repack bearings

[nyc #1 ironman]

The dealer and my local tire/brakes guy tells me the bearings don't need to be repacked because they are sealed, but most members of he board advise that they be. Please advise if u know for sure? thanks again, george

[Tone]

Price a new spindle and decide whether it is worth the risk or not. Yes, the bearings have seals but they are NOT sealed bearings in the true sense. And repacking is not only about lubricating them but also and more importantly, removing the play that occurs as a result of wear. Dealers and many mechanics are stupid as indicated by what they told you - refer to the manua, VX Workshop CD, common sense and what people on these boards do to extend the life of their vehicles.

[nyc #1 ironman]

Tone ,
Your word is was and always will be as good as gold, thanks buddy ! I will have them repacked,,

[ScottinMA]

The dealer and my local tire/brakes guy tells me the bearings don't need to be repacked because they are sealed, but most members of he board advise that they be. Please advise if u know for sure? thanks again, george

Hi, I did the front hubs at 30K. There was a significant amount of rust within and a thorough cleaning and repacking was performed. I bought mine new and I was truly surprised to see the condition as my VX has been used almost entirely on the street.

Scott

[kpaske]

Mine haven't been repacked in forever and I'm sure they are way overdue. I was thinking about doing them myself using the HOWTO that someone posted not too long ago. Is this a long involved job that an only moderately experienced person such as myself might not want to tackle? How does the cost of a shop repacking them compare to purchasing new bearings and installing them myself?

[thebear54]

Any old time mechanic will tell you to repack the bearings...the new ones will tell you "oh they are sealed don't worry about repacking"
Sealed does not mean impervious...grease breaks down with heat,metal expands and contracts and before you know it..dirt and rust on the spindles followed by major repair bills.
I don't care how "sealed" a bearing is it still needs grease and maintanance..
REPACK AWAY GEORGE.
I'ts a simple operation doesn't take more than an afternoon to do. But do it by hand don't use those fancy grease injection gimmicks...they don't work!
John

[VX4EJR]

The VX service maintenance schedule thing says to repack front bearings, does not mention the rear.

Reading these posts, then should the rear be done too or what? I was under the impression the rear was sealed off and did not need to be serviced. The front however is not under the same conditions.

[driver3]

The rear bearings are actually sealed... you can't repack them. Now if the seal blows you need to get into the dealer and have them take care of it as you'll lose all your diff fluid if it gets bad enough. They are however covered by the powertrain warranty as are the front bearings. If you remove a rear disc, which is easy, you can see if they are ok, other than that you can check for grease around the back of the disc. My parking brake wasn't working and it turned out all the innerworkings of the drum were completely greased.

Once you have repacked your front bearings on your own, it's easy to do it the second time... it's worth doing yourself if you plan on keeping with the every 15k rule.