Bad front wheel bearing?

[txgt]

Not sure if this is bad… but my front driver side wheel bearing appears to have some play in it and I’m not sure if this is normal.

It’s not a lot of play, but enough that you can hear it when you wiggle the hub.

It also seems to spin very freely compared to the passenger side (which does not have any play in it at all…

I‘be never replaced a wheel bearing before… is this an easy DIY replacement?

Sponsored

 

[Cory S]

It's shot. Replace it.

 

[VictorH]

Agree it needs replacement and both the cost of the replacement item is modest and the labor part is not hard (you look to be pretty handy).
You have it ready to take out as is. The toughest part is the I think 18 mm bolts that have red loctite and you'll either need to heat each bolt before you remove with a heat gun (carefully, I would NOT use a torch) and then unscrew each bolt. You'll need replacement bolts or some red loctite when you put the bolts back in. Please double check me but I think the torque for the bolts is 105 ft lbs.
Don't forget to remove the wheel speed sensor so you don't risk damage. (small like 10mm bolt)

 

[Cobra Jet]

Does anyone know who (contractor/vendor) supplies the original hub assemblies to Ford?

There's so many failed S550 hub bearing reports on this site across all models years - very low miles (below 5k) or even some that can't even get past 20k... including those replaced under warranty that yet again reportedly fail.

 

[Cory S]

Does anyone know who (contractor/vendor) supplies the original hub assemblies to Ford?

There's so many failed S550 hub bearing reports on this site across all models years - very low miles (below 5k) or even some that can't even get past 20k... including those replaced under warranty that yet again reportedly fail.

Some are Timken (depending on platform-front/rear), but most are all sourced from China. (Toyo)

 

[KingKona]

...The toughest part is the I think 18 mm bolts that have red loctite and you'll either need to heat each bolt before you remove with a heat gun (carefully, I would NOT use a torch)....

Those bolts can't be a problem if they're in liquid form.

 

[K4fxd]

Some are Timken

Timken is also sourcing from China on many bearings.

 

[NightmareMoon]

Does anyone know who (contractor/vendor) supplies the original hub assemblies to Ford?

There's so many failed S550 hub bearing reports on this site across all models years - very low miles (below 5k) or even some that can't even get past 20k... including those replaced under warranty that yet again reportedly fail.

The rear hubs in the older 15-17 GTs failed pretty often, but Ford has been reving the parts and we don’t see nearly the failure rate today we used to see. Front hub failures seem pretty unusual, I was surprised to see this one.

 

[Arknsawchuck]

I had a rear bearing fail with only 1000 miles on the car. Changed it out with another Orem one, that was 16k miles ago.

 

[txgt]

I picked up the replacement wheel hub/bearing assembly and the replacement 36mm nut from my local Ford dealer. Stopped by Northern Tool and picked up a 36mm socket and a 1/2" to 3/4" drive adapter so it will work with my 1/2" breaker bar and torque wrench. Will do the replacement tomorrow morning!

You have it ready to take out as is. The toughest part is the I think 18 mm bolts that have red loctite and you'll either need to heat each bolt before you remove with a heat gun (carefully, I would NOT use a torch) and then unscrew each bolt. You'll need replacement bolts or some red loctite when you put the bolts back in. Please double check me but I think the torque for the bolts is 105 ft lbs.
Don't forget to remove the wheel speed sensor so you don't risk damage. (small like 10mm bolt)

Not sure what 18mm bolts you are referring to... doesn't seem to apply to the front end of my 2018 GT...

 

[VictorH]

Not sure what 18mm bolts you are referring to... doesn't seem to apply to the front end of my 2018 GT...

Sorry, you are correct. I just replaced the front wheel bearing on my Mach 1 and it's a completely different assembly, much more like the rears. That's what I was thinking about. Anyway, glad you're on your way to a fix.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Some are Timken (depending on platform-front/rear), but most are all sourced from China. (Toyo)

Timken, really??

I wouldn't suspect a Timken assembly to fail prematurely - as Timken has been known to be extremely reliable hardware. Did something drastically change over the last, say, 8-10 years with the brand (any sell off or acquired by an inferior Company perhaps)? Just curious because I've also always used Timken for replacement parts without issue.

 

[Cory S]

Timken, really??

I wouldn't suspect a Timken assembly to fail prematurely - as Timken has been known to be extremely reliable hardware. Did something drastically change over the last, say, 8-10 years with the brand (any sell off or acquired by an inferior Company perhaps)? Just curious because I've also always used Timken for replacement parts without issue.

Possibly not all the Mustang platforms, but I read some F-150’s got USA Timken hub assemblies.

 

[txgt]

Sorry, you are correct. I just replaced the front wheel bearing on my Mach 1 and it's a completely different assembly, much more like the rears. That's what I was thinking about. Anyway, glad you're on your way to a fix.

How many miles did you have on your Mach 1 before having to replace the front wheel bearing?

My 2018 GT has 32k miles on it and 2 years of HPDE events... I'm wondering if my failure might be related to the additional stress from the HPDE events.

 

[VictorH]

A lot less than that. 7,000 miles, something between 6-8 track days and then maybe the killer, one really good pot-hole. I've never had a pot-hole kill a bearing before though. And, it was the passenger-side, usually the driver's side wears out first due to most tracks running clock-wise.

Sponsored