How To Grease A Wheel Bearing? new for 2022

Your wheel bearings keep your car’s wheels moving, but over time the grease inside them dries up and they need to be replaced.

If you’re not sure how to grease a wheel bearing, it can be difficult to know where to start. You could take your car into a mechanic, but that can be expensive.

How To Grease A Wheel Bearing? We’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to grease a wheel bearing so that you can do it yourself. Not only will this save you money, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment!

What Is Wheel Bearing Grease?

So, what exactly is wheel bearing grease? Most people think it’s only oil, but it’s actually made of multiple components:

• Oil such as: Mineral oil, vegetable oil, or synthetic oil
• Soap: This thickening process gives the oil a grease-like consistency. The soap is made of fatty acids that have anti-corrosive properties, as opposed to detergent soap.
• Additives such as: Anti-corrosion additives, Water-resistant additives, Anti-wear additives.

Different wheel bearings have different types and amounts of ingredients.

You can know more at What Is A Wheel Balance? Wheel Balancing vs. Wheel Alignment

How to grease a wheel bearing?

Removing the outside races

Clean the hub with paraffin or white spirit. Then drive the races away from each other by using a socket as a ‘drift’ (pusher). The inner and outer races may be of different sizes, in which case you should begin with the smaller one. Choose a socket that fits through the larger race to rest against the smaller race when driving them apart.

Remove the old race by tapping it gently with a heavy hammer and extending the socket using an extension piece. To push the other race in the opposite direction, use a larger socket.

To remove the first race if they are the same size, use a flat-faced punch and heavy hammer, tapping alternate sides evenly around the race. Work carefully so as not to tilt and jam it. Be careful not to scratch inside of hub when removing the first raceso you can free second race using a socket as drift.

Checking and cleaning the bearings

Clean all components thoroughly with paraffin or white spirit. When cleaning the stub axle, avoid getting grease on the brakes. The outer races will stay on the stub if you just do basic maintenance. Examine them to see whether there are any slight indentations; however, if there is significant pitting or scoring, new bearings are required. Make no allowances for the inner races and rollers or balls. Any flaw is unacceptable and necessitates a bearing replacement.

Bearing lubrication

Simply tap the outer races of the old bearings into the hub using the old as a drifts to replace them. Make sure you install a tapered roller race in the correct direction.

Pack the bearings with a suitable kind of bearing grease, as directed in the car handbook or from a dealer. Learn how much grease to use as well. On some hubs, the central region is excessively greased, but on other hubs, just a light layer is required. Always fill the inner bearings entirely with grease and then force it between the races.

When greasing roller bearings, be sure to coat the outer race thickly. spin the rollers in their cage on the inner race and rub grease into every crevice. Next, fit the inboard inner race into its outer race; or tap it on the stub axle with a tubular drift if this is more convenient. Finally, don’t forget to fit any spacer between the bearings before use.

With either type of bearing, apply the new grease seal. Make sure it’s installed correctly. Tap it gently in if it fits flush with the inside edge of the hub. If it is protruding, use a socket to push it in.

Putting the bearings and hub back together

To avoid damaging the bearings or races, be careful when Replacing the hub. Give the stub axle a light coating of grease, including both the threaded end and shoulder at its base. Keep any grease away from brake parts.

Push the hub onto the axle slowly and carefully, avoiding to bang out the inner race of an outer ball bearing with the axle end. If the hub won’t go in, use a soft-faced hammer to nudge it in. Insert the inner race of an outer roller bearing into the hub.

Position the thrust washer so that its chamfered side is facing the bearing. Screw on the hub nut, then adjust the hub into place. Position a castellated nut so that it lines up with the split-pin hole by gently easing it back – not forward – or fit on thenut cover if there is one.

To begin, insert a new split-pin with the head facing up. Trim the brakes’ legs to ensure they don’t get in the way of the dust cover’s installation. Finally, carefully reassemble all of the components.

Read more at Steps To Install Wheel Stud? How To Replace Wheel Studs

Wheel Bearing Grease Types

There are many different types of bearing grease available. Let’s have a look at the most popular ones:

Grease for All Purposes

Calcium sulfonate is used to make multi-purpose grease. It may be used on a wide range of tasks, including:

• Drum brake wheel bearings
• Chassis components

While this grease is waterproof, it can’t handle high heat well. So, never use it on applications that require withstanding high temperatures, like disc brake wheel bearings.

Extremely High Temperature Grease for All Purposes

This silicone-based multi-purpose grease is ideal for high- temperature uses. The presence of silicone aids in the preservation of this grease under high temperatures. It also protects the grease from elements that are frequently introduced to wheel bearings. This sort of grease performs well in applications that do not require a lot of heat. It’s more versatile than standard multi-purpose grease.

Moly-Grease

The anti-wear additives molybdenum and tungsten that are present in moly-grease make it a type of lubricant. Ford vehicles, for example, require moly-grease. It’s because the grease protects the metal at higher pressure. nLook in your vehicle’s owner’s handbook to discover which kind of wheel bearing grease the manufacturer recommends.

Marine Grease

If you own a boat or a boat trailer, you should use marine grease because it is loaded with water resistance additives. General bearing grease comes with soap, but soap can be water soluble; therefore, marine grease is better for vehicles that will be frequently dunked in water.

How often should grease wheel bearings?

You need to grease your travel wheel bearings at least once a year or every 10,000 to 12,000 miles, depending on which comes first.

It depends on how frequently you use your vehicle and what kinds of conditions you expose it to. You should check the grease in your bearings every few months to be on the safe side. If you live in an area with a lot of dirt and dust, you will need to clean and repack your bearings more often than someone who lives in a more urban area.

If you live near the coast, you should also check your bearings more frequently because salt water can corrode them. If you use your vehicle for off-roading, you should also check the bearings more frequently because they will be subject to more wear and tear.

How much does it cost to grease wheel bearings?

Wheel bearings and grease are inexpensive compared to spindle and hub replacement, or liberated wheels rolling down the road ahead of you.

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In a car, it will cost between $100 and $400 on average to have your bearings checked, repacked, or changed professionally (depending on your location and mechanic). The cost of greasing your wheel bearings will depend on a few factors, such as the type of grease you use, how often you need to do it, and whether or not you hire a professional to do it for you.

If you use a high-quality grease and only have to do it once a year, the cost will be fairly low. However, if you use a cheaper grease and have to do it more often, the cost can add up.

FAQs How To Grease A Wheel Bearing