1G How often to replace/service rear wheel bearings?

[XC92]

I'm about to place a semi-large order for a bunch of parts for my '92 Talon TSi AWD and am also about to overhaul the entire rear end, replacing bushings, ball joints, connectors, etc., cleaning, derusting & painting everything, etc. So I'm wondering if I also need to replace the wheel bearings and should add the parts to the order.

With the rear up when I try to wiggle each wheel there's absolutely no detectable play, nor have I heard those tell-tale howling sounds when at speed. And it still has less than 80k miles on it. But given the age of the car, nearly 30 years (actually exactly 30 years since it was built April-May 1992), and all the rough surfaces, pot holes, bumps, etc., it's gone over over the years, should I replace or at least service them as preventative maintenance, to be on the safe side?

And if I do replace them, can I use a front wheel bearing toolkit, or does this call for a different set of tools?

 

[danl]

I had an awd with original rear bearings that I thought were going out but i wasn’t sure because the car was so loud. I replaced them with koyo brand, same as oem. The extra drag of the new bearings slowed down my trap speed by 1mph. The old bearings were fine when I inspected them. Complete waste of time.

Don’t fix it until it’s broke.

 

[XC92]

That's what I was thinking, but just wanted to check. I might order a set just to have on hand for if and when I need them someday, since parts are getting harder to find for 1G's and it's around $75 for a full set for both wheels.

 

[92AWDHX40]

I replaced mine i didn't know of the condition of them . Shouldn't never have to replace again. You just never know.

 

[steve]

One thing you can be sure of, if you wait to get the parts they will be discontinued when you need them.

 

[XC92]

Exactly what I'm thinking. With bearings it's not a question of if but when they'll go bad. Chances are, I'll never need them, since I don't drive that much, but relatively cheap insurance. I'll probably end up giving them to the new owner if I ever sell it.

 

[XC92]

One more question. The Amayama site lists the OEM rear wheel bearing seal at $13 and one by Musashi at $3, which sounds too good to be true.

Is this a well-regarded parts maker and does Mitsubishi use them so I might actually be getting the OEM one for $10 less?

 

[92AWDHX40]

I don't know about that I just ordered the whole kit from jnz tuning. I did the seals and bearings. Are you replacing the seals . So much easier all oem. I did mine because I replaced every bushing, and a toe eliminator kit. The whole rear has new parts.

 

[XC92]

I'm only even considering doing this because I'm restoring the rear end and everything will be out anyway. E.g. bushings, link connectors, BJ's, etc. The bearings are OEM but I thought maybe the seals aren't that critical and Amayama does list it as a viable alternative.

 

[We're on Boost]

The way JNZ shows the parts to do 1 rear wheel bearing sure looks good to me. It's 5 parts.
https://jnztuning.com/product/wheel-bearing-kit-1g-dsm-rear/#
Here's the picture they show for it:

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[XC92]

I probably wouldn't buy the 2 new dust covers as they're basically stamped metal and if you remove them carefully they'll probably be serviceable, and the FSM doesn't refer to them as replacement parts. In fact it only lists the seals as replacement parts, but since the bearings are wear parts they're going to need to be replaced eventually. Just wondering though if anyone knows anything about these Musashi seals or the company itself. Seems crazy cheap but I've never been screwed by Amayama.

 

[We're on Boost]

Well I had never heard of Musashi but I see they have kind of a nice website:
https://musashiamericas.com/
The google reviews for their place in Canada sure suck.
$3 does seem awful cheap but when I look at wheel bearing seals for a 1992 Talon on Rock Auto, the prices are all over the place. So I don't know.

1992 EAGLE TALON 2.0L L4 Turbocharged Wheel Seal | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

 

[XC92]

It's less about saving $10 a wheel than knowing whether this company is any good in case certain OEM parts are no longer available someday and they're one of the alternatives. For example the OEM intake manifold for my car is no longer being made. This is obviously going to get worse over time.

 

[We're on Boost]

Yeah. Well, when it comes to good companies for bearings and seals, Timken and SKF are about as good as it gets, and they have been for a long time. Musashi I have no clue, but I think it would be a risk.
Even buying Timken or SKF parts like from Rock Auto is a bit of a risk because maybe Rock Auto hasn't picked out the truly exact fit parts. It's hard to say from their "more info" pages which sometimes don't even have the correct pics or info for the part.
For what it's worth, the Timken seal, inner bearing, and outer bearing, are all about $18 each from Rock Auto. So about $54 total. Not saying that's the way to go. Just for knowing what's out there.

 

[XC92]

Well buying all OEM through Amayama would cost me around $75 for both wheels so I think it's worth the extra $20 or so. I did get Timken for the fronts though. Gotta raise the front to see if there's any wobble to make sure I did it right. I've been hearing a weird clunking sound when I approach the full extend of the steering rack's movement to either side, and it might be the bearings. Or the CV axle. Or the steering rack.

 

[danl]

It’s a difficult enough job that you will want the more expensive parts. The bearings should be a common size, so no real risk of them ever not being available.

 

[XC92]

It’s a difficult enough job that you will want the more expensive parts. The bearings should be a common size, so no real risk of them ever not being available.

Good points. Do you know if the rears on an AWD DSM can be installed with a typical front wheel bearing kit that uses a forcing screw or bolt, or do they require special tools or a press?

 

[We're on Boost]

Well buying all OEM through Amayama would cost me around $75 for both wheels so I think it's worth the extra $20 or so.

Yeah if you can do all 6 of those parts all OEM for $75 that sounds super good.

 

[danl]

Good points. Do you know if the rears on an AWD DSM can be installed with a typical front wheel bearing kit that uses a forcing screw or bolt, or do they require special tools or a press?

It has been like 8 years and I don't remember. I do recall having to crack bearing shells to get them off as I did not have an oxygen-acetylene torch. When installing, you can use the old bearing and the threaded rod kit to press the new bearings in. Try to not put pressure on the inner race as that can peen the surface, reducing the life of the gearing. I also put the bearings in a freezer overnight and warmed up my hubs with a propane torch to ease installation. You'll get a couple thousands extra gap this way, so make sure you send her in straight or you risk getting the bearing stuck at a catty-wompus angle (technical term). The two parts quickly match temperatures and they lock together, you have like 5 seconds.

 

[XC92]

It has been like 8 years and I don't remember. I do recall having to crack bearing shells to get them off as I did not have an oxygen-acetylene torch. When installing, you can use the old bearing and the threaded rod kit to press the new bearings in. Try to not put pressure on the inner race as that can peen the surface, reducing the life of the gearing. I also put the bearings in a freezer overnight and warmed up my hubs with a propane torch to ease installation. You'll get a couple thousands extra gap this way, so make sure you send her in straight or you risk getting the bearing stuck at a catty-wompus angle (technical term). The two parts quickly match temperatures and they lock together, you have like 5 seconds.

So long as the forcing screw fits through the center it should work. And I'd use a 3 jaw puller to get the inner race off the hub. No need to cut. And bearing install kits are basically threaded versions of hydraulic presses so probably no need to heat or cool anything, it's always worked on room temp parts for me. I was just asking if the forcing screw would fit on the rears.

 

[steve]

Good points. Do you know if the rears on an AWD DSM can be installed with a typical front wheel bearing kit that uses a forcing screw or bolt, or do they require special tools or a press?

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/awd-rear-axle-bearings.214904/

The inner can, the outer comes out with the hub.

Do you have ABS?

 

[Dannyrampage1]

I'm getting front and rear bearings kit from JNZ my car is a 90 TSI AWD no bearing noises but at 32 years old I'm rebuilding the car from the ground up All bushings bolts every being replace not to mention a 4 bolts converting the rear as well Rather been safe then sorry

 

[XC92]

When I took apart the axles on my '92 AWD Talon I ended up replacing only some of the bearings because most were ok. I ordered the full set but ended up not using some, so if I ever do need to replace them, I have them.

Of course it still has less than 80k miles on it so YMMV. I did replace nearly all the bushings and all the ball joints, link connectors and inner and outer tie rods, caliper seals and boots, and several other boots.

I've kept most of the original nuts and bolts as they looked ok. Gave everything a thorough derusting and cleaning and coated and painted everything for good measure.

I've since learned that if you derust fasteners instead of replacing them, you have to treat and coat them or they'll rust right away. I coat them with phosphoric acid then spray them with clear coat--after fastening them.