the long term durability of the product.
Did you purchase straight from the dealership? And do you recall appx how much you spent?

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mdmellott
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Alibireason wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:22 am
Whew thank you. I looked up the bearings on Nissan Parts USA and found them for $70 and $80 each. I didn't see the races or seals but I'm going to head to my local NIssan dealership to see what they have.
I bought OEM replacements for my '02 so I was absolutely assured of a proper fit and would never have to concern myself with the long term durability of the product.
Did you purchase straight from the dealership? And do you recall appx how much you spent?
I bought my grease seals from my local dealership for about $14.50 each. It just took me a bit to realize, I did not actually replace my bearings when I last repacked the bearings I have. I just replaced the seals. My bearings were new and/or freshly repacked when I bought my used '02 from Nissan 7 or 8 years ago. My bearings are still in good shape. When the time comes, purchasing from a lower than dealership cost reseller like NissanPartsDeal.com will save you some change. Nevertheless, these are high priced OEM bearings.

Alibireason
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Nevertheless, these are high priced OEM bearings.
I left the dealership today having ordered the bearings/races as sets and the seals for $300 + tax and they should be here by tomorrow morning which is great because my car has been on jack stands for the last few days. The quotes she had were list price/net price blah blah...she worked some magic for me and got me the bearings/races for $75/$65/and $12 times 2 for both sides. I compared to nissan parts deal and they were a little higher but worth it to have them here by tomorrow with zero shipping fees. They just better effin' fit!

I will be taking the hub into the machine shop tomorrow to have them replace the races with the OEM ones and will get started. Is there any advice of technique or pitfalls I may encounter before I do? I feel it should be straight forward: grease, install, torque to 60ftlbs, loosen, torque to 13 inlbs, spin hubs as well, put back together. I have an old nonclick Craftsmen inlbs torque wrench. THANK YOU!

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mdmellott
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Sounds like you have it covered. I did a bit of searching on the Timken, RockAuto, and Nissan websites and found, by cross referencing numerous Nissan part numbers from the RockAuto info page on those Timken bearings and the Timken cross reference search tool, that Timken messed up by indicating the parts you purchased fit numerous Nissan applications. In fact they do not, as confirmed by your headache and what Nissan fit check searches confirmed.

Alibireason
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WOW thank you for doing that. My entire purchase was around $70 off of Rockauto for bearings/races/seals...not a big loss. I still have half of my purchase to return unused but I will be sending them a kind/scathing email as to why I think they should eat this one entirely. I will update tomorrow after the install.

Alibireason
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These are my Theories.

Well crap. I may have figured out what is happening. I picked up the bearings from Nissan today and compared them with the Timken ones and they looked IDENTICAL. I tried sliding them over the spindle and was met with the same resistance. The inner bearing would just stop at the same spot as the Timken. Then I started varying the angle and low and behold it would slip all the way back, it just slid on easily at that point. I'd pull it off and try again only to have it get stuck, but then I'd find the sweet spot. Then I looked and saw right around that same spot there was an indent on the spindle of the steering knuckle (see pic). My thinking is that indent is catching the bearing unless it is in just the right spot.
Would this be a moment to sand down the edges or no?

Ok then I tried just screwing on the locking nut and it screwed on the entire length of the threads, which I believe tells me that the threads are not stripped, or it would have stopped at some point. Then I took a TINY flathead screwdriver and started running it inside the threads and noticed very small burrs (see bad pic, doesn't really show burrs, but I could see where it felt rough)...it would go from smooth to rough from feel, and only at the base of the threads. Would the threads be something to smooth down with sand paper, guessing that the uneven threads are what is stopping the bearing from sliding on? Or would that destroy the threads and render them unusable?

OK forget everything I just wrote and let's examine another angle. What if the steering knuckle on my Pathfinder is not the original one, maybe a compatible install junkyard find from previous owner? So the bearings I ordered, Timken as well as OEM NIssan are not going to fit the knuckle/spindle on MY car because it is in fact the wrong knuckle (but correct bearings)? It's as if I'm putting the bearings on the wrong knuckle. I found a ad ebay ad for a steering knuckle for a 1998 Pathfinder that is 2x4 (see pic) which the knuckle/spindle appears to NOT be tapered, just flat. My 4x4 98 has a tapered knuckle (see pic). The parts diagram NIssan printed for me shows the bearings I ordered are for 4x4.
I just can't wrap my head around why the smaller (outer) bearing won't go any further past the threads to a point where I can get the locking nut to even start threading.

There is a 97 Pathfinder at a local junkyard I was going to look at and compare tomorrow.

None of this is making sense which tells me something is not right at all, but what is that is not right?

Top pic is ebay 98 4x2.....other two are my 98 4x4...bottom pic shows groove damage in shiny part of spindle.
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VStar650CL
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Alibireason wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 2:58 pm
Then I looked and saw right around that same spot there was an indent on the spindle of the steering knuckle (see pic). My thinking is that indent is catching the bearing unless it is in just the right spot.
Would this be a moment to sand down the edges or no?
Yep, dings are a problem as McG pointed out earlier. Don't use sandpaper or emory, invisible grit will wind up everywhere. Use a fine-toothed file.
Alibireason wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 2:58 pm
Ok then I tried just screwing on the locking nut and it screwed on the entire length of the threads, which I believe tells me that the threads are not stripped, or it would have stopped at some point. Then I took a TINY flathead screwdriver and started running it inside the threads and noticed very small burrs (see bad pic, doesn't really show burrs, but I could see where it felt rough)...it would go from smooth to rough from feel, and only at the base of the threads. Would the threads be something to smooth down with sand paper, guessing that the uneven threads are what is stopping the bearing from sliding on? Or would that destroy the threads and render them unusable?
Small thread imperfections can be ignored as long as the nut goes on smoothly. For major imperfections, again, don't use sandpaper or emory. Use a thread-chaser to restore the damaged sections and then clean with a wire brush.
Alibireason wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 2:58 pm
I found a ad ebay ad for a steering knuckle for a 1998 Pathfinder that is 2x4 (see pic) which the knuckle/spindle appears to NOT be tapered, just flat. My 4x4 98 has a tapered knuckle (see pic). The parts diagram NIssan printed for me shows the bearings I ordered are for 4x4. I just can't wrap my head around why the smaller (outer) bearing won't go any further past the threads to a point where I can get the locking nut to even start threading.
If the spindle is cross-pollenated, it's entirely possible that the 4WD uses the same inner bearing but a different outer from the 2WD. Check NissanPartsDeal without entering a VIN, if they show different parts for the different versions then chances are it's a mismatch.

Alibireason
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if they show different parts for the different versions then chances are it's a mismatch.
I checked NPD and it showed the outer one I bought...40215-50W00, but it also showed 40215-2S600, but it says they both fit my car when I tried "check vehicle fit." There was also the choice of CA or FED or both for fit. There were no diameter measurements available or I could have checked those numbers.

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VStar650CL
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Alibireason wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:04 pm
I checked NPD and it showed the outer one I bought...40215-50W00, but it also showed 40215-2S600, but it says they both fit my car when I tried "check vehicle fit." There was also the choice of CA or FED or both for fit. There were no diameter measurements available or I could have checked those numbers.
Yah, Nissan rarely posts specifications for things like that. But if it showed 2 different p/n's available, chances are your spindle (whatever it may be) wants the other one.

Alibireason
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Update:
I emailed NissanPartsDeal to ask for the ID on the alternate bearing and they said they would look into it and get back to me in 1-2 days. I also went to the local junkyard where there was a 97 Pathfinder XE 4x4 and a 2000 Infiniti QX4. I looked up bearings for both and they matched my 98 part number-wise. I get to the junkyard and due to new "safety protocols" implemented after a recent accident they had several cars just lying on the ground as opposed to being lifted by welded wheels. The 97 and the QX4 were among them. "Of course they are," I thought and feeling defeated I stood there looking at the ground, and I see blended into the rocks an outer bearing, OEM. I see if it fits on the spindle and it does. I took it home, let it soak in brake cleaner for a few hours, and it was the exact fit for my car. What luck.

I inspected the found bearing as well as the one I bought from Nissan and they seemed identical. Same part number, but there was one difference. Next to where JAPAN is etched in the bearings one read Y, and the other I believe D (I took pics but they were blurry and I forgot to write it down before I installed it). Are these letter markings similar to coins where different letters indicate what city it was minted in?

Anyways, after I installed it and got the tire back on I checked for play and it was rock solid (I had also very recently replaced lower control arms and ball joints). I'm hoping the alternate version of the wheel bearing on NPD has a larger ID and I can just purchase it and avoid the headache I just went through.


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