Why do the Ford BA and BU wheel bearing always fail?
Why do they almost always have water contamination?
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| Check the rust flakes on the stub axle and inner cone. |
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| There seem to be enough grease in his bearing, Did the seal allow water to ingress the bearing? |
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| Notice that even the stub axle is contaminated. Could this water have been present when this wheel bearing was originally fitted to the vehicle? |
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| The bearing cap has a rubber seal that should keep all water and vapor out of the bearing area. Is this bearing cap a faulty design? No matter how expensive a bearing you fit to the vehicle, if water can ingress through the rear seal or the bearing cap, the bearing WILL FAIL. |
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| Maybe,,, while driving in Melbourne in the rain most of the year, the bearing get's warm, then when the car cools down the moisture around the rear bearing seal or bearing cap ingresses the bearing hub and slowly the contamination begins. |
Why we ask this question is because this is not the first, but rather one of many wheel bearings we have replaced on this model ford. All with the same fault and the same symptoms.
Solution : When fitting new wheel bearing hubs, although they are pre-packed with grease , add some more especially on the side that has the seal. This seal is not designed to stop water. Also add sealant to the bearing cap, obviously it does not seal as well as intended.
Happy motoring!
Article below taken from WIKIPEDIA
Please read there article on wheel bearing, very enlightening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_bearing
Another factor to wheel bearing damage is water. This causes rusting of the bearing and contaminates the grease in the bearing cavity. Some bearing seals are not built to keep water out of these bearings. Vehicles, most especially off-roaders (with wheels frequently sunk in the mud or hub-deep water during floods), must have their bearings cleaned thoroughly. In this manner, there will be greater interval before the wheel bearings are replaced.
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