Well i have now replaced like four or five front bearing assemblies on the truck. 3 on the drivers side an 2 on the passenger. Granted i do go mud riding about 10-12 times a year they shouldnt be going out this fast. I pack the AVM's with grease so im not sure how there getting ruined. So im about to replace the drivers side again, and i just did the passenger. I was wandering if there was any tips to keeping the water out. (I'm assuming that is what is ruining them) I would be willing to take passenger side back off and re-install it if i am not doing something right. All i do is go get the new unit. take off the old one, 3 bolts and slap the new one on. tighten the bolts pretty tight and pack the avms with grease. Anything else i should be doing?

 

i know the bigger size tire that you put on a truck the more wear and tear it puts on wheel bearings...thats all i know lol

 

Two things I would check would be the dust/water seals on the back side of the bearings, and the vacuum hose and hard line on the rear of the knucle. I know you're running AVM's, but if that is off or cracked and not plugged you could be contaminating them through there.

Also you're not doing any favors by packing the AVM's with grease, they don't like that. Just be sure to use the o-ring provided with them and make sure it's in good shape.

What brand bearings are you replacing them with?

 

quality bearing assemblies make a big difference in the long run

cheap *** bearings fail quickly , especially if you use larger tires than factory

that is what those bearings are rated for ( stock size )

 

You need to pack the bearing on the back side of the "unit bearing" assembly. Its where the cv shaft rides.

 

There should be an o-ring in there that needs to be replaced everytime you remove the bearing. Also, the thrust washer should be replaced.

 

Jason is right, you don't fill the hub with grease with the AVMs, just use the proper o-ring.
He is also right that you could have bad dust/excluder seals on the inside of the knuckle where the CV joint comes through.

I'm also curious what kind of bearings you're using.

 

im curious about bearings as well

 

I'm not exactly sure of the brand, but awesome point made about the cracked vacuum line. There all messed up and i've never even thought about that. I'm about to go to advance auto's website and see if i can figure it out and i'll let y'all know.

 

Ok, this has got be it. It's the only one they offer that is close to the price i paid. Please don't tell me i need to be buying $300 hub assemblies. lol
The brand is NTP if you dont feel like going to the link. lol
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...S_805330757___

 

Easy fix: LIVE AXLE!!


Get'cha a couple of 00+ CV's and bearings...DONE.


Quality bearings is where it's at. I've never heard of NTP. Just so you know...Timkin FTW. My liveaxle Timkins were under $200 each...I even wanna say they were $156 each?

 

uh shane it is spelled TIMKEN

 

Looks like i might be going junkyarding again this weekend! I never new that ford offered that until last night. I dont know why i ever spent the money on AVM's. I wander how much that set up will cost all in all. Have you ever had any problems shane?

 

Iv had wheel bearings go out before due to a faulty brake line, it wasnt letting the caliper depress fully and there was always a little but of friction on the pad just causing heat, i realized it once the grinding metal on metal noise decided to present itself, just a thought.

 

The bearings in live axle trucks are the same minus the splines cut for the locking hubs.

Don't waste your money on that conversion. Cap the vacuum line, replace the seals in the back of the knuckle, and grease the place where the shaft slides though.

 

Timken bearings are only $213.99 at rockauto.com before using a coupon. That is what you should be using IMO.

 

damn! that a lot to a full time student. lol ill just fix up these that i have now and eventually do that. Where can i get new o rings for the avms? Im missing one and ill jus put a new on the new drivers side bearing unit also.

 

The bearings at napa are repackaged timkens.

 

That's kind of a stupid statement. In my experience Napa has several different options for bearings.

 

yes, but there is only like 2 major manufactures for bearings in the US, timken and something else. Sorry, let me rephrase that, majority of bearings at napa are timken or SKF

 

X2
they also carry china made economy bearings. SKF and Timken are the premium bearings sold at napa. most people wont pay the price for the good bearings so they buy the china ones and than have to replace them a year later.

 

but what i was trying to say is that you can get timken or skf and it very well might be in a napa box. sorry i need to rephrase what i said, sorry

 

o ok, i c now. although all the timkens ive gotten from napa have been in timken boxes. the napa i deal with even puts a lifetime guarantee on there timkens.

 

blah. lol.

Depends on where you get your parts pretty much. It's gonna be quite the chunk of change but IMO you absolutely CANNOT beat the reassurance of having no hubs. Add a manual tcase and you've got a failsafe 4wd system. It's there 100% of the time when you need it...unless you're cool like me and crack a case in half.

I know it's 2 CV's, 2 nuts, and 2 bearing/hub assy's.....but you gotta figure this: Ford debuted the Explorer A-arm in '95 with live axles. Ranger got the a-arms in '98 and they tried out the PVH......only to use it for 2.5 model years and upgraded to the failsafe live axle hubs. PVH with even AVM's installed is still a weak and as you've experienced, a very problematic setup. Reliability and longevity don't go too well with PVH.

I'm probably talking to much so I'll shut up now. lol.

 

lol nah shane. That made perfect sense, but i wont be able to afford that setup till late november/december. So for now, i'll just go get my other bearing that is still under warranty and fix these up good enough for now. But where can I get the O-rings for the AVM's at? I've tried advance auto and they dont have the right size. I'm thinkin possibly home depot or our local hardware store, but if someone knows of a place for sure, that would be nice. lol