I found the wheel on the FR Drivers side was able to move back and forth in a tilting manner - about 1/4 inch play. Everything is solid on the suspension except for the hub/wheel bearing.

I replaced the wheel bearing and the play was no longer present. I noticed after a month or so that the play has returned and is about 1/8 inch.

Must I replace the hub? or could this be from the new bearing? not pressed in properly or whatnot. No the shop never took a look at the hub to determine it's condition.

 

if you paid a shop to do the work i would take it back and make them fix it.

 

I paid them just to press in the new bearings. I removed the knuckles from the car and dropped'em off. When I reinstalled them they were fine but now it's loose again on the driver side.

 

if the wheel bearing wasnt pressed in properly.. it could have gone bad already.. did the spindles look ok? because a loose wheel bearing can cause the spindle to warp.

 

make sure the axle nut is tight.

if it is, then yeah, i guess you need to figure out where the play is coming from. if its the hub or the bearing again.

you generally have to replace the bearing again if you pull the hub out.

 

I took another look at it again and it seems like the play is coming from the hub. If the bearing was bad, would it wobble around on it's own. As it is, the entire hub+bearing is able to wobble.

What I did was jack the car up, remove the wheel, remove the rotor, and I'm able to move the hub back and forth with the knuckle isolated.

I can't believe they went ahead and put a new bearing on a bad hub This is why I DIY as much as I can. I just don't have a vice and a press so I decided to take it to a shop.

I should have just replaced the hub and bearing

 

most likely you need both the hub and bearing. unfortunately you cant use the bearing over. usually if the hub is bad there would be play right off the bat. if they pressed it wrong you would know right away, it would be lose as soon as you put it on.

 

yea, I hear you on that. In the mean time I'm just going to find another knuckle from a junkyard for now. Put the bad knuckle/hub on a shelf and save it for another project - replacing hub/bearing for both knuckles.

My main focus right now is to get this car back on the road. Thanks everyone for the help

 

I removed the knuckle today and took a closer look at the spindle/hub and I was able to tap the bearing further in with a 4lb hammer. Now the hub no longer pops in/out and is able to spin freely. I guess the shop didn't press it in properly or the bearing came loose? What are the odds of that.

In any event, I'll be sure to tighten up that axle nut so it'll keep everything else in check

So I saved myself $250 in new Honda parts (pair of hubs) - for now. Now I gotta fab up those LCA's

 

what?

how about the odds of the shop not installing the circlip before installing the hub!?

serious issue man!

im really not sure what you mean by being able to tap the bearing in further. but the circlip should not allow the bearing to move inside the spindle. i dunno if you mean the hub was not fully seated, in that case, you (or the shop) didnt press it all the way in, but that also means you (or the shop) didnt torque the axle nut all the way in. if that was done properly, and you were able to then push the bearing in the knuckle, then the circlip was NOT INSTALLED. you better make them do it right.

 

Part #2 came right off and I applied force in the direction of the arrow - with the hub-side down. Looking at the anatomy of the hub assembly, I don't think I'll be able to tell if the circlip was installed at all

 

number 2 moving around is ok, it is more a dust seal for the axle. #26 is what you might be missing. If that isnt there.. that is scary..

 

so you pressed the hub side down, and the knuckle pushed down?


if thats the case, then yeah man, they forgot the circlip!

 

If they forgot the circlip then the bearing would not sit flush with the hub and the hub would stick out of the bearing side where the axle shaft goes in - correct? I'll have to check this out when I get home and I'll snap a few shots for you.

 

if when you pushed the knuckle down, and it was the HUB that got pushed in, then the axle nut was not as tight as it should have been. if the BEARING is what got pushed in, the circlip is missing.

 

Then I believe it was the hub that was pushed in further, it could have very well been the axle nut that was not torqued properly but I never noticed this problem while the car was running/after I got the knuckles back from the shop. Maybe it came loose when I removed the axles - I had to fuss with the knuckle. The car has been up on stands for a good 3 months - during the time I was doing the motor swap.

Does the circlip go on the bearing? what is securing the circlip and bearing? the knuckle? and the hub is then pressed in the knuckle over/in the bearing?


Modified by ketchup at 3:03 PM 6/27/2008

 

the circlip goes into a groove in the knuckle itself, and retains the bearing. The circlip expands to fit in the groove to retain the whole thing. the hub is then pressed into the bearing.

 

cool, so the hub just got loose. I'll tq up the axle nut.