Rear Wheel Bearings: Everything You Need To Know

Rear wheel bearings are important mechanical parts that enhance the smooth operation of your vehicle. Although, this mechanical part is not given the deserved credit. However, this blog explains in detail what rear wheel bearings are.

What’s Rear Wheel Bearing?

A rear wheel bearing is an important part of a vehicle wheel assembly that enhances free spin with minimized friction in a vehicle. In other words, wheel bearings are an important component of the wheel hub assembly that joins the wheel and the axle. It’s a set of ball bearings or tapered bearings that is secured with a metal ring.

Types Of Rear Wheel Bearing

A rear wheel bearing is usually have a race covering it, with a moving part inside that acts as a bearing. These bearings are diverse in type and manufactured to fit different applications. In addition, there’s no significant difference between the front wheel drive and rear wheel bearings. However, the road cars use only two out of these types of bearings. Here are the common types of rear wheel bearings:

Ball Bearings

You’ll find these types of bearing mostly in normal cars. They withstand pressure, are cheap to produce, and are effective. In addition, ball bearings and rear wheel bearings have steel balls situated between their inner and outer race, you’ll also find them mostly in light-duty applications with some lateral play. They are a good fit for applications that require minimal stress because they have light-weight capacity.

Tapered Bearings

This type of rear wheel bearing is common, they are tapered to withstand concerning forces. The designs require more machining, which is why they are expensive. In addition, you’ll find tapered bearings in sealed and serviceable assemblies. There’s a presence of solid steel cylinders that roll along the line in the outer and inner races. In conclusion, these bearings are a good fit for heavy-duty applications that require thrust applications ( like larger trucks, heavy vehicles, etc ) due to their low friction and longer service life.

Precision Ball Bearings

They are similar to ball bearings, but precision ball bearings have higher quality compared to ball bearings. They generate minimal heat and friction, and faster rotation, and they are better at handling concerning forces. Precision ball bearings best suit high-performance cars, airplanes, and racing cars.

Roller Bearings

They are cylindrical, suitable for sealed wheel hubs and repackable wheel bearing applications. They have cylindrical segments that are arranged within the inner and outer races just like tapered bearings. Although they are capable of load-bearing, they have limitations that make them unsuitable for motorized vehicles.

Functions Of Rear Wheel Bearing

• Rear wheel bearings protect vehicle wheels and tires.
• Reduce friction and heat.
• Enhance vehicle safety and stability.
• They absorb road shocks and impacts.
• Maintain optimal wheel alignment.
• They support both axial and radial loads.

Signs Of A Damaged Rear Wheel Bearing

Sometimes, your vehicle will operate smoothly, but you’ll suddenly notice other disturbances such as shakiness, vibration, etc. However, below are some other signs that show your rear wheel bearing might be faulty:

Unusual Sounds: You’ll hear unusual sounds in your vehicle wheel bearing when the metal parts rub together. This is because there’s friction from the metal rubbing themselves and the sound increases the more you accelerate.

Tire Damage: This is usually caused as a result of bad vehicle alignment. In addition, worn tires are very dangerous, especially in wet weather. The worn tire is always the wheel with defective bearings.

Vibration And Shaky Ride: You’ll have an unfavorable driving experience when your wheel bearings are damaged, especially vibrations and tremors that are caused by increased friction in the wheels which makes them change position. The shakiness will become consistent and worsen if you refuse to change it.

Steering Wheel Shakes: The shaking of your steering wheel can be a result of many reasons. But you’ll first notice the shaking wheel at lower speed when your rear wheel bearings are faulty or will get worse when you accelerate if it’s not fixed.

Heat Build-Up: You’ll notice your wheel bearing generates excessive heat, it’ll be obvious after driving because the wheel or hub will be too hot for you to touch after driving. This heat acceleration will make the rear wheel bearing wear prematurely if you delay in fixing it.

Play In The Wheels: You can easily check this by lifting your vehicle with a jack, holding the tire on either side, and then trying to rock it forth and back. If the wheel bearing wobbles, that means there’s a high chance that a particular wheel bearing is faulty.

ABS Warning Light: Some modern vehicles have wheel speed sensors integrated into the wheel bearings for you to know if anything is going wrong in the wheel without losing your vehicle. For this reason, irregularities in your rear wheel bearing can trigger the ABS light.

Reduced Fuel Efficiency: Sometimes, your faulty wheel bearings are a sign of raised rolling resistance which usually reduces fuel efficiency in your vehicle. So a sudden drop in fuel/gas mileage can be a sign that your wheel bearing is faulty.

Causes Of A Damaged Rear Wheel Bearing

• Driving through deep waters that are hub deep will allow debris, dirt, and water to penetrate the seal, thus contaminating the lubricant and damaging the rear wheel bearing.
• Consistently driving on bumpy, salty roads, dirt roads, and pothole roads will cause serious damage to your rear wheel bearing. Rear wheel bearings are already carrying a lot of load by making your vehicle spin properly, so driving in poor road conditions means you are adding extra strain on them.
• When you don’t balance your tires regularly, it can cause damage to your rear wheel bearing. Unbalanced tires will cause uneven strain to particular tires and will make them work extraordinarily, thus resulting in rear wheel bearing damage.
• Imposing heavy loads on your vehicle will make the rear wheel bearing wear out more quickly. Consider checking your rear wheel bearing regularly if you can’t do without overloading your vehicle.
• Poor quality rear wheel bearings or improper installation of the rear wheel bearing is another cause of damage to the rear wheel bearing. This often occurs due to negligence of the mechanic or when the mechanic does not follow the manufacturer’s installation guidelines.

How To Check Rear Wheel Bearing

Checking your rear wheel bearing is not as difficult as it may seem. You can check your rear wheel bearing without removing your vehicle wheel. Here’s how:

1. Use the jack to lift your vehicle
2. You don’t need to go under the vehicle, just hold the tire on both edges and try to rock it. The wheel should only be able to rock slightly, If you notice excessive play, it might be a sign that the wheel bearing is faulty and needs repair or replacement.
3. If your vehicle has automatic transmission, set your gear shift to neutral, or take your gear out of manual transmission.
4. Rotate the wheel and listen to unusual noise. As it rotates, pay attention to roughness, it might be a sign that your wheel bearing is faulty and needs adjustment or replacement.
5. Shift your vehicle back into the park and lower your vehicle back to the ground.

How To Replace Rear Wheel Bearing

1. Ensure you park your vehicle on a flat surface.
2. Secure your vehicle wheel with wheel chocks for added stability.
3. Elevate the wheel with a jack and lose the lug nuts for you to have access to the internal components.
4. Unscrew the lug nuts, put them in a safe place, then remove the wheel.
5. Use the socket and ratchet to remove the brake caliper’s bolt, then use a screwdriver to remove the caliper.
6. Use a plier or wire cutter to remove the dust cover, cotter pin, and castle nut.
7. Securely place your thumb on the rotor and remove it.
8. The wheel bearing is usually inside the hub. So unscrew the hub bolt and remove the hub you want to change.
9. Disassemble the hub assembly by using a wrench and/or hammer to dislocate the hub end and another possible anti-locking brake wheel in your hub.
10. Remove the races and clean the knuckles by breaking them physically with a hammer and chisel or grinder.
11. Finally, use your hammer to set your new races in place, then apply enough grease to your new rear wheel bearing and install it in the assembly.
12. After replacing your rear wheel bearing, refix the parts you dismantled in reverse order.

FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Replace A Rear Wheel Bearing?

The time frame for replacing your rear wheel bearing depends on whether the bearing is on the front or rear wheel. Normally replacing a front wheel bearing might take up to 90 minutes, but rear wheel bearings can take 1 hour or less than.

How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Rear Wheel Bearing?

Rear wheel bearing replacement cost depends on your car’s make, rear wheel bearing type, model, cost of parts, as well as labor. On an average calculation, you need around $350 to replace a single wheel, meaning the amount of replacing the 4 rear wheels will be $1,400. However, you do not need to replace the rear wheel bearing in pairs.

What Happens When You Drive On A Bad Rear Wheel Bearing?

When you drive on a bad wheel bearing, there will be extreme heat due to friction that will make the bearing seize suddenly thus resulting in the blockage of the wheel irrespective of the speed you are driving at.

How Often Should A Rear Wheel Bearing Be Inspected?

You should inspect your rear wheel bearing every 30,000 miles or sooner if you hear any unusual noise.

Are Rear Wheel Bearings On All Four Wheels?

This depends on your type of vehicle, sometimes there are one or two rear wheel bearings per wheel. However, if your vehicle is FWD, each of the front wheels usually comes with wheel bearing assembly, while RWD vehicles sometimes have wheel bearings in front and rear wheels.

Conclusion

Rear wheel bearings not only give support to your vehicle’s weight but also ensure the smooth and noise-free operation of your vehicle. Understanding the regular maintenance, failure symptoms, and causes will help you minimize serious damage and costly repairs.