front wheel bearings/seals

[walt113]

When I drive in heavy rain I get a loud whine in front that goes away when the rain quits. Is there an inner bearing seal that goes between the bearing and drive axle that may be worn? The car is 1990 DL with 190K+ mi. - how long would front wheel bearings last anyway? Thanks.

[Donald]

Yes. There is a seal that the axle shaft goes into, and there is another on the outer side that the hub fits into.

If the axle nut is torqued correctly, and the assembly hasn't een submerged, I believe those bearings will last a very long time.

All those I have replaced were good, but I figured for the price it was worthwhile for the peace of mind, since I had to be in there for the seals.

The hardest part is getting the inner race of the outer bearing half off of the hub shaft. I actually thought to just replace the hub, instead of trying to get that inner race off. The hub doesn't cost that much.

You will need some special pullers, and or an air hammer/chisel.

But, like I said, those bearings seem to last a long time. Even some steering knuckles that I have gotten from the junk yard, had good bearings in them.

[walt113]

Thanks - next time I have the wheel off I'll take a close look and see if anything looks wrong.