[Knuckleslammer]

:mumble:

I'm wondering. My wife has a 02 jeep liberty. It's got 40k miles on it. The front end has been very noisy lately and pulls to the right when stopping. I checked the rotors yesterday. Plenty of meat.

However, upon bringing it to the dealership, apparantly it needs front wheel bearings and rotors. $1200

Does this seem a little high for this work?

Also, 40k miles and the wheel bearings are shot? Unreal.

Now I think that the noise is from the tires. I noticed the car pulls to the right and the inner wall of the tires are worn. Could this be the noise? I jacked up the car the shook the wheels and everything seems tight? Do you think they are full of sh*t with the wheel bearings?

So sick of dealerships. I ain't got $1200

Kevin

 

[spookydave]

sounds like it's time for you to learn how to pack wheel bearings.

Shop labor is out of sight these days.

 

[Andy_B]

Go to belle tire/discount tire/tire rack and have them balance and rotate the tires. They "should" tell you if anything else is wrong.
Maybe try to smaller repair shop.

 

[Denny]

If your wheel bearings are completely dead, they will allow the wheel to assume all sorts of improper orientations, wearing the tire as you mentioned.

To check your wheel bearings, lean with your knees against the top of the tire (from the side), and rock the wheel in and out as hard as you can. If it moves more than just tire deflection, you have a problem.

You don't want to keep driving on bad bearings, unless you think 4 wheels is one or two too many

 

[Polandspring88]

I am no mechanic, but that seems very high for that certain job.

I had a wheel bearing go bad on me on the left side of the car. Like you described, it was very noisy, yet I noticed no pull to one side when braking. That occured after perhaps 85K though. Luckily my dad is a mechanic, and replaced that fairly easily. We also replaced the entire brake system (pads, rotors, drums, shoes) a while back with our cost only being a couple hundred dollars in materials. I would say check another dealership to see what they quote you. If they two are close in price, then that is probably going to be the going rate, yet my neighbor had an issue in which one dealership quoted him about 1200 as opposed to the 700 another dealership charged him. Shop around.

 

[urbaindk]

:mumble:



However, upon bringing it to the dealership, apparantly it needs front wheel bearings and rotors. $1200



Kevin

Same thing happened to my truck. I had toasted the wheelbearing and it had fused to the spindle. It had to be torched to get the rotor off the spindle. I had the bearing replaced, the spindle ground down to make it hold the new bearing, both rotors turned, and new pads on both sides for $200 bucks at a small mom and pop place. The mechanic even let me help so I got to see what was going on and learned how to do it next time. So yes you are getting screwed royally.

If you are getting a vibration in one wheel and the vehicle is pulling to the opposite side it is probably the bearing. To check it your self, jack the car up and wiggle the wheel top and bottom and left and right. If you get a lot of play the bearing is probably bad. If you get a little play do as spooky dave says and learn to repack your wheel bearings and tighten the nut that holds the rotors on a little. You'll save lots of $$. It ain't rocket science.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You guys bought the Jeep. Suck it up.

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Yeah it ain't rocket science, but isn't the bearing inside the steering knuckle? You have to take EVERYTHING off to get at it right?

I jacked it up. Neither wheel has any play whatsoever.

Kevin

 

[kinghami3]

sounds like it's time for you to learn how to pack wheel bearings.

Shop labor is out of sight these days.

No f*ing kidding, I just paid over $700 to get my timing belt replaced.

 

[spookydave]

Yeah it ain't rocket science, but isn't the bearing inside the steering knuckle? You have to take EVERYTHING off to get at it right?

I jacked it up. Neither wheel has any play whatsoever.

Kevin

No, on most rear wheel drive cars & trucks it's in the rotors.

They always get repacked or replaced every time a rotor is turned or replaced.

Take a look

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/l/bl219lib.htm

 

[spookydave]

Really the only hard part is getting the old bearing race out and the new one in. Knowing you don't have the right tools it's just taking your time and being careful with the big punch you use to tap 'em in and out with.

Oh, and if you over tighten them they won't last. Better to be a tad loose then over tight.

 

[urbaindk]

Yeah it ain't rocket science, but isn't the bearing inside the steering knuckle? You have to take EVERYTHING off to get at it right?

I jacked it up. Neither wheel has any play whatsoever.

Kevin

2wd? or 4wd?

If 4wd, I'm not sure, but its probably similar to 2wd.

2wd the bearing is inside the rotor. Just pull the tire, you'll see the rotor. Next take a hammer and a screw driver and knock the dust cap off (in the center) Inside you will see the adjustment bolt. It will have a clevise (sp??) pin that you have to pull before you tighten or loosen the bolt. If you want to pull the rotor you have to remove the brake caliper obviously. That's pretty easy too, just be careful not to let the pads close (just like hydro bike brakes) or you'll have a time getting the caliper back on.

You jacked the car up and wiggled the wheel and didn't get any play? Sounds like your mech is dicking you around. Rotate and balance your tires and see if that fixes it. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Also since your vehicle is fairly new you shouldn't need new rotors, that's just bs. Unless they are really screwed up they can be turned usually once, sometimes twice before needing replacement. Make them show them to you and show you why they think they need to be replaced before letting them do it.

 

[llkoolkeg]

I just got 4 new tires, a 4-wheel alignment, 2 wheel bearings and front brakes done on an '05 AWD Vue for a grand total that came in under $600. I shopped online for parts, had them drop-shipped to an approved mom&pop garage, and made an appointment to have the work done when I could afford to leave the vehicle there all day. The dealership wanted $325 for just the brakes and $158/ea for the tires. Fog that! "My mamma told me I better shop around."

 

[MMike]

My dad just had the bearing on his '96 XJ replaced and itwas a crazy expensive job. IT was because the bearing wasn't jsut the bearing. The way it's designed a whole big part needs to be replaced.

That said however, 40k miles seems a little soon to be cahnging bearings. I have about 9000 miles on my '04 liberty.... Seems ok so far. (However I think my torque converter slips).

There was a good Jeep site with a Liberty-specific forum. If I can find the link again, I'll post it. I got some good info off of it.....

 

[Knuckleslammer]

So you guys are telling me that this rotor just sits on a spindle or whatever and the bearings (on the rotor) slide over the spindle and then the bolt tightens the whole thing? That is the spindle nut makes it tight? Sounds way too simple. This is 4wd btw. I've seen plenty of rotors. These have plenty of meat. The mechanic says that the rotors are out of round, hence the pulling to the right?

What the hell could cost $1200? Rotors? Pads? Bearings? $1200? WTF?

I hate dealerships.


Kevin

 

[narlus]

I just got 4 new tires, a 4-wheel alignment, 2 wheel bearings and front brakes done on an '05 AWD Vue for a grand total that came in under $600.

isn't that a lot of work for an '05 vehicle?

 

[MMike]

Post the question here

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

There are a few sharp guys on this board...

 

[spookydave]

most of the expense is labor. Around here it's around 100.00 per hour at dealerships. Unless it's BMW and it's 135.00 per friggen hour!

I HATE working on cars but I never had the coin to pay the labor. So I had to do what I had to do.

The only way to tell if a rotor is to thin is to measure it with a mic. You just can't look and tell. Now out of round? That's a new one. I don't see how it could go out of round. I can see warping them but not out of round.

The bearings are prolly ok. But no-one would put used bearings in a new rotor.

 

[urbaindk]

isn't that a lot of work for an '05 vehicle?

Yeah. What the hell did you do to that thing to need to replace all that on 1 yo vehicle?

 

[llkoolkeg]

Yeah. What the hell did you do to that thing to need to replace all that on 1 yo vehicle?

It's got 60K miles on it and I am not known to be a gentle driver on or off road. We normally just trade in the new one when the warranty ends for the newest model, but we just refinanced the house a month ago and can't afford to up our car payment at the moment. I had the dealership do a checkup before the warranty lapsed, then had all he work done somewhere I could afford it. Kinda scary, though. The wife/kids have driven a car under warranty for the past 7 years and it makes me nervous to have piled on the mileage so badly in barely over a year. The problem is that both sets of our parents live within 90 minutes, so we often get guilted into driving down there(NVA) a couple times a week over and above regular driving.

 

[Kornphlake]

If the car's pulling and the tires are wearing unevenly get the alignment checked before you have any work done to the vehicle. A lot of tire shops will check the alignment for free if you're willing to wait for them to have the time to do it. An alignment should cost less than $50, although being 4wd they may jerk you around on the price a little bit. Still it's alot less than $1200. While they've got the car up on the rack you may ask them to take a look at the wheel bearings and rotors too, explain that the dealer said they needed to be replaced and quoted you an outrageous amount. An independant shop may give a different opinion.

 

[Kornphlake]

I heared that mineral oil from Rite Aid will work just fine and costs a lot less.

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Thanks for the help pals.

Kevin

 

[urbaindk]

The problem is that both sets of our parents live within 90 minutes, so we often get guilted into driving down there(NVA) a couple times a week over and above regular driving.

High miles, I see. Plus you probably drive around all those fireroads up there in the watershed every couple of days. That will tear stuff up in a hurry.

Speaking of high miles. My truck is sitting at around 199,975 miles right now. I'm afraid my wife is going to go out for groceries today and hit the big 200K while I'm sitting here at work. If not, I'm going to go for a little drive tonight and watch it roll over. (It's the little things in life thta make it worth living...)

 

[Atomic Dog]

Try draining all the gas out of the tank and fill it up with apple juice. Run it on that for 6 or 7 days, then hold a strainer over the exhaust pipe and check out all the nasty stuff you're cleaning out of your engine!

 

[narlus]

It's got 60K miles on it

damn that's a lot of miles in one year. probably about what i put on in 5+ years.

 

[arboc!]

so how hard is it to repack car wheel bearings? is it like repacking bike wheel bearings?

 

[urbaindk]

so how hard is it to repack car wheel bearings? is it like repacking bike wheel bearings?

Similar but bigger. The hard part as mentioned before is knocking the races out and pressing them back in again with out the benefit of all the cool tools in your typical autoshop.

 

[arboc!]

ahhh, i have a feeling im going to try to do alot of my own car work... thinking its just like my bike..... the key word is try

 

[urbaindk]

Just be sure to have either your bike or another car handy when you start working that way when you screw up or forget a part you can still get to the part's store. (lesson learned the hard way a long time ago)

 

[Kornphlake]

so how hard is it to repack car wheel bearings? is it like repacking bike wheel bearings?

You really need to "pack" wheel bearings with grease, not just smear some grease on them. There's a lot more weight at a lot higher velocity ridding on a wheel bearing in a car than there is on the bearing in your bicycle hub.

 

[TSchultz]

I just kinda buzzed through the posts so if I repeat a few things forgive me.

Does the front end make noise all the time or only when you stop. If it only makes noise when stopping it could just be the brake pads. See the deal is brake pad mfgs. put these little metal tabs on the brakes so that they make noise before the actual brake pad is gone. This helps protect people from running their calipers into the rotors. This would contribute if not totally aleviate (sp?) your right pulling tendency.

Secondly does the brake pulsate when stopping? If so then the rotor is probably warped.

Third yes I agree with everyone else to have your alignment checked first at a non dealer shop.

 

[Dog Welder]

Or it could be that a piston is stuck in your brake caliper. Jack the car up and spin the affected side tire. if it doesn't spin right pull the caliper, if you've ever worked on a bike's disk brakes it is the EXACT same thing. Pull the pads and have some one work the brake pedal lightly just to see if your pistons are all moveing. If not get a C-Clamp and move that sucker around and see if it becomes free. Worse case scenerio you replace the caliper...and that's cheap, I just did mine 150 bucks for a pair of front calipers for a toyota pickup.

 

[captainpolution]

they dont call them stealerships for nothing.

check jeepforum.com or it might be at jpforum.com

 

[dhtahoe]

Yeah. What the hell did you do to that thing to need to replace all that on 1 yo vehicle?

HIS WIFE drives it. No offence but next time you drive with her see if she rides the brake or uses one foot or two in traffic.

 

[jdcamb]

My friend had the same problem in her 03 Liberty. We replaced the steering damper and all was well. It got hit by debris and became uncharged. Weird.

 

[Mackie]

Try draining all the gas out of the tank and fill it up with apple juice. Run it on that for 6 or 7 days, then hold a strainer over the exhaust pipe and check out all the nasty stuff you're cleaning out of your engine!

Nice. Ouch, but nice.

 

[Sandwich]

So sick of dealerships. I ain't got $1200

Kevin

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey

keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevin


here's a list.

If you've got wear on both tires, in the same pattern, you need an alignment. Chances are something is tiltled some way it shouldn't be, and your tires are wearing heavily on one side.

If you've got wear on one side, chances are it's your brake on one side.
-If it wobbles when you apply the brake (ie shake), you have a warped rotor.
-If it wobbles when you apply the brake, and continues thereafter for a short while, your caliper is sticking and warping the rotor. Replace both.
-If it wobbles all the time, particularly bad when you turn, it's probably the wheel bearing.
-If the steering is tight, but there is NO play in the wheel (and I mean no play) then your tires are out of balance.

OK...that being said. To replace two wheel bearings on a 4wd and two rotors isn't too far off. I was charged about 3-400 to replace one on a civic. They want to replace two plus rotors...you can figure parts will probably come to 5-600. check www.thepartsbin.com to see just about the cheapest replacement parts you can buy. People often call the dealership the "stealership" for a reason. Only go there if you can't find someone else to do the work. On an 02 Jeep, that should be easy.

I don't want to claim that I know everything, but I just replaced my Audi's brakes in 45 minutes. With the right tools and the right parts, it's easy. Wheel bearings are a far more difficult job than rotors, but not impossible. Post pictures or at least a reply and I'll try to figure out what's up.

-Andrew

 

[Gregg]

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

I just used a brass drift and a big hammer to knock out my old bearing races and a block of wood and big hammer it "press" in the new ones. I doubt you need wheel bearings though...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Really the only hard part is getting the old bearing race out and the new one in. Knowing you don't have the right tools it's just taking your time and being careful with the big punch you use to tap 'em in and out with.

Oh, and if you over tighten them they won't last. Better to be a tad loose then over tight.

i was working on that just today. i had to replace some bearings.

firstable you gotta identify the bearings. its usually a 4-6 digit number in the bearing (for metric). check any skf catalog...
once you have the code, OR you have the factory replacement (the 1st being cheaper and usually you can get uprated bearings), then proceed.

you´ll need an hydraulic press. if you dont have access to one, then its gonna be hammering, which i dont recomend, because you might not be able to get the bearings 100% perpendicular all the way, which might decrease the life expectancy on the bearing, or even mess up the housing/axle.