Did I just buy counterfeit hubs from Amazon?

mrblaine said:
Until you bolt up a stock stub shaft, the rest is bullshit.
Click to expand...
Next time i have a loose bearing i will have to hunt down an OEM stub and give it a shot.

Before replacing the last hub i tried torquing the nut to 175 and it didnt move. So i replaced it and it is now tight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blondie70
mrblaine said:
I beg to differ, in the strongest way imaginable. Unless you meant that they needed to stay in business. Instead of actually maximizing profits, what happened is a few shithead companies started globally sourcing product. In one example, brake rotors. The average schmoe does not give a shit about brake parts in any regard except cost. So when Autozone, Pep Boys, and the rest of the cut rate sellers started peddling cheap rotors and by cheap I mean sub 10 dollars, the mainstream brands like Raybestos, Autospecialty, Wagner etc. had a choice. They could either follow suit or, they could dramatically limit sales enough to no longer be in that market.

It wasn't about maximizing profit, it was about just staying in that business.
Click to expand...
I would have hoped that the manufacturers could offer different grades of product, perhaps one crappy outsourced one to appease the market you mentioned, but then a better line for those of us who want better parts. Is that not the case? I get what you're saying completely. What I've read up to this point in this thread about the state of offerings for wheel hubs is a little disturbing...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blondie70
ChristopherJ said:
I would have hoped that the manufacturers could offer different grades of product, perhaps one crappy outsourced one to appease the market you mentioned, but then a better line for those of us who want better parts. Is that not the case? I get what you're saying completely. What I've read up to this point in this thread about the state of offerings for wheel hubs is a little disturbing...
Click to expand...
Huh? It is the case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChristopherJ
Finally got the new ball joints and hubs installed. How much grease do the bearings in the hubs have in them? There was a pretty good amount of crusty, dirty grease splattered along the bearing seals and entire backside of the old hubs, and I really don't know where it all came from. Do they leak grease when they're bad, and how much can actually come out of there?
 
mrblaine said:
Well, you know I'm always ready to see if someone is willing to put up or shut up. I'll swap over to the Detroit stuff instead of Timken and price it accordingly if you'll handle any and all tech calls and handling any replacement parts that need to warrantied. Deal?
Click to expand...
Well? boogerhead, where are you on this?
 
In 2019 I bought two Timken HA597449 wheel bearings on Amazon. They were silver all around, no orange/red ring as expected and as shown in the photos. Naturally I think counterfeit and return them both. I ordered two more from Rock Auto. They looked the same as from Amazon. I planned to replace both even though only the passenger bearing had play, but since I wasn't sure of the quality of the part anymore I just replaced the passenger. Fast forward to yesterday, two years and 3,500 miles later, and I notice both bearings have play. Yes, the new Timken with 3500 miles already has play. The driver side is worse (mystery bearing from PO of axle), so I installed the other Timken on it because it's bought and paid for. Torqued to 175 ft lbs and no play. So far so good, but I will keep a close eye on it.

As for the passenger side Timken that already has play at 3,500 miles, I plan to check the torque and make sure it's still at 175 ft lbs before issuing a final verdict. Then I will get back to you guys. It may take me a little while though, the play is small enough I feel safe driving on it for now - but probably not wheeling.
 
Well I checked the axle nut torque (175 ft lbs) and the three hub bolts (75 ft lbs). All were good. Took it all apart since I was replacing the axle u joint anyway, re-torqued everything down, and still have play. It does have several wheeling trips on it, so it could be normal wear and tear, I don't know. I'll probably try another brand when I replace it.
 
Mobusaki said:
Well I checked the axle nut torque (175 ft lbs) and the three hub bolts (75 ft lbs). All were good. Took it all apart since I was replacing the axle u joint anyway, re-torqued everything down, and still have play. It does have several wheeling trips on it, so it could be normal wear and tear, I don't know. I'll probably try another brand when I replace it.
Click to expand...
Replying because I’ve been experiencing the same issue on the passenger side of my TJ rubicon as well.

I rebuilt the front end in 2018 with timken bearings, last year I discovered that the passenger side had play in it after a wheeling trip so I replaced it in June 2020. Doing some maintenance this past weekend, I again discovered the same amount of play in the passenger side bearing. Now I’m wondering what else could be causing this reoccurrence?

I am running RCV axles and maybe they could be contributing to the premature failure? I’m also seeing others report that with aftermarket axle shafts the stub shaft splines can bottom out on the bearing. How is that issue resolved?

it’s also worth noting that my driver side bearing is still the original one I replaced in 2018 and has no play in it.
 
Last edited:
Lax22 said:
Replying because I’ve been experiencing the same issue on the passenger side of my TJ rubicon as well.

I rebuilt the front end in 2018 with timken bearings, last year I discovered that the passenger side had play in it after a wheeling trip so I replaced it in June 2020. Doing some maintenance this past weekend, I again discovered the same amount of play in the passenger side bearing. Now I’m wondering what else could be causing this reoccurrence?

I am running RCV axles and maybe they could be contributing to the premature failure? I’m also seeing others report that with aftermarket axle shafts the stub shaft splines can bottom out on the bearing. How is that issue resolved?

it’s also worth noting that my driver side bearing is still the original one I replaced in 2018 and has no play in it.
Click to expand...

I ended up replacing it with another Timken. It was a tough pill but none of the other brands have stellar reviews so I thought I'd give Timken one more chance, hoping it was just bad luck and not the norm.

My Jeep is on 32's and Moab wheels (5" backspace) so there's not a lot of force there to cause such premature wear. Stock shafts, u joints.

If you find another brand that is good please let me know. I'll report back here if the new hub wears out prematurely again.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lax22
I plan to run another timken bearing. Mainly because I’ve had luck with them in the past and on other TJs. I do wheel this thing pretty hard and the others were daily drivers.
 
Top Bottom
Back