front bearings/hubs; any brands to avoid?

[762mm]

Yes I do. I spent 10 years selling aftermarket parts to people. Saw a lot of junk come back. Wouldn't put anything with MOOG stamped on it on my wheelbarrow. About the only one I'd trust is SKF. The warranty on the Motorcraft parts seems to be as good or better than the aftermarket stuff in a lot of cases.

I work at a dealership now, and for my situation, and price I paid it was well worth it!

Lol, I put MOOG tie rod ends, sway bar links, ball joints and wheel bearings on my old Explorer and they performed better and longer than the OEM Motorcraft... did the same on a Chevy Blazer in the family, with excellent results as well... a lot of that stuff has (or had?) a lifetime replacement warranty too.

Perhaps you got some of them bootlegged parts with MOOG printed on them?

 

[Trainmaster]

Moog has changed. Used to be first rate American stuff. A real go-to company for the best. About three years ago they stopped manufacturing and changed to reselling rebranded Chinese crap at higher prices.

Their American factories closed and their manufacturing people put out of work.

Was reading last week that their automotive aftermarket sales have plummeted.

 

[darmahsd]

I put Timkens in about 5 years ago on my 2005.
Not sure if they were Chinese, but still holding up.
ABS sensative to worn hubs, makes a good warning for that. ABS light was on, changed rear hubs, light went of.

 

[TobyU]

Moog has changed. Used to be first rate American stuff. A real go-to company for the best. About three years ago they stopped manufacturing and changed to reselling rebranded Chinese crap at higher prices.

Their American factories closed and their manufacturing people put out of work.

Was reading last week that their automotive aftermarket sales have plummeted.

Sadly along this line I just heard that there are no longer any steel foundries making steel in the US.
High quality engine and head manufacturers have to have the metal forged overseas and finish and heat treat it here in house.
They WANTED to use all US material because price is not an issue with what they sell but the said NONE available!!!

So sad. WE were once the steel makers for the world. Didn't we invent the steel industry???

 

[Alex Lopez]

Raybestos has a made in China "r line" bearing that has a lifetime warranty. comes without an abs sensor. available at rockauto. will be putting them on daughter's 07.

 

[Trainmaster]

made in China "r line" bearing that has a lifetime warranty... will be putting them on daughter's 07

Why in the name of God would you do a thing like that?

 

[TORNIT07]

I've had TERRIBLE experiences with MOOG wheel bearing assemblies for my expy. Same with their suspension parts. I will never buy ANYTHING MOOG again. I went with TIMKEN hub assemblies & so far they have served me well. 3 years on driver side & almost 2 years on passenger side. Many miles.

 

[762mm]

Moog has changed. Used to be first rate American stuff. A real go-to company for the best. About three years ago they stopped manufacturing and changed to reselling rebranded Chinese crap at higher prices.

Their American factories closed and their manufacturing people put out of work.

Was reading last week that their automotive aftermarket sales have plummeted.

Holy crap... This is beyond unfortunate. It's actually quite disgusting.


F**k Moog, out of pure principle in that case (regardless of quality). I won't buy their brand again, these cheap greedy basterds!


Thanks for the heads up.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Yes I do. I spent 10 years selling aftermarket parts to people. Saw a lot of junk come back. Wouldn't put anything with MOOG stamped on it on my wheelbarrow. About the only one I'd trust is SKF. The warranty on the Motorcraft parts seems to be as good or better than the aftermarket stuff in a lot of cases.

I work at a dealership now, and for my situation, and price I paid it was well worth it!

I've heard nothing but bad about all the big chain brands, I had really good luck with some NAPA store brand hubs on a Suburban though. I had to replace both front hubs and they were still going strong about 20,000 miles later

SKF makes many of the wheel hub assemblies for MOOG, Timken and NAPA. As is usually the case with NAPA parts, you can identify the manufacturer by the part number (or you can just go down to NAPA and look in the box). For Timken and MOOG, you can find the SKF logo stamped on the part displayed in their respective stock photos for the front hub assembly. Having purchased both a Timken and MOOG bearing for my front assemblies, I can also confirm both bore the SKF stamp.


MOOG




Timken

 

[richs fishes]

So I finally got around to dealing with this. Ordered up the front hub and went with the OE motorcraft piece. Got the car up in the air, and to my surprise I found some play in the rear left hub! Went and ordered up the motorcraft rear hub and got it installed yesterday. Was quite the PITA to get the hub out of the knuckle as it was seized in there pretty good. But about half a can of PB Blaster and what felt like a few hundred whacks with a 3 lb sledge finally knocked it loose.

Happy to say that after a test drive my problem is definitely fixed. I was never even thinking the rear could be the problem since I could sort of "feel" the hum underfoot from the driver's seat and could make it go away when turning left. I was pretty sure I'd be replacing the front right hub! But its all fixed...now on to replace the alternator to hopefully get rid of a whine thats getting worse by the day (which I assumed was power steering pump but some poking around with a "stethoscope" under hood guided me to the alternator).

 

[07navi]

You didn't have to blow money on OEM parts and using a half can of penetrating oil does nothing. What does work is to wrap a small rag around the part and soak it overnight, and you can buy wd40 in bulk even though it isn't one of the better penetrants. Even better is to wrap that rag with tape and leave a pour hole at the top.

 

[richs fishes]

You didn't have to blow money on OEM parts and using a half can of penetrating oil does nothing. What does work is to wrap a small rag around the part and soak it overnight, and you can buy wd40 in bulk even though it isn't one of the better penetrants. Even better is to wrap that rag with tape and leave a pour hole at the top.

huh? You have a source for free parts or something?

Using the penetrating oil sure did do something...it allowed me to complete the job and I didnt have to wait overnight.

There would be absolutely no way to wrap the hub with a rag soaked in any sort of penetrating oil. The hub seizes in the knuckle. I mean I guess you could wrap it up with a rag if you wanted to, but it certainly wouldn't help free up the seized part in this particular application.

You can buy lots of penetrating oils in bulk....I happen to own pb blaster.

 

[07navi]

huh? You have a source for free parts or something?

Using the penetrating oil sure did do something...it allowed me to complete the job and I didnt have to wait overnight.

There would be absolutely no way to wrap the hub with a rag soaked in any sort of penetrating oil. The hub seizes in the knuckle. I mean I guess you could wrap it up with a rag if you wanted to, but it certainly wouldn't help free up the seized part in this particular application.

You can buy lots of penetrating oils in bulk....I happen to own pb blaster.

You just aren't getting it, I meant a half can is no better than a little bit and don't take my advice......it's your stuff. Sorry I tried to help you.

 

[richs fishes]

You just aren't getting it, I meant a half can is no better than a little bit and don't take my advice......it's your stuff. Sorry I tried to help you.

I doubt it was really half a can and there isn't much to help once the job is already done.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[07navi]

I doubt it was really half a can and there isn't much to help once the job is already done.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

sorry I tried to help

 

[TobyU]

He's just pointing out that most people way over do it with penetrating oil. Soak it three times and let it sit. It's the time that actually does more than the amount.
And he's saying that when you buy OEM Parts you're overpaying for them. Nothing is quite the quality it used to be and the amount you overpay for the OEM parts does not reflect the amount of extra life you may get out of them. So many things are just a crap shoot anymore but many used to be high quality Brands like Moog are no longer high quality and you might as well buy something off of eBay.
I actually don't like to buy most hard parts online. I buy the house brand or whatever I get the best deal for with a lifetime or the best warranty I can get for the price at the local parts store. I have bought very, very few Motorcraft or Delco brand or oem parts in my life.

 

[richs fishes]

He's just pointing out that most people way over do it with penetrating oil. Soak it three times and let it sit. It's the time that actually does more than the amount.
And he's saying that when you buy OEM Parts you're overpaying for them. Nothing is quite the quality it used to be and the amount you overpay for the OEM parts does not reflect the amount of extra life you may get out of them. So many things are just a crap shoot anymore but many used to be high quality Brands like Moog are no longer high quality and you might as well buy something off of eBay.
I actually don't like to buy most hard parts online. I buy the house brand or whatever I get the best deal for with a lifetime or the best warranty I can get for the price at the local parts store. I have bought very, very few Motorcraft or Delco brand or oem parts in my life.

I get the intent, but I started this thread months ago looking for suggestions of brands to use or avoid. Little late to offer up input on that aspect of this conversation now that the job is done. I suppose when I exaggerated and said I used half a can of penetrating oil I opened myself up to critique, but trying to spray a stuck bolt is a bit different than trying to free a hub seized in a knuckle. Lots of surface area, and no good spot to introduce lubricant. I only resurrected the thread so anyone else looking at this later wouldn't assume that hum I felt was actually a bad front hub since it ended up being the rear in my case (which was quite unexpected as for some reason my brain said it had to be the front).

I also have not bought many name brand parts through the years. I usually get off the shelf parts from the big box stores specifically for the longer warranties. That seemed to equate to me doing the same job quite a few times on certain cars. So instead of doing the same thing this time, I asked for opinions. Based on my own experience plus everyone else commenting about how just about everything out there is crap right now, I chose to go with what was in theory the same part the vehicle came with originally which lasted 100K miles. I'm tired of doing the same job over and over because I used a cheaper part with a longer warranty. I shouldnt expect any better results if I do that same thing again, so decided to spend a bit more now to hopefully not have to do this job again anytime soon.

If you're not often using motorcraft or other similar parts, can you really say the price difference doesn't reflect the amount of extra life they might provide? I'm with you in theory, but thought I'd try something different this time around and really find out for sure.

 

[TobyU]

I get the intent, but I started this thread months ago looking for suggestions of brands to use or avoid. Little late to offer up input on that aspect of this conversation now that the job is done. I suppose when I exaggerated and said I used half a can of penetrating oil I opened myself up to critique, but trying to spray a stuck bolt is a bit different than trying to free a hub seized in a knuckle. Lots of surface area, and no good spot to introduce lubricant. I only resurrected the thread so anyone else looking at this later wouldn't assume that hum I felt was actually a bad front hub since it ended up being the rear in my case (which was quite unexpected as for some reason my brain said it had to be the front).

I also have not bought many name brand parts through the years. I usually get off the shelf parts from the big box stores specifically for the longer warranties. That seemed to equate to me doing the same job quite a few times on certain cars. So instead of doing the same thing this time, I asked for opinions. Based on my own experience plus everyone else commenting about how just about everything out there is crap right now, I chose to go with what was in theory the same part the vehicle came with originally which lasted 100K miles. I'm tired of doing the same job over and over because I used a cheaper part with a longer warranty. I shouldnt expect any better results if I do that same thing again, so decided to spend a bit more now to hopefully not have to do this job again anytime soon.

If you're not often using motorcraft or other similar parts, can you really say the price difference doesn't reflect the amount of extra life they might provide? I'm with you in theory, but thought I'd try something different this time around and really find out for sure.

I agree, but some of the hard jobs you at least want to buy the best part you think you can get. You just hope that it is higher quality. We just must be realistic and know that sometimes that's not the case. I've said the same about blend door Motors on a Lincoln Town Cars. They are such a pain to replace that anytime you're in the dash, like to do a heater core, you should replace the blend door motor with a Motorcraft part. You certainly don't want to put a cheap $12 eBay one in there and have it break into years.
I personally have not spent my money on a lot of Motorcraft Parts but I do have a lot of experience with brand names including OEM brands. I have run a fleet of limousines and sedans for 26 years along with working on many friends and customers cars. They often by their own parts.
As far as him commenting after the fact... I do remember when this thread was first started and people talking about the re boxed ones for NAPA and that was all good information. A lot of us post to a thread not really referring to or even replying to the original poster or actually answering the question. We just start our own little side discussions and while that aggravate some people... It does create a higher potential of us to learn more.

 

[07navi]

I get the intent, but I started this thread months ago looking for suggestions of brands to use or avoid. Little late to offer up input on that aspect of this conversation now that the job is done. I suppose when I exaggerated and said I used half a can of penetrating oil I opened myself up to critique, but trying to spray a stuck bolt is a bit different than trying to free a hub seized in a knuckle. Lots of surface area, and no good spot to introduce lubricant. I only resurrected the thread so anyone else looking at this later wouldn't assume that hum I felt was actually a bad front hub since it ended up being the rear in my case (which was quite unexpected as for some reason my brain said it had to be the front).

I also have not bought many name brand parts through the years. I usually get off the shelf parts from the big box stores specifically for the longer warranties. That seemed to equate to me doing the same job quite a few times on certain cars. So instead of doing the same thing this time, I asked for opinions. Based on my own experience plus everyone else commenting about how just about everything out there is crap right now, I chose to go with what was in theory the same part the vehicle came with originally which lasted 100K miles. I'm tired of doing the same job over and over because I used a cheaper part with a longer warranty. I shouldnt expect any better results if I do that same thing again, so decided to spend a bit more now to hopefully not have to do this job again anytime soon.

If you're not often using motorcraft or other similar parts, can you really say the price difference doesn't reflect the amount of extra life they might provide? I'm with you in theory, but thought I'd try something different this time around and really find out for sure.

You act like a little advice for the future is going to kill you when it was actually good advice from someone with many years of experience that will save you time and money someday.

 

[richs fishes]

You act like a little advice for the future is going to kill you when it was actually good advice from someone with many years of experience that will save you time and money someday and you probably could have done the rag/time/penetrant trick there if you tried also but it so happened that your spray worked that time.

Not sure how my thread devolved into this sort of conversation and despite my better judgement I'll continue to respond.

I'm not acting like advice for the future is going to kill me. I started this thread specifically looking for future advice. I came to update with my results and your opinion essentially indicates I spent too much money on the wrong part and then somehow completed the job wrong while also suggesting I should buy wd40 in bulk. Its hard to take advice seriously when it seems to come off as an attack/insult; even if that wasn't your intent.

I'm all for taking advice from those with specific experience which is why I'm here. Not sure how I would know anything about your particular experience and I'm not sure why you would guess at how much or little experience I have compared to you. I didn't see any specific suggestion from you other than the implication that OEM parts are a waste. Have you changed out the rear hub on your navigator or were you just suggesting general procedures?

I can see how applying penetrating oil and coming back the next day would work; and have certainly done the same on plenty of jobs in the past. Doesn't mean it saved any time nor does it mean it really needed to sit for 12-24 hours as maybe 1 or 2 hours would suffice as it did in my driveway this time. My time is worth more than another can of any penetrating oil even if its being wasted and over applied, and I'd rather not be without my vehicle for a full day if I can avoid it.

Your suggestion implied that the way I completed the job would not work ("What does work is to wrap a small rag around the part and soak it overnight"). Obviously what I did worked. So sure maybe I will try wrapping a rag around a smaller part that needs penetrating oil in the future, and I thank you for that suggestion. But I still dont believe that would have been much help in this particular situation. There is always more than one way to skin a cat even if experts will only approach the job in one singular way.